Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Surfing

Ask any surfer what surfing means to them, or even what surfing is, and you will have stupefied even the most studious subject.  Glazed eyes turn skyward, jaws dangle in the off-shore breeze, then babbling punctuated with stammering pours forth.  Surfing is, in a word, indescribable.  A surf mate would always ask what I had learned post-sesh.  A few months into my surfing education I observed that every session’s lessons provided parallel insights into “real” life.  Following are a handful of highlights from my ocean apprenticeship:

1. What are You Waiting For?  Why Not Do it Now?  Why is the hardest part of accomplishing anything simply getting started?  Why can it be so dang difficult to bring ourselves to do the things we know we need, even want, to do?  Since the vast majority of us have a tendency to be our own worst enemies, it may be necessary to look the enemy straight in the eyes and make nicey-nice.  There truly is no time like the present.  Lesson: Recognize excuses for what they are (the fearful ego’s subtle self-sabotage ritual guised as self-protection), and take the power back.  It gets no easier by not doing it.  Nothing ever does.

2. Go with the Proverbial Flow.  What is this mysterious flow we keep hearing about and where can it be found?  Why can something that sounds so swell be so slippery?  Lao Tzu asks us, "How can a man's life keep its course if he will not let it flow; those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.”  Lesson: Stop trying so hard to control everything and everything will fall right into place.  Release resistance and float downstream…it all leads to the ocean.  Let go and let flow.

3. Change Is the One Constant.  When it is all around us, why does it surprise us so?  All in this dream is temporary.  Waves come, waves go.  Our moon waxes and wanes.  High tide gives way to low tide.  Leaves grow and blow away.  Mother Nature’s cycles reveal truth.  There will always be another line on the horizon.  Lesson: Life is change and resistance only creates sorrow.  Allow life to unfold naturally.  It is what it is, and it’s blooming in perfectly divine order.

4. Attitude Is Everything.  How can the one thing we control have control over everything else?  They say timing is everything, but can perfect timing be ruined by a sour ‘tude?  Our attitude is our choice.  Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.  Waves and life will slap your ego in the face on more than one occasion, so laugh off the sting and keep it cheerful.  Don’t judge anybody, including yourself.  Lesson: We can make ourselves happy or we can make ourselves unhappy; either way it is the same amount of effort.  The most successful person is the one having the most fun.

5. Baby Step Your Way to Greatness.  Why do we always want what we want as soon as we find ourselves wanting?  Isn’t it the journey, and not the destination, that matters most?  Are the only things worth achieving difficult to do so?  And what makes something “difficult” to you or to me?  Difficulty is relative and rooted in perception.  Tackle big stuff by breaking it into bitelettes to ease absorption.  What we get out depends wholly on what we put in.  Lesson: Greatness is born of countless little steps.  Keep paddling one arm at a time, and take each obstacle as it comes, one duck-dive at a time.

6. Rise to the Occasion.  Why is it so much easier to talk the talk than surf the surf?  Have you ever found yourself looking over the ledge of a big perfect wave only to pull back?  Why do we frequently manifest a desire only to shy away?  Gamblers know that the bigger the risk, the bigger the payout.  Do as Bonga does; once you’ve decided to turn and go for a wave, either make the drop or cannonball to the trough; either way you are going over the edge.  Lesson:  Buck up, buckaroo.  Channel fear into frustration, then parlay that frustration into focused determination.

7. Persevere, Baby.  How have we humans survived this long with such pathetically short attention spans?  Why is it so hard to see our own progress when we are submerged in it?  Trust the process and just keep paddling.  You are getting there, even if you don’t see it right away.  Paddle even harder and longer than you think you need to.  Lesson: Wipeout self doubt and replace with a healthy dose of sticktoitiveness.  Have faith in yourself and embrace challenges – they make you better.

8. Eyes on the Prize.  Have you ever noticed how easy it is to run into the very thing you were trying to avoid, like potholes or bosses when you’re playing hooky?  Whether I set my eyes on the green water ramp to my right or left, or down on the pit, I always end up where I was looking.  You can look where you’re going, or look where you want to go.  As Qui-Gon Jinn taught us, our focus determines our reality.  Lesson: Focus your eyeballs where you want your body to go, and focus your inner-eye where you want your spirit to go.

9. May the Force Be with You.  Who said that we are or should be top dog?  It is at once comforting and unnerving to know that there will always be forces of nature much bigger and more powerful than us.  Accept that the ocean always wins.  Jedi masters instruct their padawan learners to quiet the mind and become fully aware of the pervasive energy force created by all living things.  Lesson: Think less and feel more.  Align with source and tune in to your heartmind.

10. Gratitude Goes a Long Way.  Why is it so easy to take good fortune for granted?  How can the simplest thing mean the most?  Remembering that we are lucky little kooks to even be having this conversation is key.  It is a blessing, a privilege, and a miracle to dance with water.  Each wave is a uniquely precious gift, as is each breath.  Lesson: Savor the sweet ambrosia of appreciation, knowing that thankfulness attracts more to be thankful for.  Honor in your heart the way-show-ers who walked before you to illuminate your path.

11. Breathe Deep.  How can something so simple be so challenging yet so paramount?  Ancient yogis knew that peace, truth and joy can be found through mastering our breathing.  Every moment our breath is reflecting back to us our current mindset.  Think of it like this, our breath is the conductor of the orchestra of our mind and body, so the question is: what kind of inner symphony do you want to create and listen to?  Lesson: Breathe deeply, fully and slowly.  Drink the nectar of life force and feel it vibrating in every cell.  Slow the breath to slow the mind to slowdown time to shred in the matrix.

12. Get Out of Your Way.  Why does it always seem to be that the only thing standing in between me and what I want is me?  Why am I much more likely to wreck on a perfect wave than a mediocre one?  Accept where you are right now, right here.  Begin where you are.  Everybody started somewhere, and it only gets better.  Lesson: Think less, surf more.

Now, the next time you emerge from the ocean ask yourself what you learned, and then save yourself some time and energy by applying those pearls to life on terra firma as well.  Enjoy charging the waves of life.