Do You Keep Standing in the Washing Machine?

One summer day morning I went to the beach for a swim with my boyfriend. He had his surfboard with him and went for a quick paddle.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, but the waves weren’t good.

I walked into the water without the intention of going deep as there were waves at the shore that you had to get through before getting to that nice water where you could actually swim. I didn't feel like doing the hard work.

My boyfriend saw me and called me to come over to where he was - sitting with his board in perfectly calm water.

That kind of water that you only get when you go through all the waves that can catch you and throw you back to the shore (if that has happened to you before then you know - the feeling is far from pleasant).

He wanted me to come over and I didn't want to do that.

When we were both back at the beach he asked: Can I explain something to you without you getting upset?

I knew exactly what he was about to say ("you have to go through the waves and get to that smooth water").

But this time he explained it differently.

He started drawing on the wet, smooth sand.

Here, he said, is the shore.

Then he drew two parallel lines and messed up the sand between them, saying: here is where the waves are.

This is what we call a "washing machine", he continued (by “we” he meant surfers). This is where the wave breaks and it catches you and throws you back to where you were.

- And here is heaven -

And here (he pointed at the rest of the smooth smooth sand) is heaven. Calm water. And you, he looked at me, keep standing in this washing machine (he got frustrated by this time and kept making the sand even messier), keep getting thrown back.

You are full of sand now (I totally was) instead of diving under the wave and pushing through, paddling hard for another 3 meters and getting to this heaven!! He pointed on that smooth large area of sand behind the "messy sand waves".

*3 meters is around 10 feet

This was an aha moment for me. Not about the water in the ocean and how to get to the smooth water but for my business.

I felt that this was exactly what I was doing: I kept standing in the washing machine, letting waves throw me back to where I was before and not willing to paddle another 3 meters to get to heaven, not willing to get uncomfortable to get where I want to be.

I was so close to where I wanted to be. I could almost see it!

And yet, I didn’t do it.

Where is your washing machine?
Where do you keep getting stuck?

Is it in your life, relationship, business, career or health?

What can you do to make those 3 meters and get to where you want to be?

Is it that business idea that you’ve been thinking about for the last 3 (or more) years?

Is it your business that instead of bringing your freedom took over your life and you forgot when it was when you took a holiday last time?

Isn't it time to try and do something about it? To take consistent action, to try something different if what we do now is not working. Or to pause and re-evaluate your current situation before going back in to win?

Most of the time we know what we need to do and just don't do it.

What would it be worth to dive and paddle the last 3 meters to get to where you want to be?  

You can totally do this.

“Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most”

~ Abraham Lincoln