Be the surfer.

As creative we find places that enable us to do our best work wherever we travel - cafés, co-working spaces, hotels, beaches even. I’m always looking for my WiFi connection with the right mix of buzz without noise, funky but cozy.

I have a favourite such spot outside Lisbon which overlooks the beautiful beach of Guincho on Portugal’s Atlantic coast.  And recently whilst enjoying a coffee and some thinking there, I got to observe the surfers who favour this particular beach for its high quality and consistent beach breaks.

The waves were good that day. For it is not always so. And the surfers paddled out, rising up and over the swell, ducking under the whitewater until they reached the line-up. Here they would patiently wait for their wave, skillfully watching and timing their turn and rise to board as the crashing tide carried them to shore. They’d fall, climb back onto their board, and paddle back out to repeat the process. 

They did this for hours that day as I admired their tenacity. For they were not always well rewarded. Not every wave gave them a perfect ride. Sometimes their choices were poor, and the wave took them nowhere. But they would still turn, paddle back out and take the next wave. And I felt their exhilaration, the sense of achievement, and pure joy they got from a good ride. It must be worth all the wasted attempts, the paddling, the waiting and timing.

I imagined it’s much like running a business. Not every lead pays off. Not every job gives you the rush or allows you to perform your best art. Not every day feels worth it. But you keep getting out there. You keep paddling out because you know there is another wave still forming for you.  It is only when you’re out at the break line that you get the chance to ride that wave. 

It’s all about tenacity and timing.  In business, as it is in surfing.

Be the surfer.

- A thought piece by Nikki Bentley

Photo credit: Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash