this last month has been a real time of flux. one day into my new living arrangement, i felt this real sense of space. it was strange, it wasn’t like i had miraculously found more hours in the day…. but i felt like i had so much more space. i was doing the same things each day, but yet it felt so much more spacious! my brain felt more spacious, i felt i had more physical time… and i begun to realise just how much mental, emotional and physical space was being consumed because of my previous living situation.

physical environment plays such an important role in one’s life, and i am continually learning what impact this has on me.

it’s strange, if you have met me in the last 3 years, you would think i’m constantly on the move, as i’ve moved 3 times in the last years! (trust me, it’s not a very nice process). however, prior to that, i’ve pretty much lived in the same suburb for 15+ years.

i hope that this new place will be called home for a while… i have to say i’m spoilt by this amazing view… just the other day i woke up and felt like i was being treated to a visual buffet!

there’s a lot of life reflection that occurs when i’m surfing.

i love being surrounded by water, and it seems to be when i’m in contact with water that i think the clearest. when i’m at my happiest.

i went out yesterday for a much needed surf and as i was out the back, waiting for the waves to come through, there was a lot of hustling amongst the surfers. there weren’t that many rideable waves, and there were a lot of surfers huddled in the same area. it was getting pretty crowded for a work day!

“he’s getting all the waves”, a female surfer whispered as i said good morning to her. “i’m trying to follow him so i can catch all the waves too”, she added.

i know exactly what she means – in fact, i typically think that in my head. but that’s when my joy is destroyed. you see, surfers all have different boards so different waves suit each board. we can never be in exactly the same position in the sea, in the exact same position where they wave comes, and besides, we all have different surf abilities.

it would have been so easy to be annoyed at that point of time, but that would have just stolen the fun, the pleasure i feel when being in the ocean. and it had been a long time since i was out surfing, and i was determined to enjoy this precious time.

“he must be in a good spot then”, i replied… and then consciously paddled so i was out of hearing range from her.

i realised that comparison steals the joy out of living your own life. it robs you out of living fully in that present moment.

live your own life, cos’ everyone else’s life is taken!

it occurred to me today just how blessed i am.

last night, i watched the colours in the sky dance, changing every second in a magnificent show at sunset in a beach 5 minutes drive away.

this morning, i completed my 38th surf of 2019. 38!!! to put that into context, that’s more than the surfs i did in 2017 and 2018 combined.

just how did i get here?

i distinctly remember listening to a podcast a few years back, where the interviewer asked the guest how they decided to make their move to live at a different location. it was there that i realised that freshwater beach, otherwise known as freshie was where some of my best memories were. it’s renown for being a great beach for beginner surfers.

at the end of last year, i dared to let myself dream. and that dream was to live close enough to freshie so i could walk there barefoot with my surfboard in hand from home.

so, i start plotting my move to the northern beaches. there were many obstacles and twists in the way that i almost gave up. the pressure was on as my current rental lease was up, i had multiple changes of plans with flatmates, and after going to rental inspectations every saturday for 3+ months, there just didn’t seem to be any appropriate properties in my tight budget.

looking back at it now, i’m so glad i persisted.

to someone out there who’s reading this blog post – dare to dream! cos’ you just never know what’s on the other end.

we often hear of people who become an overnight success, but is there such a thing? one day they are unknown, then all of a sudden they are a household name.

but we often don’t see, hear or know the exact process leading up to the point of success. i think “it takes a long time for things to happen quickly.” there’s lots of hard work that might not be so visible, a lot of character building… so when the spotlight does shine, you are ready.

a while back, i lost my heart to the ocean. i decided to learn to surf but progress had been really slow. however, since moving closer to the northern beaches, i’ve been surfing a lot more. i became more serious in pursuing this art form, and started incorporating a daily routine of doing 5 “pop ups” each morning. (for the non surfers – “pop up” is the process for standing up with your feet in the right position on your board from a lying position on your stomach.)

for the first time this morning, i seemed to pop up so much quicker than normal. usually one foot would come up first, before the other popped up in front, in a two staged process. however, today it all came together in one movement. after my first pop up, i had a massive grin on my face and wondered how that happened. i actually thought it was a fluke. i then proceeded to pop up 4 more times… and confirmed that somehow overnight, the pop up seemed so much quicker and easier. i couldn’t believe it! there was a point of time where i actually thought whether all these exercises were actually making a difference.

i’m glad i didn’t give up too quickly. and now i’m even more determined to keep doing the pop ups, so it happens naturally, even with my eyes closed! speaking of eyes closed, check out this article on an olympian winning his trial swimming with his eyes closed!

see you at a wave real soon!!

i’m not referring to the one that everyone knows about, the famous person, the popular person that a crowd gathers around. no, not that one. but the one that others dismiss. the one that people walk by, the one that no one else sees.

cos’ every one matters.

i’ve seen others elevate their own position by strategically aligning themselves with people who are notable. granted, that might be a great way to get yourself to the “top”, or to build a network quickly. but that’s only one way.

every one matters.

what if it’s not about building a network quickly, but building a stronger, more resilient network. having an eye on the long game.

if everyone only associates with people who are at the “top” of their game, how are people who are just starting out going to get to the “top”. does it even matter that they get to the “top”?

( i should stop here and clarify what i do and don’t mean by the “top”. i don’t mean top to mean the top of their net worth, or popularity, but refer to it as a figure of speech as the “top” is where most people strive to get to. maybe where people want to get to is to be seen. truly seen. for who they are. that’s a whole different topic, which i might explore in another blog spot. but i think most people don’t know who they are. and we are *all* on that journey of self discovery, of finding our identity. so if by the “top” is where most people want to head to, it’s to, once knowing your true identity, it’s to show the world who they are, and be seen. )

i believe it matters that everyone has a chance to get to the “top”. i believe in diversity. i believe in including others. i believe the world is a richer place with everyone in it.

i believe every one is created here on earth for a purpose.

now, don’t get me wrong. i’m not saying everyone should be included at the top in everything you do, all the time. but everyone should be at least be given a chance, or two.. or maybe more.

every one deserves a chance to be heard.

i believe every one has gold in them, if we only care, take time and value them enough, and be willing to create the space so they are able to be vulnerable and express what’s truly inside themselves. their gold.

is there someone you can include today? are you creating the space for someone else to get to their top?

cos’ every one matters.

selah.