Dropping In

There are a few things that I am secretly passionate about. One of these things would undoubtedly be my love of surfing- something that I don't really have time to read about (it has a strong cultural aspect, esp. in California where I'm from but only get to visit a few times a year) and even more rarely get to indulge in. There are many things I love about it- from the zen-type ideas that come to mind when you're in the ocean (swells for example, are actually just pulses of energy, so you're really being pushed and pulled around by the most balanced type of energy pulse, as a wave's crest is directly proportionate to its trough) The surf culture is all about freedom and nature- being outside and enjoying your life in the purest way possible- whether it's in a pod of other surfers bobbing beyond the break or by yourself paddling around. It's a perfect activity for those who want to live in the moment.

In my professional life, I try to remind myself to live in the moment, but it's hard. There's always another email to send- multiple deadlines for seemingly a million different projects. I recently read a great article in Vanity Fair about the famous big-wave rider, Ken Bradshaw (pictured above). This is a great article if you have time to read it, but the one thing that really made me think is a small excerpt in the article, where Ken recounts a conversation that he had with another big-wave rider, Greg Noll.

Bradshaw told me about meeting Noll many years later. He said, “Noll asked me, ‘Do you ever close your eyes?’
“I said, ‘Excuse me?’
“‘At the top of the wave.’
“I said, ‘No! I always want to know where I’m going!’ Then I realized, that’s how he did it. He’d get to some point where it was scary, then just close his eyes and keep going. Because his desire was greater than his fear.”

 And I began to think, maybe that's what it's about. I always believed that success is not about money (although it would be foolish to think that it doesn't ease your life to some extent) and I knew it wasn't about notoriety, so what is it about? And more importantly, is it something you'll know when you get there? Or are there signs you can look for so you know when you're getting colder or warmer?

When your desire is greater than your fear. Fear holds people back all the time- in relationships, in work, in friendships. But, you're probably making good decisions if you reflect on your life and the actions that you make are ones that you do despite your fear. It's like dropping in on a wave, but for life, because you want to push yourself to those points where things get scary- having to change jobs, having to move cities, trying to get into business school, buying a house or whatever- you have to just have to keep going and prove that your desire is greater than your fear.

Because I haven't figured out what the signs are for making bad decisions, I'm going to stick with this one and start looking for signs that I'm making some good ones.