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Wind and Current and Waves, Oh My!
Karen Kimsey-House departed the CTI office to lead back-to-back Leadership Retreats just as Marcia Norris returned to the office from an adventure in learning. So, Marcia is guest blogging her thoughts this week to give Karen a break.
Completely out of the blue about a year and a half ago I decided I wanted to learn how to surf. Not just ’take a surfing lesson,‘ but Learn How To Surf. Ambient ocean temperatures off the coast near my home in Northern California range from low to mid 50s Fahrenheit year-round, so my search for a warmer learning environment took me to Lahaina, Maui, Hawai‘i for my birthday.
How surfers are born: (l to r) Me-shell, Valerie, Lynn, Ruby, Marcia, Erin, Rachel, and Cat.
I was genuinely ready for a vacation and feeling excited to get out of my head and into my body for a change. For one week I rejoiced in the sand and salt with a group of adventurous SwellWomen on a surfing and yoga retreat. What I didn‘t expect was that my experiences in the water would correlate to things on my mind out of the water.
As a never-before-surfer I hadn‘t considered that I‘d need to monitor multiple variables simultaneously to achieve a successful surfing venture. The moment you step into the ocean you are entering not just water that rolls, but an environmental system that is driven by kinetic energies in the form of wind and current and waves. Successfully cooperating with those inherent and fluctuating energies is how surfing works.
In the coaching world we often focus clients (or ourselves) on pursuing goals and completing tasks to get ourselves moving toward said goals. Sitting in the water out past the breaks I began to recognize the patterns in surfing as a physical representation of the challenges and forces in life that surreptitiously challenge the position we need to hold in order to achieve the success we seek.
I learned to pick a landmark onshore before paddling out, then aim for that point of reference on the way in. But it‘s not enough to keep your eye on your landmark, you also must watch the horizon to identify the wave sets coming in. Let me be clear: your landmark and the horizon are in opposite directions from each other.
If you focus your attention on your landmark alone, all the waves will sneak up from behind and pass you by. Once a wave arrives where you are, it‘s too late to ride it. If you focus all your attention on the horizon, you are likely to discover too late that current and wind has pulled you out of position. You might get up on that wave but heading toward shore down current or down wind of your landmark could put you in the shallows or on the rocks.
The trick in surfing is to use all your powers of perception and spatial awareness to track your landmark onshore, watch the wave sets coming in, and adjust for invisibles like current and wind. This allows you to find and hold a desired position among the breaks so you are ready to catch and ride a good wave. In life, we need to learn to use all possible powers of awareness to get our bearings relative to our goals. We know there are surreptitious forces, unexpected circumstances, and people who can affect our “position.”
If you are working toward a goal, take a moment to evaluate your environment. Are you in position for a successful ride?
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Tony Moses
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jennet
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swellwomen
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