7 Life Lessons from the Skool of Surf

The ocean is a very magical place once you become familiar with it. Water as a substance has incredible qualities. It can be powerful, yet calming at the same time. In his translation of the Tao Te Ching Wayne Dyer even describe water as flowing so easily and making its way into places where there seemed to be no room and slowly, patiently, and calmly breaking down enormous rock formations over millions of years. He even says to adopt a mind set similar to the flow of water. Having spent 6 hours a day surfing for the last 5 days, I’ve realized there are so many parallels between surfing and life. So, I decided to share with you a few life lessons from the Skool of surf.

1. Be Positively Present (shout out to you Dani): One of the reasons I have completely fallen in love with surfing is that it teaches you how to be present. In fact when you are in the ocean you must be present or you will experience continuous wipe outs. Presence ensures maximum performance and a much smoother ride.

2. Sometimes the conditions suck: This is one that I used to go nuts over when I first started to surf. I was always annoyed that I couldn’t catch waves. But sometimes the conditions really do suck. I was told “it has nothing do with you or your abilities.” I immediately thought, well that could be said about life too.

3. Small Adjustments make a BIG difference: I wrote earlier about how one small adjustment can make a big difference. Several small adjustments make an ENORMOUS difference. For example I learned this weekend that on the bigger waves you to bend your knees a bit more to prevent a wipeout. When automobiles are built, inches in dimensions can dramatically change the performance of the automobile.

4. Don’t dwell on what just happened: If you keep thinking about the wipeout you just had, you are in for a rough day. You will probably spend more time under water than you will riding waves. You have to be quick to let go of a set back. When I say quick I mean instantaneously because another waves is coming and could result in a killer ride.

5. Don’t push the panic button: It’s almost natural to panic when something like the ocean takes control of you and your surfboard. But, when you panic your heart rate goes up, you might have trouble breathing, and you might get in the way of your survival instinct. Just RELAX and you’ll resurface ready for the next ride of your life.

6. Celebrate the success of others: When I see somebody catch their first wave and see that ear to ear smile on their face I know it’s over. Usually, they have caught the bug and it will be the beginning of something very positive in their lives.  I’m overcome by a sense of joy because I know how rewarding that feeling is. I’ll often go and talk to them or just ask them what the they think. By celebrating their success with them I’ve made a ton of new friends that I end up seeing over and over again.

7. End each day on a positive note: When I surf, it seems to be forever before I want to get out of the water. 4-6 hours passes by as if time doesn’t exist. I break for water and grab a short lunch. But I realized what keeps me coming back is that desire to end the day on a positive note. I will never get out of the water after a wipeout. I only get out after I catch one last good wave. I end each day on a positive note.