Surfing The Waves of Opportunity

Imagine yourself standing on a beach…………what are images conjured in your mind? I would bet that the images would include the vast expanse of the ocean, sand, breeze & never ending waves which are caused on the surface of the water. Why does this image not change irrespective of the kind of beach you think about and the kind of weather you are experiencing? It is because of the fact that you can go to a beach in any part of the world, these basic components do not get altered. This is true even if you have a calm & sunny day when the waves are lazily lapping the beach or a full blown storm when the sea is choppy & dangerous with large waves.

With this imagery in the background, now substitute the sea for the world around us & the time spent on the beach with the life that you live on the earth. What are the key aspects which emerge from this analogy?

The first one is the fact that all of us have a choice of standing around to admire the sea, relax on the beach, frolic in the water or surf the waves. As in actual reality we actually choose to do most these things when we visit a beach. The ratio of time spent for each may differ, but all the components will always co-exist and are very important as a part of the overall experience. Therefore different people choose how they will live & enjoy their life on this planet. The ones who want to laze around choose to relax & enjoy the cool breeze, whilst the more adventurous would prefer to spend more time in the water surfing the waves. There is nothing right or wrong in either choice & each might actually be more appropriate at different times.

The second aspect concerns the waves which you see on the beach. The wind can be equated to the causal factors of change & the waves will then become the opportunities which are available to us in life. What is unique about this is that waves do not stop, but is the one constant factor on a beach, whether night or day, whether as ripples on the water or gigantic beach pounders. They do not distinguish between the different people on a beach, are available to everyone & irrespective of the number of people on the beach everyone can enjoy them. The same applies to opportunities actually available to all of us in our own lives. Opportunities exist at all times, in all situations & irrespective of the number of people in that industry, city or country. Like the relentless waves, they will always be there & it is up to us to take advantage of this phenomenon.

The third aspect which then emerges is that even though everyone does not choose to surf the waves, they will always admire a skilled surfer for the magic he (or she) can create with a surfboard. The surfers are then obviously people who had the same opportunities (waves) as everyone else around them, but chose a different way to enjoy them. These are the achievers in various fields, who people admire & would love to emulate. Some of these surfers might be hugely popular on a local beach or others might actually be known all across the world for their skills & achievements. This is the same as a person who has achieved a lot in the area of business, sports, arts or social work either at a local, state, national or international level. How do you think these folks reached this pinnacle of success. Obviously it involved many failures (falling off the surf-board) and the determination to succeed which got them back on the board again, again, again…..and yet again. It is easy to see the current skill level of these surfers (achievers), but what we do not see is the effort it took them to get to this stage. Today success might wear easy on them, but there is a long history of attempts which are not visible.

As an extension of the above, the fourth aspect which emerges is that the good surfers did not choose the most difficult beaches to start surfing. They start with the easy one’s & graduate their way up to the most difficult beaches after years of practice. Some might do it on their own by experimentation and observing others, while others might learn with the help of a trainer, coach or mentor. In the same fashion, life offers us so many opportunities to hone our skills in various areas. It is that approach to incremental self-improvement which really sets the stage for larger success in the subsequent period. If you pass by the smaller opportunities & jump straight into the rough choppy seas, you are a long way off from surfing well and this might pose a bigger threat to your life or limb. So all the efforts that you are taking today to consciously improve yourself can only result in a better & more successful you in the longer run.

The last aspect which emerges is that successful people cannot just bank on that one fluke (wave) opportunity which they surfed well. Success is something which one has to be able to demonstrate on more than one occasion. That really sets high expectations which successful people have to live with most of their productive lives. These expectations can be positive or negative depending on the way one handles the expectation. If you are surfing because you enjoy it, you will never mind the occasional falls which you will have in the water, as you do not expect that you will ride every wave well. In fact there are so many waves that you look forward to the next big one rather than worry about the last one where you fell off the board. But if you are surfing for recognition or awards, you will be always be under negative pressure as failure at this stage is un-imaginable to you. Little wonder that the former will always be better surfers & more successful.

Anyone keen to jump into the sea & enjoy the waves of opportunity?

PS: This blog is re-produced from Ajay’s personal blog.

About the author:  is a senior corporate executive with extensive experience in Indian & global markets across various industry verticals. He believes that the journey itself is as important as the destination. He is passionate about helping others in their own path of success & derives the greatest satisfaction by contributing to start-ups by being the ‘Success Alchemist’