Surfing Through life…

Surfing through life… 

  

I am traveling around Australia in a Big Blue Bus (Whoo hooo) I have just finished renovating it with my partner Paul and dog Banjo. As we travel I will be interviewing people I find interesting, places we go and experiences that we have. To check out what the bus looks like, and how we renovated it, check out … The Bus Renovation #shareit #followus

 

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So, When I think about surfing and the process of it, I feel that it has so much to teach me about life, to teach US all. I am going to explore the soul aspects of what surfing is to me, which I believe is relevant to everyone. Everything about the process of surfing is related to life. In every single way. I’m going to break it down for you, and hope that you can make some time to reflect on your own life and how you surf through it.

The journey of the surfer Vs The Journey of the man on land. (please note that the colour change is for when I am exploring both concepts, Blue = surfer… Black = Man.

After waking up from hopefully a nice restful sleep, the events of a surfer and the events of man on land take place… (this is obviously generalised to make a point lol)

You pick the best break Vs you pick the best spot/location to live

You wait for the best set Vs you wait for life’s opportunities

You observe the waves making a choice on which wave to ride Vs you look at the opportunities that life has presented you

You make a choice to catch a wave and paddle fast and hard, so you can catch it Vs you make a choice to commit to something in your life and give it all you’ve got

Catching the wave can be an experience of different things (from my observations and exploration with surfers) I have rounded them up to 3 varied ideas.

Exercise 

Lets do a quick visualization… Find somewhere comfortable, Make a cup of tea (chai is where its at) and relaxxxxxxx… take a deep Breath and imagine that you are out in the ocean, sitting on your board, waiting for a set to come in, watching the sun as it beams on the top of the water and you can feel the sun kiss your face, the air smells fresh, the sounds are peaceful and grounding, it’s just you and mother nature, exploring each other.

                                                                                                                                                       

1. As the set comes in you see a wave and you catch it, you move with it, you rip it, you shred it, you move in ways you didn’t realize that you could, you flow with it, YOU ARE ONE WITH THE WAVE, YOU ARE DANCING ON YOUR BOARD, it finishes smoothly, effortlessly and you jump off your board in to the perfect dive and then paddle out to do it again feeling a million bucks.                                                         .                                                     . 
2. As the set comes in you see a wave and you catch it, it starts off going pretty good, do a few cut backs, then it dies off and it’s a bit of a let down, so you drive off hoping for a better wave                   .      .
3. As the set comes in you see a wave and you catch it, it’s so powerful, so strong, so intense that your whole being is being shaken up although you have been training hard for this and you believe you can do it… that you try hard to keep your balance, although you just cant, you fall off your board, you take a deep breath, and wave literally sucks you under the water, your body is powerless. The wave takes you on an adventure that gives you no control, the force is so big and strong. You kick as hard as you can you reach the surface of the water so you can breathe. Once you make the way to the top, another wave comes crashing down on you, once again you are left feeling out of control completely surrendered by mother nature. The set finishes FINALLY and its thankfully given you some time to regroup and get back on your board, to take a moment, to catch your breath, then start the process again… Where is the next wave?

Now lets visualize that you just finished a degree in I dunno, ummm… Business, (which to clarify, I haven’t done it🙈) 

so, It’s a month after you have graduated and you are busy sending out resumes to gain experience in the work force before you choose to bridge out and create something of your own.

1. THE IDEAL… The 1^st place you apply for accepts you, you LOVE it, everyday you are stoked to wake up, you stay extra hours because you are on such a role and feel so much passion for what you do. BONUS, the boss is a champion and you develope a relationship that is so solid that he invests a lot of time in developing your skills… together as a team, you make HEAPS of money (Chaaaa Ching) you love what you do, you travel a lot of the time to the most beautiful destinations of the world, you marry an amazing person, have 2 healthy kids and a dog named Rex. Your life is happy, easy, fulfilled and full of love (so much love) ❤️ . 
2. THE EXPLORATION OF TRUTH… You get accepted in to a well-known organisation that gives you promising opportunities, You are so excited to dive in and get started. As you start and find your groove to how the company works, you realize that deep in your heart, this is not for you, it’s not what you believe in or what you value. You make a hard choice to leave and search for something else     .  … 
3. THE CHALLENGE…You get your perfect job, straight up, you know you don’t have the experience although, it is what you want, so why not just jump in to it and give it your all. You go, and your excited about everything that’s going on, after all, you’ve worked so hard for this. Once the excitement goes, and you settle in to the routine and the reality of the position, you start to feel really overwhelmed and completely out of your depth. You try to stay strong, yet your emotions take over and its becoming really hard to keep your cool. Soon, little things seem massive and everything in your being is feeling stressed and under so much anxiety that it is physically unbearable. You leave and unable to cope with your emotions as you have ‘been taken on a ride to rock bottom’  …. 

Then the process starts over again, life is like a set of waves, a set of opportunities with time to reflect in-between. Every wave is a gamble, as is every life choice you make. They can take you on so many different experiences and explorations… Like with surfing, there is no half arseing it, you must paddle your hardest and use everything you have to stay balanced and to keep your head above water (literally) lol

And Another thing… The Line up, there are so many guys out, who all want the best waves, who are hungry for it, who don’t care what anyone else is doing, they have their mind on the goal and a willing to do whatever it takes to get on the wave… To get that adelenine rush, to get that sense of freedom, to express themselves and to ride a beautiful wave that mother earth has created…. Which is the same in life, people are naturally selfish, we are all driving to achieving a sense of forfillment, so if you want the wave, if you want the opportunity then you need to step up, be strong, and paddle as hard as you can to get it. No one is going to give it to you, no one is going to welcome you in and one by one rip the perfect wave and everyone give you a massive round of appualuse. This is real, this is the reality of life and of surfing.

This is something that I feel like surfing can teach us… Its full of sets of waves that give so many opportunites, and no wave is the same EVER, just like no opportunity is ever the same. There are lines ups of surfers fighting their way to get a wave, and there are waves where there is no one, just waiting to be riden. Same with life. Move where feels good, travel and dance to places that are unseen, that’s where the soulful peaceful opportunities lie…

MY QUESTIONS TO YOU…..

  
What type of wave are you riding at the moment in terms of your relationships? Your career? Your health? Your wealth? Your family?

  
What opportunities keep rolling in on past you? And why have you chosen not to take them?

  
Why did you choose to catch a certain wave? How is it feeling?

  

Where is the best surf break for you? Are you in the right spot? 

 

What are your tools to be able to cope with being taken for a ride to rock bottom?

  
When you have time in-between sets, what are you reflecting about?

  
Thank you for taking the time to explore surfing through life with me, I have Interviewed a number of surfer to explore what surfing means to them… So stay tunes for my next upcoming blog…

Also, all the photos on this blog have been taken by myself, If you would like to have some photos done, please contact me for a quote.

Sending you love, Alyce xx