This past June, I was one of several folks who nominated Angela Shelton to speak at TEDxAsheville. One reason is that I’ve been impressed with her use of social media technology to connect with her audience.

The other reason is much bigger than that: Her message is huge.

This comment from angelashelton.org explains it much better than I can.

Post from Amber,  April 23, 2010 at 7:52 am

I just wanted to let you know that what you did, making the film and what your doing now is amazing. Not enough people speak out about this kind of thing and I am so happy that you were able to find the courage to speak out against abuse. I myself am a victim of sexual and physical abuse and you have given me a whole new way of being able to cope with it instead of letting it fester in the back of my mind. You are an incredible woman Angela, and I believe that you have something very special inside your soul. Not too many people could have been able to do what you have set out to do. So thank you so much for making that film and standing by your convictions.

Amber is one of over forty thousand people who have contacted Angela to say “Thanks”. Thanks for the courage, for the humor, for the motivation, for the bravery. Thanks for sharing her own personal story of sexual and physical abuse. And most of all, thanks for leading a movement to bring it out of secrecy and do something about it.

So I want to add my “Thanks’ to Angela, for showing us how to lead and how to be committed to a cause.

Learn about her use of social media at her home base, AngelaShelton.com

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

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!