Riding the Waves to Success

Last week I was confused and frustrated about a few things related to one of my businesses, and a bit upset with myself and "The Universe." As a result, I went into a deep meditation to get some clarity and help.

In response to my questions and requests for help, my Director/Inner CEO asked to me make a shift in the way I was looking at my business affairs (although as you'll see, the advice I got applies to personal life too). He suggested that I start looking at the ebb and flow of opportunities in my businesses like it was surfing. He then gave me a really great metaphor and some powerful insights I'd like to share with you now.

What do you do when you surf? First, you've got to have the primary tool for surfing - a surfboard. Next, you've got to master the core surfing skills or you won't have any fun and you may get hurt.

Then what do you do? You wait for a day when the surf is up and the waves will be great for riding. When that day comes, you go to the beach, get in the water, swim out, watch and wait for great waves. When you see what looks like a great wave coming, you start paddling at just the right time to catch the wave perfectly. Then, one of the four things happens:

You catch the wave

You miss the wave

The wave does something unexpected (or you do) and you "wipe out" during your ride back to shore

You ride the wave all the way back into shore and have a great experience and adrenalin rush (which is the whole point of surfing in the first place) Continuing with the surfing metaphor, "catching the wave" means taking advantage of the opportunities that come your way, "missing the wave" means letting opportunities fall through your grasp, "wiping out" means you don't get the reward you intended when you took the opportunity and started running with it, and "riding the wave back to shore" means you get the reward you sought by taking advantage of the opportunity.

It's interesting to note that there are three keys to successful surfing:

Being prepared -- having the tools and skills Waiting for great surf days and waves; and Taking action only under the right conditions and at the right times My Director/Inner CEO said the same is true for business and life. My Director/Inner CEO also said this to me:

"With your business affairs, you're prepared. You have the tools. You have the core skills and ability to ride waves all the way to shore, so to speak, no matter how big or powerful they may be. Sometimes, however, you're so anxious to go surfing that you try to force it - you go out on days when the surf isn't really up, or you start paddling when there isn't really a great wave coming, or you start paddling too soon or too late, and then you get frustrated or confused when you don't have the ride you want." He went on to explain that even the best surfers in the world have all four of the experiences listed above - they catch waves, they miss waves, they wipe out, and they have great rides all the way into shore. He explained that it's the same thing for me no matter how successful I've been or how skilled I may be at certain things.

He said:

"Sometimes you don't end up riding all the way back to shore. That's just the way it is. While there can be, there isn't always any major significance or a lesson to be learned from the experience. Just paddle back and wait for the next wave." I did 3 things as a result of that meditation (continuing the use of the surfing metaphor):

I made a decision to be more observant when watching for days when the "surf is really up."

I reminded myself that I need to gear back my "take action now" efforts a bit and gear up my "wait for the right wave" and then take action efforts. I used to be really good at that but I realized I'd slipped back a few notches.

I resolved to improve the requests for help I write using The Invisible Path/11th Element Systems by asking for additional guidance for recognizing the days when the surf is really up, and knowing what waves to take, what waves to avoid, and when to start paddling to catch the waves at the right time for an awesome ride. So here are my questions for you today:

Are you like I've been lately -- you tend to "force things" a bit too much?

Are you being as observant as you could be in seeing when the surf is really up?

Are you patiently watching and waiting for the "great waves"?

Are you starting to paddle at the right time?

Do you sit on your board in the water and let all the waves pass, never starting to paddle to catch any of them?

Do you have a System for getting help with one or more of the above? If you answered "No" to one or more of the above questions, you need a System for riding your waves to success - whether it's mine or someone else's. The waves are rolling. The opportunities are flowing. What are you going to do with them?

Think about it and take action to find a wave riding System ASAP.

============================================================

Like to know more about Bob Scheinfeld?
============================================================

If you liked what you just read, you'll definitely want all the details about Bob's "7 Power Centers of Life" work.

Do you know what "The 7 Power Centers of Life" are? Are you absolutely certain that all 7 of *yours* are fully energized and aligned for maximum success? Click here to take a Guided Tour and discover all the exciting details:

http://www.7powercentersoflife.com/article8

============================================================

---

Have You Always Thought That The Best Ideas Come From Research Or Management? Think Again

Many entrepreneurs and chief executive officers are unaware that there... Read More

Workplace Violence - People are Dying Going to Work

Workplace violence has become a tragic reality today. From minor... Read More

Spirits in the Corporate Boardroom.......Oh, sure......

There is a growing movement in the spiritual... Read More

Knowing versus Doing - Execution In The Workplace

Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to... Read More

Hows Your HUB?

Marketing gurus are always coming up with new lingo but... Read More

Project Management - Are You Done Yet

What happens when a Project Manager asks one of his... Read More

Using, Choosing, and Using an educational consultant

IntroductionThe aim of this document is to provide advice and... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management - Turning Ideas into Action

The phrase "turning ideas into action" is a Russian doll.Managing... Read More

The Art of Motivation and Need Fulfillment

Industrial/clinical psychology and applied psychiatry have made tremendous strides in... Read More

Goodwill is an Intangible Asset

'Goodwill' is regarded as an intangible asset in a business.... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Psychological Reward

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Improve Operations by Restructuring

Transitioning from Vertical Hierarchies to Decentralized / Flatter OrganizationsThe need... Read More

The Importance of Business Goals

For you to get where you want to go, there... Read More

Effective Meetings Begin With a Real Agenda

Everyone knows that an agenda is the key to an... Read More

How to Create an Operations Manual

An operations manual can act as a tool for training... Read More

Employees Commit Corporate Fraud

Imagine the following scenario; Ten years ago you decided to... Read More

How to Keep a Good Employee: Look, Listen, Learn

Recently a client told me a wonderful story about how... Read More

Déjà Vu MCI to Qwest International Inc: Can this Corporate Marriage Survive?

Current Situation:As of this writing, the MCI Board of Governors... Read More

The Leadership Alignment Model

Some time ago we had the privilege of working with... Read More

Profound Knowledge

We all are on a quest for knowledge. Whether its... Read More

Knowledge Management - Creating a Sustainable Yellow Pages System

How can I "know who knows" None of us can... Read More

Firing Someone Without Resentment

Firing, sacking, letting go or terminating people is unpleasant. There... Read More

Delegate, Dont Abdicate

One of the key skills for the leaders of growing... Read More

Innovation Management ? Flexibility

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

6 Steps To Effective Management During Change

Take the pain out of gain and decrease the upheaval... Read More

Communication Mix-Up

My friend Delia is the owner of a small private... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to Conduct Successful Meetings

Do you announce a meeting and find either no one... Read More

What Personal Assistants Really Want

What would happen if the personal assistants in your organisation... Read More

Planning a Productive Retreat

What value is there in leadership or team-building retreats? Just... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: The Organizational Structure of Our Growing Business

This article relates to the organizational structure competency, commonly evaluated... Read More

Increase Productivity: Five Powerful Actions

How can you make the best use of your energy... Read More

How to Delegate Effectively

ACCOUNTABILITY: Delegation is not complete unless subordinates are held accountable... Read More

The ?Better Product? fallacy

Another fallacy ingrained in the minds of most marketing managers... Read More