What would it take to express ourselves authentically, willingly and freely? Expression without boundaries, filters and distractions. A friendly wave accompanied by an honest smile. An exciting conversation filled with fascinating stories. Stories that make us laugh. Stories that we share to cultivate a renewed sense of humour. Jokes so amusing they bring laughter and joy even during the darkest of hours. And so is the flow on effect of life. The law of attraction in many ways. Chain reactions, like dominoes. During this time of accelerated isolation, our minds are freed to think about what we might be able to do differently following the reopening of society. Let’s use this time to reflect and realign the dominoes. Tie up loose ends. Adjust & Adapt.
Learning to Surf
Day 1:
Over the New Year’s Break I ventured off to a 3 day learn to surf camp in Byron Bay. During the three days I learnt how to pick the best wave, how to stand up on the board, how to control speed and how to change direction. Of course, I learnt a lot during my holiday away but I believe I drew far greater lessons from surfing that have carried over to other aspects of my life. The first day isn’t much to write about but it covered the basics of how to get yourself riding a wave successfully. This day included a number of attempts, some successful and some outrageously unsuccessful. We go again regardless. The main thing I took away with me from day one was the freedom I felt after spending nearly 3 hours in the open ocean. Pure Zen, no distractions, no noise but a few seagulls on the shore line, no boats, just surf. The experience was meditative, I walked away with a renewed interest for a reduction in life’s interruptions. Surfing is just that, you and the waves.
Day 2:
Day two was a little more interesting. Working on footwork, balance, adjusting your weight and adjusting your direction and speed. Our instructor pulled us in for a tightknit, intensive talk about all things surfing. I kept a mental note of two important lessons. First, he described how fair the open ocean is to all types of people. Big, small, long limbs, it didn’t matter. Some would excel on the short board; some might excel on the longboard. The ocean was like the great equalizer, harsh, but fair to all who attempt to conquer it. Basically, what he was saying was, stop making complaints, the ocean is fair, and it won’t listen to your excuses. Or at least that’s what I took away from his message. His second message was about controlling speed on the board. This message was a simple one, if you are travelling too slow, shift your weight forward to increase speed. Alternatively, if you are travelling too fast, shift your weight on your back foot. I like the idea of attacking life in the same sense. If you find life boring, slow and uninteresting then speed up, get moving, test boundaries, challenge yourself. On the contrary, if you find life stressful, can’t sleep, racing thoughts and overwhelmed then slow down, meditate, read, get outside for a walk, breath and relax. Now I had the surfboard in motion. On a perfect wave our aim is steadfast, straight and narrow. However, as we know things don’t work exactly this way. We have to watch for other surfers, surf breaks, rocks etc. and so we adjust. Point where you are going, keep your head up, lower your centre of gravity and shift your hips in the direction you are going. Easier said than done, I struggled to grasp this concept, nevertheless I gave it a red-hot crack. I kept reminding myself that surfing is difficult and that I won’t pick it up so easily. Besides what’s the point of a straightforward wave? What’s the point of an easy life? “Do not pray for an easy life; pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
(Bruce Lee – The Easy Life)
Day 3
By day three I seemed to have things down pat before doubts starting to creep in. I began to explore all the moving parts. I began to overthink, “where do I put my feet, eyes up, point my hand, bend knees etc etc”. My brain was like an overloaded computer, I didn’t have the processing power to compute all the smaller details all at once. I was running a Pentium 1 in an open ocean full of unpredictability. Luckily for me, a particular instructor noticed my struggles. He could see the battle I was in with myself. His words were “Just keep your head up, look at the shore and stand up…your overthinking it too much”. Success followed, every wave there after felt like mine. I even began to get thrifty and try a few tricks on the board as my confidence grew. This was soon echoed by another instructor’s advice. His ethos and his motto towards surfing and all things within his life was “grip it and rip it”. This saying has stuck with me, and I like to imagine this platitude during times of self-doubt. The type of self-doubt we are more susceptible during times of isolation.
Techniques in Surfing, Techniques for Isolation – The Perform 360 Approach
Eliminate Distraction – Shut out the noise
- Peel back the layers of distractions.
- Streamline your thoughts, focus your
- energy. Dive fully into what you are doing.
- No outside distractions, just you and the weights.
- Setup your gym, put your phone away and rip into a workout.
Control your speed
- Speeding up, Slowing Down
- Speed up – Run, Jump, Lift, Train, Move, Push Yourself
- Slow down – Breath, Relax, Meditate, Sleep, Recover
Changing direction – Adjust on the fly
Write down a clear description of what you are currently doing that is helping you and what you are doing that is hindering you. Have a clear picture in mind of what you want to achieve and get it down on paper. Point in the direction you are heading. Stay focused on where you are going and make adjustments along the way. Find a mission, set a goal, hit your target.
Above all, Action – Grip it and Rip it
Fears, doubts, insecurities and uncertainties will always find ways to creep into your head. Drown out negative thoughts with your own actions. Action over everything. My Surfing trip was set to be a trip along with a mate of mine. However, he couldn’t make it and it resulted in my first solo travel experience. This became a process of personal reflection. Moments of doubt, fear and uncertainty followed by feats of exploration, challenge and improvement. Coming back felt like a renewed sense of self. An opening into who I could potentially be. My challenge to you is to digest the analogies mixed throughout this blog. If you see value in some of these lessons and techniques, put them to the test. Find ways to explore unknown areas of your lives. Fix your stare, adjust your compass, explore your mind, challenge the paradigm, seek & succeed.
Zach Maggs Perform 360 Coach