Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, "Do one thing every day that scares you."
If I'm honest, it's been a while since I've done anything scary. Facing the neverending mountain of laundry and the dreaded daily, "what's for dinner?" decision does require some fortitude. But for something truly daunting, not so much.
When I say scary, I mean in a good way. Something like a dream lurking in your heart that you have always longed to pursue, if only you were brave enough to do it.
For me, I have always longed to surf the waves in the ocean. Reading the stories of women who surf always inspired me. Surfer ladies represent a sense of boldness and confidence I longed to have. Practical me knew that this idea made no sense, yet the dream wouldn't go away. Rather than sigh deeply every time I came across something related to surfing, I decided this time would be different. This was the summer I would learn to surf.
Pursuing a dream for no good reason other than its in your heart is the exact right reason to pursue it.
When I first got started that summer, it didn’t look like surfing. It looked like doing the smallest thing I knew – taking a walk. One simple act to move me forward. I knew if I wanted to get on a surfboard, I would need energy and be in better shape. I began there and slowly added to it - walking longer and farther and eventually adding in cardio and weights. Each little task was one step closer to being the person I wanted to be: someone who knows how to surf.
After getting into better shape, I did all the things I thought surfer people might do. I watched YouTube videos on surfing. I bought a cool rasher shirt to look like a surfer. I researched where I could take a lesson and rent a board. I put a date on the calendar and I did the hardest part of all: I showed up.
Even though I prepared the best I knew how to, I was still terrified. What if I couldn’t surf after all the work I had done? What if I was physically unable to get up on a surfboard? What about cold water, sharks, and rip currents? What if at the end of this, I hated surfing?
Suspending all my doubts, I got into the water. As the waves surged, my kind young surf instructor named Clark yelled, “Go! Go! Go!” when the time was right. I took a deep breath and did my best to stand. On shaky legs, I rode my first wave. I didn’t master it every time, but more than enough times to declare I was indeed the kind of person who had surfed. Not perfectly, not like a pro, but I was someone who could surf purely for the love of it.
The surfing day taught me that being brave is really about small things. It’s doing one tiny, courageous thing every day, just like Eleanor said. It was taking a walk every day, it was watching a video, it was committing to doing the thing, even when it was scary. It’s inviting positive voices into your head like the Clarks of the world that tell you to get going when the time is right. It’s doing the one tiny thing before you and seeing what happens.
What about you? What brave thing is in your heart that you can begin this summer?
Surfing taught me the joy of pursuing something outlandish. I’m grateful I dreamed that crazy dream. But mostly, seeing the possibilities of tiny actions, done with care and love showed me brave is not so far away. With summer days ahead, now is the perfect season to begin something brave in your life today. Even if it's for no good reason.
This is great for so many reasons! Life is too short not to try everything you want to if you can. I love how you prepared yourself too! I actually had the same desire to surf and belief about surfer girls my whole life and was able to take a surfing lesson for the first time last summer in OBX too. It was scary but exhilarating at the same time. I want to try again this summer and see if I can do better!
LOVE this! I have defeated many of my dreams by the list of reasons you gave but I'm there to cheer to people on. I've never had the desire to surf but I would be there on the shore yelling, "GO! GO! GO!" ♡