#3 in the Surfing Trilogy Done!
Moments of bliss occur every day in our lives if we choose to see them. I have found this to be especially evident when traveling anywhere away from home. Recently I was fortunate enough to travel to Kauai, Hawaii and in planning to go there I committed myself to learning to surf. I have snow boarded the slopes of the Canadian rockies and have even sand boarded on the massive sand dunes in Huacachina, Peru but have never surfed. This was my opportunity to complete the surfing trilogy of water, sand, and snow.
The weather was beautiful, the surf had calmed some from the hardcore waves of high season so it was a perfect time to learn. Now there seems to be an inherent fear in trying something new for many adults, and in this case I was no exception. Could it be a fear of being judged? Could it be a fear of water or, in this case, sharks as they closed the beach a few days before due to sightings of Tiger sharks. No not for me. It could be a fear of being capable. Fears can be just about anything! No real thought about any fear for me, just a bit of nervousness. We booked our lesson, got our surf gear which were these really cool surf shirts, and were ready to go. Six of us with the surfer dude Troy there to impart his knowledge and experience to us. It seemed easy enough. Lie on the board, push up, step forward into position, and ride the wave into shore. At least it was while practicing on the beach! In the water was another story but after a few falls and mouths full of salt water I got the hang of it. I was surfing.
In that moment of pushing up onto the surf board and achieving the balance to stay up was a moment of perfect clarity. Complete mental silence. No clutter. Focus. I was not thinking about work, about home, or even about the next shaved ice we would have on a perfectly sunny and hot tropical day. Just me; one with the surf! Bliss!!! This is what I began to learn about surfing and that it is less about thinking and analyzing and more about feeling and being. The more of those moments I experienced the more I craved them. It was wonderful.
Then came the moment of judgement. After crashing into the water I collected myself readying to head back out for another go. As I looked over a young local boy, no more than 7 or 8, was standing with his surf board looking over at me with a smile. My limiting beliefs or fears about my capability or about being judged may have immediately surfaced thinking this young boy was laughing at me thinking I should get my sorry butt our of the water. In that moment though that did not even enter into my mind. I was on a high, feeling great and the feeling I got from him was of supportive happiness in sharing something he obviously loved to do. Whether or not it was the truth does not matter. It was my interpretation of it. Later on the beach I watched this young boy surfing (he was really good for his age) and the smile that never left his face. I saw his mother video taping him, smiling in the same blissful way. He, too, had many moments of bliss that day.
Moments of bliss come everyday. They come when you least expect them. Letting go of fear allows them in much more readily. Life is so much more enjoyable when we live in bliss. No matter where you are or what you are doing today find a moment of bliss. Feel your energy shift. Have a great day!
Brent
With our gold lifestyle members we engage in quarterly Dare2Live Adventures. With Dare2Live Adventures we create opportunities to stretch outside our comfort zones, to face our fears, to have support in doing so and to glow in the amazing feeling after we have done exactly that. It’s all a part of Thriving Health with a Golden Lifestyle. Is it for you?
Beginning with a degree in exercise science and kinesiology, Brent Haydey has evolved over thirty years as an entrepreneur; building four businesses, and as a health, executive, and life coach.
