Hey champ,
Over the past few years, I’ve had a laborious on-again-off-again relationship …… with surfing.
When I was recovering from the fire, it was something I missed the most. So, when I started to get better, surfing was high on my agenda.
But, things didn’t really work out.
My injuries made getting back on my board difficult. So I put it on the “want to do, but not right now” list and focused on Ironman instead.
After I competed at the Ironman World Championships in 2016, I got right back into surfing. I planned surf trips, went out every day and was starting to make some serious improvement. I’d practice my pop up technique for hours, even doing them moments before hitting the stage to speak at a conference. Yeah, obsessed… ?
And then…. Hakavai came along.
A few months into my pregnancy, I couldn’t surf anymore. So, I cancelled my surf trips, and put surfing on the backburner again.
(I told you, it’s been so on again, off-again that I’m giving Ross and Rachel a run for their money! ?)
I think Hak was only three weeks old when I went out for my first surf again. And it just felt so good.
Let me clarify – I was sh*t, and it was frustrating to have lost my strength and skill, but as a new Mum it just felt so good to do something purely for me.
Since that first surf, I’ve tried to get out there every day. It’s my exercise, ‘me time’ and meditation all in one. So I make it a priority.
But surfing hasn’t come back to me easily.
Like with all my endeavours, I follow my Golden Ratio (remember what I shared last week?). I know that not every surf is gonna be a good one.
But how do you keep going when it feels like that ratio isn’t stacking up results?
That’s when I ask myself three questions:
Am I doing the work?
Am I trusting the process?
Is there anything more I can be doing?
And then, to answer question three, I list out everything I can think of that might help me improve.
Things like:
– Get footage of me surfing and send to Dad and bros for advice
– Send footage to a surfing coach
– Do physio exercises daily
– Research surf camps
– Ask my brother to test my board and make sure it’s stable.
And, one by one, item-by-item, I work through that list.
If something works, awesome! If it doesn’t, no big deal – I just try the next thing on my list until I find something that does.
Like old mate Einstein once said: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing every day and expecting different results”.
If you’re not getting the results you want, the onus is on you to try new and different ways of getting there. – Tweet it!
And, this is important, remember to include the basics in your list i.e. making sure you’re getting enough sleep, that you’re eating right, and considering if there are any emotional pressures you need to address.
So, that’s it for today. If you’re not seeing improvement in an area of your life, ask yourself those three questions, and let me know how you answered them, in the comments below.
Turia x
Thanks Turia. Just occasionally I needed to remember that I will never reach my own goals without realising everyone is struggling and I need to press on. Your thoughts definitely help. If u can, anyone can.
Thank you
Hi Turia, I follow you since you did the ironman. I’m Brazilian, so, sorry for my poor english, hehe I read your messages every time and they touching me a lot, sometimes I wrote and put in my board to read again and again. You’re my example the determination and overcoming! God bless your life ever and ever. your little girl is very beauty!
Best Regards, your brazilian friend Rosana