Surf-Titude- “In Good Times, Enjoy. In Difficult Times, Grow.”

If You Miss A Wave, Another Will Come

Surfing the waves you are given allows you to learn, adapt and grow.

Opportunity is meaningless by itself. It is like telling someone they have ‘potential.’ That really means, “You have the ability, but you haven’t done anything with it yet!” Opportunity is a blank canvas; to turn it into a masterpiece, you’ve got to work. . It’s a wave moving toward you with you in position. Many people find opportunities, yet fail to realize their potential. The swell lifts them momentarily yet they fail to catch the wave. The other side of the swell lets them down as the water reaches its lowest point before rising to normal again. If you let it pass you by, it’s meaningless. Some people will sit on their board all day and yet never catch a wave.

Don’t Ride a Bad Wave All The Way

No Wave Thinking™ is a strategy you should use to evaluate all opportunities. Ask yourself, “Knowing what I know now, would I still ride this wave?” If the answer is no, with no sound reason to stay with it, bailout. If the answer is yes, ride it as long and as far as you can. Apply No Wave Thinking to every area of your life. Ask yourself whether there is anything you are doing, knowing what you know now, you would not still do today. If you find something, change it. Otherwise, you’re staying with a bad wave.

Remember, you can only ride one wave at a time. If you chose to stay on one, you cannot ride a different one without abandoning the first one. If you choose to abandon a wave, you’ve got to be committed to the new one, because once the old wave is gone, it’s gone.

This isn’t a call to quit your job or a relationship as this is certainly more complicated than this is intended. However, you should evaluate where you are and apply No Wave Thinking. If something is not working, at least take action to understand and improve where you are. You are not doing yourself or your organization any favors if you cannot give your all. If you find yourself over your head on your wave, there is nothing wrong with jumping off and starting again. It is certainly more graceful than losing your shorts on a wipeout!

When Bad Surf Happens to Good Surfers

As you surf life’s waves, you will see good waves and bad ones. You will have some awesome rides and some gnarly wipeouts. You will meet fellow surfers who want to help you out and those who would rather beat you down. There will be sunny days to enjoy the beach. There will also be storms that take away your enjoyment and opportunity as the sea becomes unstable and unsuitable for your purposes. Injustice, rude people, hardships, difficulties and even some bad things will happen in your life. We cannot control those. The only thing we can control is our attitude and actions we choose to take in response.

Living is not about playing it safe. Test yourself. Learn the full measure of your surfing ability. Do not hide from the waves. You can learn from both your great rides and your wipeouts.

Opportunity does not come to the passive. Be active and create your opportunities. Sometimes opportunities come only through difficult situations. Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it. How you choose to respond to adversity reveals your true character. Your true character is uncovered in the actions and in the choices you make. It is the promises you keep and in the convictions you hold true. Ultimately, your character is a mirror of the guiding principles in your life. What you do and say reveal to the world who you are.

This post is an excerpt from the book Carpe Aqualis! written by Kahuna Business Group’s Founder/ CEO Frank F. Lunn.

Interested in learning more about how Kahuna Accounting can help you grow your business? Schedule a strategy call with Kahuna Accounting and we can discuss best practices for bookkeeping, profit, and growth!