#48. A Long-term view of learning
Surfing is one of the most challenging sports I've ever gotten involved in. Each wave is different; the sandbars are different when you catch a wave, the currents are different every few feet, the tide changes as you surf, and the weather changes too. All of this adds up to a difficult sport that looks so easy.
When people take lessons with me, they often have the idea they'll be surfing on day #1, and then reality hits when they get tossed off their board by the first wave. A few of those in a row can be very overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be if we take a long-term and slow, even tactical approach to it.
For example- instead of not working out and preparing for surfing, I can start a fitness and nutrition program with a trainer who can help me with functional workouts. And instead of thinking I'll be able to surf by next week, I can push back my timeline and learn as much as possible each day.
I remember when I was learning, and I based how good my day was off of how many waves I stood up successfully on. Many days weren't fun because my expectations were so high for myself. If I were starting now, I'd focus on the basics for a few hours and then play around a little. That way, I'd achieve some success instead of feeling like a failure.
My timeline for learning new things, like motorcycle riding, is in years instead of days or weeks. That gives me so much time to progress each day and stack up those little learning moments. Now each day adds significant levels of success and some really fun moments as I go through the process.
How about you? Can you extend your timeline and give room for "failure?"
#surflessonsonsaturday #50thingsiwishiknewbeforeIstartedsurfing #eternal #eternalsurfskatestreet #first50surflessons
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