What I learned on my Summer Vacation. Lesson One—Catching Waves

It is “back to school” time and that gets me thinking of years writing essays and taking stock of the waning days of summer.  And this summer, I actually had a few pretty cool Aha- moments I’d like to share.

The first lesson came while I was sitting on my lanai in Kauai—over-looking the cove in front of the Beach House restaurant.  Every morning, and truly all day long, surfers come here to take advantage of the break and easy water access.

This one morning I watched a surfer in his mid-forties take his board and walk to the point. He stood and watched the waves for a good 15-20 minutes—just staring out into the ocean as far as I could tell. There were already many surfers on the water right behind the restaurant, but instead of paddling in to join them, he watched. Then he did something different. He picked up his board and walked down the beach another 20-30 yards and paddled out to a different break where no one else was surfing.  I watched him sit on his board and watch the ocean. Then at the right moment, he turned toward shore and began paddling. I saw nothing coming up behind him, but again and again he kept catching waves—riding them in and paddling back out.

What I loved is that he followed his own instincts and trusted his experience enough not to follow the crowd.  He didn’t just jump in with the rest of the pack and fight for a little piece of a wave.  He made his own path and owned a whole part of the ocean. 

How many times do I doubt my ideas or dreams because they are different—on the road less traveled?  I know that I have let many a comment, solution or suggestion just die unspoken or not-acted upon because the rest of the crowd or company or “they” were going in a different direction and THEY must be right, right?  They all seem to know better—who am I?

Well, I am ready to make me my own leader rather than following the crowd. I am ready to claim my voice and urges as valuable and innovative and worthwhile. I want my own piece of the ocean. 

So this is what I’m taking away from the surfer:

Take time to really assess the situation before taking action.  Trust my instincts and experience when I do take action. But also, take action—he didn’t just watch the water; he made the effort to catch the waves that came his way. I want to take advantage of the opportunities that no one else may be seeing—to carve my path, share my strengths, speak my truth and shine my light.  I may be alone for a while, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.  I know my rewards will roll in as well.

Are you willing to catch your own wave and claim your piece of the ocean?  Hang loose, more lessons from summer vacation coming very soon.