Why Surfers are Good at Start-Ups

Sitting and waiting for the coming monolith. A hundred million dollar deal looms in the distance like a black mountain peak. A client too big to fail. There are mixed feelings of excitement, fear, anticipation. The moment approaches and she’s a big one. Dangerous in size. What is needed now is a heightened since of awareness with focus and agility turned up a notch from adrenaline or years of practice. All while looking into the eye of the storm.

As a surfer, we have been training for this moment, training on the smallest days, and learning how to tread water in order to catch a breath. A wave appears at Blacks Beach, far outside the rest. People around me begin to splash water, frantically scraping to avoid the hurling lip. A pause for affirmation. ‘Too big to fail’, I think to myself.

The practice has long sense turned into an art-form. A quick pivot to face the shore, head down, heart racing. This is the one and no one can deny me of it. The fear is gone, and in a surge of force, I push over the ledge and glide into blissful opportunity.

This is why surfers are good at start-up. We have trained our bodies and our minds to take the risks, focus on what is important, and keep a level head in the eye of the storm. See you out in the water…