Be Like Velcro!

Learning to surf can sometimes be a frustrating experience!  Watching others ride waves like it’s the most enjoyable thing in the world, while you flail and fall in the whitewater, can demoralize even the most determined of souls!

And just when you think you’ve got it after mastering your pop up and riding along the face of the wave — little Johnny gives you a morning shower with a full-railed cut back right in your face.  Part annoyed from the spray in your eye and part motivated because now you want to turn like that too, the surfing journey becomes an insatiable desire for more.  More waves, more progress, more fun! Welcome to the tribe!

Looking back at our surfing journey’s, there were a few moments where we could have packed it all in and walked away. And boy, are we glad we didn’t!  But you know the deal; struggling against the rip, cold water, wetsuit rash, frustration at the speed of your progress, fear of what might lurk beneath, the bumps and bruises… all can get you down at first. If this is you, we have one word of advice: persevere!

The thing with surfing is that progress to the next level is just around the corner.  It could be the very next wave when you suddenly feel it all click into place.  And suddenly when you’re standing there in joyful disbelief in making that turn or taking that drop — the pain of the near bleeding thigh rash suddenly disappears!  There’s a strange thing that happens in the brain when all this goes on.  The smart people call it the dopamine effect, we just call it stoke! And it’s this feeling that keeps us coming back for more.

The other smart people, the ones who wrote the descriptions for all 171,476 words in the Oxford Dictionary, describe perseverance as ‘persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.’

So in the spirit of walking with you on your surfing journey, no matter your level of success, here are three things to remember that’ll help you keep your surfing dream alive… and help you persist through those difficult times.

• Always see the lighter side!Surfing is meant to be fun, and sure there are frustrating moments along the way, but there’s an old saying we love quoting around here sometimes; “If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry!” So when you feel that frustration bubbling up inside, give yourself a good old-fashioned pep talk and bust out that smile.  It’s good to laugh at yourself once in a while :-)
• Be grateful!Seriously, you’re bobbing around in creation, riding waves on some sort of craft and breathing in the salty fresh air at the beach! Time for a reality check — It could be way worse!
• Don't give up! Time in the water = progress, and there’s no better feeling than accomplishing something you’ve been working towards. Whether it’s standing up, riding the open face, learning to cutback or going to the air — the rewards are equal for all of us!

No matter where you are in the world, and no matter where you are in your surfing journey, remember that having fun is why we started this in the first place!  Stick to it and the rewards will come!

May the waves be good where you are!