Paddling: A major part of the surfing process, and a major factor in life. Hear me out on this one…
Paddling is the hard work that gets you out into the lineup, into position, and helps you generate the speed to catch the wave. Riding the wave is actually a very small part of the overall process of surfing. The majority of the time, you’re paddling. And paddling itself is not super glamorous, it’s far from “Instagram worthy,” but it’s the effort that’s required to enjoy that short but oh-so-sweet moment of surfing the wave.
This truth can be related to life. The behind-the-scenes blood, sweat, and tears that gives way to those glorious moments of achievement is the paddling of life. And often times, not the stuff you see on Instagram. I read a quote the other day that said something like, “Behind every ‘overnight sensation’ is the years of hard work that no one ever sees.” And it made me think of surfing… Everyone wants the glory of riding the wave, but not everyone is willing to do the actual work required to catch it.
So, if you feel like you’ve been paddling non-stop, copping beatings from close-out sets, and being pushed back inside before you’ve even caught a wave… Don’t give up. Don’t stop paddling. Eventually all of that hard work IS going to pay off in the form of something great.
At least, that is what I keep telling myself.
