Some lessons i learn by surfing that we can apply in life

1. what you do is not as important as who you do it with

It's the same in surfing and in life. You're better alone than in bad company, but you're much better when you're in a good company than being alone. This is true to all areas of everyday life. In a relationship, with friends, colleagues, even into your family. The people you surround yourself with always make the BIG difference.

2. when you connect yourself with something bigger than yourself is a sign that you're connect with yourself

The power that real purpose brings to any effort makes it all worthwhile. So take the time to identify how you connect with something greater than yourself, and prepare for the power you will wield when you tap into that intention. Think of the "how" as the engine -- it will make movement happen and get us forward. The "why" is the fuel. Find your "why's", there dweel the true meaning!

3. the fear is always bigger in your head

Doubt can only be removed by action. Most of our catastrophes exist in the future, and is based on fear rather than on facts. Take a deep breath, feel your feet on the ground, and stay right where you are, and Let´s GO!!

 

4. we do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing

Play is something we are all made to do, and it is vital to our overall health. Play increases our energy, our vitality, it promotes a sense of belonging and community. It also generates optimism and helps contextual memory development. There are so many benefits to play that we should all still have fun and do it throughout our lifetime. 

5. everything worthwhile takes time

In surfing, there are so many variables to master and each one requires so much of our effort and time, that if we want things to happen fast, it will only lead to frustration and quitting thoughts. We see all the pro surfers doing beautiful carves, barrels and airs and that's what we want to be doing too. However, what we don't actually see is how much time and effort they did put to reach that level. In a perfect world, we would be able to master anything we want in a blink of an eye. But that's just not reality and if we want to be good at anything, we have to put in the time and effort. It's only when we keep grinding without looking too much ahead, that eventually improvements appear. The best thing? By that time, we have already set our goals higher. 6. consistency beats intensity

In surfing, no matter how much intensity you put in it, if you only surf at weekends or in the warm and hot months, you'll never going to get the improvements you are after. Every time you get back to it, it's like going back to square one. With consistency, even with lower intensity, we are always climbing the ladder, step by step, adding to what we already learned before. We work our muscle memory and, little by little, we start moving forward and work on more and more variables. In life, putting time to improve at something isn't enough, if it is not a consistent effort. If the effort is spaced in time, no matter what intensity you put into it, you won't get far. The key for success? Consistency. It beats intensity every single time. 7. creating discomfort forces us to grow and improve In surfing, when conditions are more challenging than we have ever experienced before, it's normal to feel discomfort and not want to go surfing. In these times, I realized that the only way to find out if what we make in our head is real, is to go out and try it. With no expectations. Even if we don't surf any wave, just being in the water will make us feel more comfortable in those conditions and elevate our limits by a little bit. With consistency, those tiny bits are added to each other, until the limit isn't there anymore. In life, whenever a new challenge appears, we often dismiss it based on discomfort. Because we never did it, we feel insecure and see failure as a big possibility. However, when we go for something that we're not sure we´re capable of, we usually take it more seriously than anything else and, in the end, one result is always guaranteed: growth - and growth is never a failure. So, whenever you feel discomfort, just know that what you really have is a clear opportunity to grow. 8. the ego is one of the biggest obstructions to growth In surfing, there's no harder feeling than having to paddle out after falling in a "kooky" way on a wave. We know that the failure was acknowledged by the other surfers in the line up and we don't want to be known as the bad surfer who is surfing over his capabilities. That's our ego speaking. And guess what? If we don't go back to the line up, we won't try again. And if we don't try again, we won't learn it. Also, one of the biggest mistakes we do is thinking we won't get respect for not surfing to a certain standard. Surprisingly, the reality is completely different: there's no biggest respect in seeing someone falling badly and paddle back right away, with its head held high, eager to try again. In an ideal world, we would be born with all the skills that we want. But we don't - we have to learn them. And the only way to learn is to fail. Just remember that every single person that you admire has once failed. And tried again. In the end, the biggest failure is in quitting and there's no more respect than the one those that never quit do obtain. 9. the only competition is with ourselves (and we only win when there's someone else better) - In surfing, we often have times when we compare ourselves with others. Either by seeing someone improving more than ourselves, or making something look easy that its hard for us, we tend to feel discouraged and believe we will never achieve the level we are aiming for. Reality is, we are all different and there are many variables that we cannot control anymore, such as natural talent and the age when we began to surf. The only real comparison we have to make is with what we were able to do the day before. Improve on that. Repeat. If we are getting better than what we were before, then we are on the right path. In life, there is always someone better than us at something. If we keep comparing ourselves to others, eventually, we will lose track of why we do it in the first place, sometimes even failing to notice the improvements we are slowly making. Only by changing this mindset can we go back to appreciate what we do and enjoy the process. Moreover, having someone better than us just sets the limit of whats possible higher and gives us a chance to learn things we don't know yet. That should always inspire us, not discourage us. In the end, we shouldn't even aim to be like someone else - it's our uniqueness that makes us special. Walk your own path and you will find the footsteps to a truer life.

10. there is no greater wealth in this world than peace of mind   

When you learn to accept instead of expect, you’ll have fewer disappointments. If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care. 

At the end of the day I am at peace because my intentions are good and my heart is pure.

(in collaboration with my fellow friend and surfer! super thks AM)