Do You Have What it Takes? Part II

Second Lesson: Paddleboarding takes commitment.

You should commit yourself to going out to the water as often as you can. It does take time and energy. Before you invest your money in the above items, make sure you are committed to do the sport. Plus, when and if you are ready for the surf, you need to know that you are committed to go out there. Otherwise, you can set yourself up for failure.

The ocean can be a friend or an enemy. It will be your friend if you listen to it. What I mean is that you need to know what is going on... Is it high tide? low tide? southern swells? choppy? I've learned that there is so much to learn in order to read and anticipate the movements of the ocean. You want to make sure that it is ideal for you to go out there, especially if you're a beginner like me.

Going out into the surf with my paddleboard for the first time was overwhelming. I was excited and nervous at the same time. I had to watch the surf and wait for a lull between sets to try and get out past the waves before another set rolled in. Once I was out there I had to get used to the currents allowing my lower body to move with the swells. (It's kind of like standing on a Bosu ball if you've ever done that for core exercises.) I had the jitters the whole time out there!

The epitome of it all for me is surfing. Remember my first blog, "My First Day, My First Wave"? Let me think back to the experience. I can remember paddling for an upcoming wave. I chanted to myself, "zero to sixty, zero to sixty, zero to sixty", what I was told to basically paddle fast and hard. I could feel my adrenaline rush and before I knew it, I was riding a wave. I just did it. The few waves I tried to catch after that I set myself up for failure. I'd intentionally bail out for whatever reason. At least in retrospect, that's how I see it. I needed to be determined and committed to catch another wave but on the first day, I guess I was satisfied with the one.

In any situation, if you can't get your own board at this time and have to rent or borrow, the most important lesson is:

"be COMMITTED"... whether it's catching waves or anything else important in your life!