One of the really great things about living, as I do, in coastal Southern California is the beach. I was watching some surfers the other day as they rode the swells on a perfect morning, and as I watched some life lessons we can all embody became clear.
To begin riding the waves the surfers must first paddle through the incoming swells, just as for you and I, to begin living an IN-powered life we must first make our way through the tides and waves which are our past thoughts, and the insistance of others to continue doing things their way.
Next the surfer must line-up to be in position to catch the next wave. For non-surfers this is akin to doing our homework, preparing ourselves mentally and skills-wise to move to the next level.
When the right wave (or opportunity) arrives the surfer must paddle to align with the energy of the wave, just as you and I must align with our vision for a better life. This may take some effort on our part. Sometimes the surfer (we) catch the wave, sometimes our timing is just a little bit off. If we give up and go back to shore (our old life) we never get the thrill of catching the wave.
Through repeated failures and success at catching waves the surfer becomes skilled in reading the water, sensing the ocean, actually becoming one with their environment until more times than not, the wave is tamed. Larger and larger waves can then be ridden successfully. For those of us non-surfers, this translates to us being able to change more and more of our lives on-demand.
If you want to live a joy-filled life you will have to face those challenges, practice, and just keep at it, no matter how many times you “wipe-out”, but it is worth the effort!
I would be delighted to speak to your business community, church community or civic group about IN-powerment, just click the link below for my contact information.
