Life Surfing

Life Surfing 

November 20, 2012

This week I attended a Soroptomist meeting that was focused on teen esteem. Much of the focus was to bring awareness to teenage girls about the dangers of drug use, alcoholism, sex trafficking and sexual irresponsibility. It was amazing! Imagine a room full of 130+ girls and let out of school for a day to attend this conference. They were all very lovely and bursting with talent and potential. 

The general theme of the presentations revolved around how often feelings of loneliness, boredom, neglect and fear are the emotions that lead many teens to trouble. Furthermore, many youth do not have the resources or necessary support to encourage them through life’s changes. As I spent my time at the conference, I realized that learning how to effectively deal with change is one of the best skills that a teen could acquire when moving into adulthood. It is often a skill that many never acquire.

Life Surfing:  I liken change to the waves of the ocean. Change is something you can always count on and can never prevent. However, if you are not paying attention or if you don’t know how to stand up and balance yourself, that wave of change will knock you down. Although being knocked down is essential in learning how to get up, it is not a cycle that one wants to repeat. Otherwise, the next thing you know, life is swirling all around you. 

Waves of change should also not be taken personally. It is silly to think that a wave hits us out of spite. It doesn’t make sense to say “oh, that rude wave meant to hit me, it knocked me down on purpose”. Instead, we see a wave crashing and instantly understand that the wave is doing what waves do naturally. However, it is not natural for us to stay in one place while life moves forward. Yet, for some reason people are often resistant to change. 

At this point many of you are already feeling the pulling silent scream inside saying, “ I don’t want to change! It’s too scary!” However, I invite you to embrace change and ride those waves to the shore.

Surfing Lesson

Today, I challenge you to make the decision to learn how to surf. Create a written intention that reflects this new belief, such as:

I open my life to all the adventures that come with change.

I look forward to the next adventure that life has in store for me.

Think about some of the changes that are coming into your life or changes that you may be resistant toward. Look at that change and ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that can happen if I learn to surf this wave?”

Focus on one change that you want to make that will change your life for the better and break it down into manageable steps. For example, someone wanting to loose weight might want to start with making small healthy changes to their diet, such as, drinking an extra glass of water, adding an extra vegetable or reducing sugar. Then take another step such as parking farther away in the parking lots in order to get extra exercise.

By embracing change step by step you will achieve your goals sooner than you think. Accepting change will become easier than you imagined. Make a new standard for living this week and see what happens, before you know it you’ll be surfing like a pro.