The ocean is in constant flux, and when you spend a lot of time in it you become like a floating bottle with a message inside; you know you’re somewhere, sense you have a purpose, but you also know that you’re at the mercy of the winds and currents, that surrendering yourself may be the only good option. – Jaimal Yogis, Saltwater Buddha
My hair is bleached blonde and my skin is sun kissed. My days are planned around the tides and swell reports. I don’t have an office nor a cubicle to go to, but rather a rocking chair and a view of the ocean. But that doesn’t mean I don’t work; my schedule is flexible and that means I work any time of day and the term “weekend” is not in my vocabulary.
I don’t surf all day, lay out in the sun, nor party til dawn. I wake up early. A lot of time before the sun is even up. Most likely earlier than you. I surf and am back at the house, showered and in front of my Mac with coffee in hand by 8AM. When I don’t surf early, my commute to work requires washing my face, brushing my teeth and a morning coffee. This all happens around 7AM. I confess that the majority of the time I work less “hours” than I did at my corporate job, but on the other hand I definitely am more productive with my time.
What if it doesn’t make any money or the amount you had doing it? –At least I had fun doing it and I’ll have something to show for my work (which is more than I can say for those damn cold calls). -Srinivas Rao, The Art of Being Unmistakeable
I started a business a couple months ago. I guess I am what you call an entrepreneur. In my mind I am just following my heart and doing what I love. I did it because I couldn’t see another bad postcard and because I already had countless beautiful sunset photos. I order in small quantity so I can control my quality and because I know I am bound to make a change (or ten). These cards have been through so many design edits, with a lot of my ideas coming from being out in the water surfing. Thank y’all for loving my cards as much as I do…and stay tuned because I have a couple other ideas up my sleeve.
A ‘one hua o ka mai’a i ka la ho’okahi ‘A ‘ohe pala naio. (All knowledge is not taught in the same school) – Hawaiian proverb
I am creating something and living life. NOW. Not forty years from now when I might be able to retire. Life gives and takes away; you never know when your timer will be up. I could get cancer, die in a car crash, or heck, get eaten by a shark. My sage friend last night put it this way, “When you are living the life that you chose, you feel alive and radiate energy. You feel confident, sexy, and comfortable in your own skin.”
Worrying about what other people think is a jail of our own creation, and the irony of it is those people are in the same jail with us. -Srinivas Rao, The Art of Being Unmistakeable
I guess this is what this post is all about. Breaking free of that jail of other people’s perceptions. As the Buddha’s teachings say, “true contentment does not come from external circumstances”. (Saltwater Buddha)
Pura Vida,
The Surf Bum
