TRH #69 💌 How to embrace the surfer’s mindset
On having a surfer mentality & stop feeling guilty
Hi friends & subscribers,
I'm finally back in Manila after spending 5 days in Siargao, the surfing capital of the Philippines.
As I get ready for my freelance work and I open up Slack, I read the following:
"We've been rethinking our social media strategy. Now that we have more of our product built, we're going to focus more on product marketing v.s. repurposed posts. This means we're not entirely sure how freelancers will fit into our strategy or what extra help we need besides having a podcast editor, so we won't require your services after next week."
It means that this client no longer has work for me.
I knew that they wouldn't need me forever. And I was always scared that I'd get fired because my skills weren't good enough.
But seeing that message, I felt sad and relieved.
I felt sadness because I liked having a freelance gig while I was off travel nursing. At the same time, I felt a sense of relief because I finally had more time to do my own thing.
But during this experience, I learned to embrace a surfer's mindset.
I came across this idea reading Sahil Bloom's newsletter. He writes, "The Surfer Mentality is a simple, powerful application of this metaphor:
When a surfer gets up on a wave, they enjoy the present moment, even though they know with certainty that the wave will eventually end. They fully enjoy THIS wave, with the wisdom and awareness that more waves are always coming.”
I didn't know how long this role would last since they hired me to repurpose content.
Now that it ended, I’m so glad I fully immersed myself in the digital nomad lifestyle:
I'd get up, do some island excursions, nap, and then work at night.
On other days, I'd work for 4 hours and spend the rest of the time with my family.
It was a lot of fun. But no waves stay up forever.
Eventually, it goes down.
If you're a creator, freelancer, or entrepreneur, channeling your inner surfer (even if you don't surf) is crucial.
Here some ideas stolen from Sahil:
Go towards the wave. Even if taking action is scary, go towards it.
Ride the wave as much as possible. Once you're up there, enjoy it as much as possible.
Don't worry about the waves ending. Trust that will be more opportunities out there.
If you fall, it’s okay. The ocean will take you back to the shore.
I only took one surfing class once, and I can tell you that the ocean (a metaphor for life) will often slap you in the face.
But being able to ride a wave is one of the best feelings ever.
Enjoying the calmness in between waves. 📍Maasin River, Siargao
Track your writing time.
One of the main reasons we become inconsistent with writing is that we believe that writing takes a lot of time and effort.
To make writing work for you, you must debunk this thought.
You must learn to believe that writing takes little time and is easy, so you can keep doing it repeatedly.
I did this by tracking my writing time.
I used apps like Clockify, but I found a better tool for Mac called Horo. When I'm about to write, it takes 5 seconds to start (I can put a 30-minute timer or use it as a stopwatch).
You can visualize how long you’ve been writing for
After doing this for about 3 months, I found my average writing time is about 30 minutes to an hour.
I’m sure your future self deserves 30 minutes to 1 hour a day, right?
📍Green Waves Coffee at Siargao
Sprinkled Thoughts 🍩
Latest work on the internet in different mediums. I hope some of it resonates with you.
🎬 12 lessons I've learned after I quit nursing. A video where I recount the highs and lows of my life after I left my hospital job. It’s a video version of this essay.
✍🏼 After spending 2 weeks living like a local in the Philippines, I've made a decision. A quick story on why I will no longer allow myself to feel guilty for wanting nice things.
Take life one sip at a time ☕️ ,
J