Before you can surf, you need to study how the water moves.
Since you cannot control how the waves will act, you must learn how to work with them in order to surf. You need to be able to identify when the wave will swell and when it will crash. At first, you might not see a wave’s potential until it is too late. The water might swallow you up and spit you out, or you have to dive underneath it, letting it pass over you.
You need to know the flow of it. Once you know the flow, you can just go with it. Each wave is an opportunity. With practice, you will know which waves to ride, how to ride them, and which waves to pass up. These waves can be intimidating, but putting trust in yourself can help you ride waves you never thought you could.
You will realize the potential each wave has to either carry you to shore or swallow you up and spin you around. You cannot control which waves will come, but you are in control of which ones you’ll ride.
Surfing is a great metaphor for life, as it explains how to go with the flow while also carving your own path.
The flow of life unfolds right in front of us. New moments full of potential are always on the horizon, and it is up to us to grasp them and let them take us to where we want to go. At this point in our lives, we have started to develop skill sets that can take us places. We can apply for internships or graduate school, acquire career-building jobs or start our own businesses.
Even though we may have the potential to seize opportunities such as these, we cannot force them to happen.
We cannot force hiring managers to give us our dream jobs, neither can we force someone to buy our custom-made T-shirts. However, if we continue to work for things we want, we will get there. The more effort we put in then the more we can get out of it.
Every opportunity we take makes us better. There will be times when we will fail or crash, and those situations are opportunities we can learn from. Whether you are in the ocean or on the beach, the waves will always come. The opportunities to get where you want to go will be there. You decide to get out there and take them. Some opportunities will seem intimidating, but we must believe we can succeed.
Look for the potential waves on the horizon. Learn what to look for and how to ride them. Put yourself out there, and hunt for opportunities and take them. Send emails or go out in person to the companies or places you want to work. Study how others did it and see what worked for them.
Be open to alternative ways to get to your destination and be brave. With every opportunity seized, the amount of experience increases. When things don’t work out, always see a failure as a learning opportunity, and get back on the board and try again. The ocean of life may be intimidating, but it will always take you where you want to go if you are willing to put in the work.
