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I once heard my friend Tony Bell give a sermon on surfing. It was very much about being out in the “deep end” of life and leaning into the wave to catch it. There is much more to it than that, but you never get to the joy if you don’t try hard enough, learn the balance and how to read the waves.

I would add that it’s also about finding and syncing with the rhythm, which is a Holy thing. That’s what Seth Godin means in Linchpin when he’s talking about Art and connecting with people on real levels, too. You have to tap into something bigger than yourself, and lean on that to be your guide. That thing is your art, whatever it is you really are meant to do and do well. It is a gift to the world that might or might not make you a living. Living from that is a lot like surfing, and I can’t really explain it.

Cover of Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

Unfortunately, no sermon or story can truly relate the feeling of surfing and of being attuned to all that power and the connection and joy that comes with it. That’s the magic part you just have to experience yourself.

Surfing is an art, for sure. When waiting tables in my twenties, I learned that focusing too hard on a mistake or a sour customer would spiral into a crash. “Riding the wave” is what I called the opposite of the spiral. Take your hits, and move on. Focus on the work and the positives and keep it moving. Ride the bumps, don’t let them ride you.

Find the rhythm, do the work, don’t get swamped, work, learn the technique and you will feel the joy. Acknowledge that it’s a Holy gift, and you are Golden, man!

This entry was posted on Friday, July 2nd, 2010 at 4:50 pm and is filed under General.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.