When Life Gives You Waves, Learn to S.U.R.F.

Would you like to learn a skill set and technique so powerful that you could learn to recycle every failure, disappointment, setback and discouraging situation into a steppingstone for your success? Would you like to go into every situation with confidence knowing you will have the skills to convert it into an experience with a positive benefit?

Imagine skilled and highly trained fighters going into a difficult and scary situation. They don't go looking for it, but when it comes, they are ready and prepared. They realize it will probably be very painful and even scary, but with their training and developed skill set, their odds are favorable.

You have an opportunity to use the same approach to adversities and difficulties entering our lives. We don't go looking for adversity; it finds us. We can't necessarily avoid pain or suffering, but if we use our training, we have a better chance for survival and eventually find some benefit or lesson we can take and claim a victory.

Change, difficulties and adversity will happen. Your only point of control is the surfing skill set you develop to adapt and make the best out of whatever comes your way. It is not really what happens to you that matters as much as your response to what happens. Your response determines your outcome. Think of change and adversity as waves of the ocean, then consider your response to those waves. Success is not necessarily in your talents and abilities, but in the choices you make in application to the waves. You can't change or fight the wave. Your only real choice is to adapt to it.

Apply the S.U.R.F. Strategy? to Make the Best of the Waves

The S.U.R.F. Strategy is a simple, quick strategy to adapt and positively respond to whatever waves come your way. This keeps your attitude as an ally working for you rather than an adversary working against you. You cannot control the waves; you can only control your response and develop the skills to adapt to whatever comes your way.

The Four Steps of the S.U.R.F. Strategy

The S.U.R.F. strategy involves four steps:

Survey the situation
Understand your options
Respond based on your goals
Forward focus in action and attitude

1. Survey the Situation

When you are tumbled by a wave (adversity), you have to regain your bearing and figure out exactly where you are. Leave emotion behind and survey your situation. What new opportunities might be found or developed? Now is the opportunity to create a new plan. It might be tempting to get caught up in the heat of the moment and feel like you are without options. Take a step back to gain perspective. With an understanding of where you are and what choices you have, you can make the most of the opportunities.

2. Understand Your Options

After you know where you are, begin to assess options for moving forward. Focus only on solutions. After you survey your situation, it's time to make way for positive solutions and options. Ask questions like: "What can I gain?" or "What contacts can I make?" Maintain a positive outlook regardless of the situation - even if you do not immediately see the opportunity. Stay focused on the outcome you want and where you want to go.

Look optimistically for creative ways to use the situation for good - don't lament your misfortune. The opportunity may be hidden. Learn to look for it. This is a creative success habit, and it only comes with practice. Become an opportunity farmer. Look for the hidden benefits behind each change and every situation.

3. Respond Based on Your Goals

Now assess the options in front of you. Some may be better than others. Some may be more complicated or difficult to see. Weigh the pros and cons of each option. You might find your best option right now is to persist in your current situation. You may find yourself riding a wave bigger than you think you can handle. It may be a wild ride, but at least it will be interesting.

Remember, you always have choices. The only thing you can control is your attitude. Regardless of the wave, you have the power to choose. Make sure your response is in line with your goals.

4. Forward Focus in Action and Attitude

You can't surf yesterday's wave. The past is the past. Now it is time to think creatively toward the future. Take positive action. Don't let things happen to you. Create the conditions and outcomes you seek! Now that you are surfing the wave, maintain focus on where you want to go and what you want to do. Maintain a vivid mental image of your successful future finding ways to keep taking action in that direction.

When Bad Surf Happens to Good Surfers

As you surf life's waves, you will see good waves and bad ones. You will have some awesome rides and some gnarly wipe outs. You will meet fellow surfers who want to help you out and those who would rather beat you down. There will be sunny days to enjoy the beach. There will also be storms that take away your enjoyment and opportunity as the sea becomes unstable and unsuitable for your purposes. Injustice, rude people, hardships, difficulties and even some bad things will happen in your life. We cannot control those. The only thing we can control is our attitude and the actions we choose to take in response.

Living is not about playing it safe. Test yourself. Learn the full measure of your surfing ability. Do not hide from the waves. You can learn from both your great rides and your wipe outs. Opportunity does not come to the passive. Be active and create your opportunities. Sometimes opportunities only come through difficult situations. Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it. How you choose to respond to adversity reveals your true character. Your true character is uncovered in the actions of your response and in the choices you make. Your character is revealed in the promises you keep and in the convictions you hold true. Ultimately, your character is a mirror of the guiding principles in your life. What you do and say reveal to the world who you are.

You Cannot Control the Weather

Neither you nor I can control the weather. We cannot control what it will be today and we cannot affect in any way what it will be tomorrow. It is what it is. The same weather will make some people joyous and others miserable. When there is a snow day that shuts down everything, kids rejoice, while parents who need to miss work or scramble for child care do not. Rain is great when the farmers need it for the crops and devastating when the river peaks the levies. Hot sunny days are fantastic for people to enjoy a picnic, yet miserable when you are in the field working.

Weather in itself is neither good nor bad. It is up to us in our decision of how we choose to weather our personal storms and whether they leave us stronger and more resolute or weakened and cowering until the next one. In the same way, adversities are going to come your way, just like the waves of the ocean. All you can really do about them is learn to surf . . . and convert challenges, difficulties and hardships into opportunities.

Frank F. Lunn is President and CEO of Kahuna Empowerment, Inc., and author of the E-book, "Blessings In Adversity: Convert Challenges, Difficulties an Hardships Into Blessings and New Opportunities." Download it for free, and find out more about the Blessings In Adversity Campaign, at http://www.blessingsinadversity.com

---

Ideas Abound - But Youve Got to Take Action

Whether you are aware of it or not, we are... Read More

Mindfulness and Birthdays: Surprising Moments

The first week of May is a big birthday time... Read More

Forgotten Your New Years Resolutions Already? How To Get Back On Track

How quickly we forget. We are only a few weeks... Read More

Fear

As you prepare to take your first steps, could there... Read More

What Gets Your Ass Out Of Bed?

Beep. Beep. Beep. 5:51 am. The alarm is once again... Read More

Three Fs and a Challenge

It's no secret that life is a tricky animal to... Read More

Nothing To Lose

I stormed out of the office and headed for the... Read More

This Emotion Is As Helpful As Ali-Baba And His Forty Thieves!

Are you afraid of your own best ideas? Do you... Read More

Struggling With Juggling

'The trick to juggling is determining which balls are made... Read More

Changing Lifestyles

We stood in the kitchen talking. I was discussing my... Read More

Motivation-- The Key Is In Your Actions

Have you ever read something like this as a "way... Read More

Do I have What It takes?

What am I made of? Do I have what it... Read More

Maximizing Your Potential by Definition

Someone once pointed out to me that in many of... Read More

Motivation: How to Get Unstuck

Have you ever felt stuck?You know the feeling - you're... Read More

Have You Just Hit The Wall?

Have you hit the 'brick wall' yet?No? Well it won't... Read More

Ahead of the Curve to be on Top

I once heard a statement that no matter how good... Read More

Motivation: No Finish LInes

There is a saying that goes something like "getting to... Read More

A Resolution for Excellence

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not... Read More

Keeping Perspective: When Bad Things Happen That Are Not Life Threatening

The very first thing to question is how important is... Read More

At A Dead End? Look Deeply Into My Eyes!

The president of a large North Eastern company, doing business... Read More

Raising The Bar

One of the most popular events in the Olympics is... Read More

Getting Started is the Toughest Part of the Job

One of the most challenging things about starting on a... Read More

How To Overcome Procrastination Quickly And Easily

Maybe it is time to discover a new way to... Read More

Teaching kids -- UGH!! (...and what I learned from it)

I have a confession to make: I don't like working... Read More

Change 101: How to Handle the Changes that Come Your Way

One of the few things that are constant in this... Read More

Day Dream Believer

I am sure you, just like the rest of us,... Read More

Your Life Just OK? It Doesnt Have To Be That Way! Live the Life You Really Want To Live!

I have some questions for you. Are you ready? How... Read More

Beginnings Arent As Complicated As They Seem

Beginnings are seldom as complicated as they seem. You know... Read More

Top 10 Tips For The Best Year of Your Life!

We typically think of New Year's as the time to... Read More

Create Your Destiny - How Massive Action Can Determine Your Destiny!

We often hear that "Knowledge is Power". Is it really... Read More

Unleash Your Unlimited Power

Your Non-Conscious Mind is 98% of your full power. Your... Read More

Habit Change--Six Steps to Success

As every New Year approaches, many of us are doing... Read More

Your Most Important Opportunity says a top UK Personal Development Coach

For some people this article will turn out to be... Read More