Life Lessons from Surfing: Embrace the Waves, Don’t Rush Back to the Top
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I wouldn’t call myself an avid surfer, but I love to surf. I’ve always had dreams of catching the big wave and riding it to shore while people applaud. I even hire photographers when I’m in Hawaii to capture me riding the big waves.
Except, I don’t really ride big waves—at least not in surfing. But what I learned from my surf instructor taught me an important lesson for the big waves I do ride as an entrepreneur and in life.
We’re often told, “Get back up and try again” after we fall. As if it’s easy to get right back up after a hard fall. How many times have you fallen hard in life, dusted yourself off, only to get knocked down immediately by the next wave? It happens to me a lot.
There were times when things were really bad, and I told myself, “Just keep your head above water,” believing it would all work out. I even used to give others that same advice when they were going through tough times.
“Keep your head above water.”
But that’s terrible advice, and I’ll never give it again. When I was out in the ocean with my surf instructor, he was talking to me about the nature of waves and what it takes to be a big-wave surfer. Since I’m a larger guy, I needed a larger wave to start with, which meant paddling out farther than everyone else. How many times have you felt like you were alone in an ocean, chasing the right opportunity or that big break? I sure have.
As he explained the dynamics of waves, he shared something counterintuitive: Don’t rush to bounce back up after falling off the board. Wait, what?
“Don’t come up quickly when you fall; relax underwater,” he said.
My first thought was to ask for my money back after hearing that crazy advice, but then he explained why. He said that waves never come alone; they always come in packs. Waves can only knock you down when you’re on the surface. If you stay underwater, they won’t affect you. If you bounce up instantly after a fall, you’ll get knocked right back down. That’s when people panic; that’s when people drown.
He went on to tell me that being a big-wave surfer requires more than just surf skills—you need lung capacity to stay underwater for a couple of minutes. The bigger the wave, the longer you need to hold your breath. When waves several stories high come crashing down in succession, you’d be a fool to try and fight them on the surface.
But underneath, there’s no need to fight the waves.
Just like in the ocean, I realized that often in life, I’m fighting waves I don’t need to fight simply because I’m in a hurry to “get back on top.”
I learned that although waves come in packs, there’s always a calm before the next round of waves. That calm means there’s a chance to refocus, get back on my board, and prepare for the next opportunity.
So, I tried it. Instead of letting all the waves hit me one after another as I fought to get back on top of my board and the ocean, I fell and enjoyed the serenity of being underwater. There’s a beauty in the vastness of the ocean when you’re submerged. It was a freeing feeling—I wasn’t fighting or rushing. I was just gathering myself and enjoying the moment.
And then, when I surfaced, everything was clear.
I’ve taken that approach to life. When you’re chasing something great, you’re going to get knocked down, and it’s going to hurt. I’ve been knocked down more times than I can count. But instead of rushing to get up, I’ve learned to appreciate the beauty of the situation. Sure, there may be waves crashing on me, and I might be confused about my next move, but that’s something I can figure out later. There will always be another wave, another opportunity, another chance.
I owe it to myself and to that wave to be at my best and to give my best when I do try to “catch the big wave.” I can’t do that if I’m always fighting the waves.
Sometimes, you don’t need to keep your head above water. You just have to hold your breath.
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