Riding A 15 Foot Wave In Maui And Building A Business- A Discussion On How Your Business Follows Your Faith

By: Sandi Krakowski

The surf warning came fast….. and the guys at the zip lining company we were visiting were excited!

"This means that JAWS could be here soon! WOOHOO!" they exclaimed with childlike happiness!

"Jaws? Ummmm, and you're excited?" I replied.

"Oh man, no, sorry… it's not the shark thing, " they said chuckling, "It's the name we Hawaiians give for the biggest wave we typically see. People fly from all over the world to have a chance at Jaws! This week it's quite possible it will be here! VERY exciting!"

Being a business trainer who writes for over 190,000 hungry clients who crave more in life, want insider secrets on how to create the life of their dreams, copy that converts and get past all of the BS that is online claiming success without any results… I instantly was inspired to write on the similarities in surfing an enormous wave and building a business.

Today I'm going to have some questions answered from one of our clients I've met on Facebook, who has been surfing big waves for more than 11 years, Dave Schmidt. And I'll throw in some insights for you from my 14 years of business building online.

Let me just say from the start this is not an article for people who want to blame the economy, the government, their job, their boss or any other circumstance in life for the reason they are not seeing the results they want in life. This IS for the Champions in our client base however who will be wiling to LOOK the 'wave' of life in the face and take it on. NO excuses. NO outs. NO half hearted commitment that looks for a way to back out or resign if the going gets rough. This is for those who will have the faith to live the risk that God designed for us to live in.

Through my years as a coach and business trainer, I'm still shocked at times by some of the 'reasons' that people come up with for retrieval. It blows me away when someone makes a commitment for a class and then quickly says, "But what happens if I want my money back and later don't want to do this."  Imagine going into a marriage that way…. or raising your children?  Maybe THAT is the reason we have the mess we do in society, because people are always looking for a way out.

A big key factor to success in any area of life- business, fitness, weight loss, finances, athletics is this: YOU MUST be willing to abandon the doubt and press through the fear. YOU MUST be willing to keep going even when everything psychologically and physiologically tells you to stop. 

I've never met a millionaire who didn't have to press through some seriously challenging situations

It's ironic to me how many people who are struggling in their life seem to think that those of us who have had enormous success seem to have a 'lucky break' or a 'special slight edge' so that must be the reason that we are able to be so successful. This is one of the primary reasons why I publicly share an upbringing that did NOT prepare me for millionaire status, childhood abuse, a gang rape, religious abuse, massive amounts of debt, chronic illness and the like…. all things that if people took just one minute to consider their excuses would fade in the wind.

But when push comes to shove it's not just determination that got me or anyone else you see who has overcome insurmountable odds to where we are today. It's a BIG STRONG commitment to never quit, never give in, do what others won't and never retreat. PERIOD.

Now that can be fighting words for a workaholic and one who never knows how to rest, who is actually sabotaging themselves with their inability to recover and restore on the path to success. But as you've also read in many of my articles on our website, a big key to my personal journey and success, along with my radical transformation in life, has been my ability to know when to say YES and then when to say NO. It has never come without fear or hesitation but when push comes to shove, I've followed through against some pretty terrifying fears. 

If your goals don't make you both terrified and excited at the same time, they simply just aren't big enough.

When a surfer prepares for a wave, he has to pull from many resources. It's obviously important to be fit. You will NOT find a bunch of fat, lazy and overweight surfers in Maui. It's also important to not be taking on a 15 foot wave after partying one's brains out the night before. A surfer who is going 'beyond casual' and is taking the risk that such waves demand LIVES the life of a surfer. Business owners have to do the same.

One of the things I had a snorkeling instructor tell me rang true for me as a business coach- You can't listen to what people say, you have to watch what they do.

When someone takes on the challenge of snorkeling in 100 feet deep water, no matter what they say about their past, their desire and their intent, push comes to shove when they are in the water and it's time to get the job done… ie… snorkel and not drown! You read last week how my son overcame this fear and he conquered it mightily! But I have to tell you, the way I see some people handling their business? If they did snorkeling this way we'd be planning a funeral.

Can you imagine? "I think I'll go dive now…. oh dear.. ok, let me recite a few affirmations….. I think I'll go talk about it on Facebook so I feel really confident and important about my snorkeling…… and now… .um, my spouse doesn't support this dive, so I really need to talk to the instructor about how to convince my spouse that I'll be safe….. and the water, it's so cold, people like me where we grew up, we are not used to cold water like that…. and these flippers, I mean I've walked in hiking boots my entire life, I wasn't groomed to walk and work in flippers!"…. and the list could go on.

Some of you are laughing so hard right now you'll nearly fall out of your chair. Good, I'm glad you got my point. Some of you however just saw yourself and are sobbing… and I want to speak life to you.

YOU CANNOT keep making your life so safe if you are ever going to create a new life for yourself.

Even if no one supports you, you are terrified, your family history has no evidence of anyone succeeding in business, your Facebook friends think your crazy and you've recited affirmations for 4 years now and nothing is working. It is up to YOU, now, to either sink… or swim my friends. WHAT will it be?

David Schmidt has been surfing for 11 years… and he's had his share of rides that were a success and his share of scares and bruises to show that he took a hard dive. I asked him to answer a few questions that would be of benefit to our audience today.

"When you first approach a wave that is 3x times your size, what do you think most often? Holy CRAP what am I doing? Or… I can do this! Here I go!" 

You have to believe in yourself. If you hesitate on a wave, you will fall. "I can do this!" is the only way to surf. That's not to say I haven't had some moments of "holy crap what am I doing?" I suppose those are the moments when you learn a lesson. You need to know your limits and always trust in yourself.

"When you first surfed your biggest wave, what is the single biggest thing you realized that differs between a wave that is 3 feet high and one that is 15 feet high?"

The risk of surfing becomes more apparent as wave size increases. One gallon of water weighs in at a little over 8 pounds. Imagine hundreds of thousands of gallons chasing you or even landing on you. Surfing has many risks, and bigger waves might equate to a bigger thrill, but they also bring on a greater likelihood of getting hurt. The biggest difference between small waves and large ones is the risk factor.

"There is obviously risk involved in surfing huge waves. Do you think that risk ever leaves even though you've been surfing for 11 years?" 

The risk never leaves. I'm afraid of drowning, sharks, and hitting into reefs, but if you're going to be a successful surfer, you must put those fears behind you and focus on the here and now. Don't dwell on what could happen. Know the risks, know your limits, and surf with confidence. 

"What one thing would you say to business owners or those who want to own businesses that they can learn from surfing?" 

As I said, surfing is all about trusting in yourself. Be confident in you. If you think you can make a wave, you will.  Those who hesitate wipe-out. If you own a business or want to own one always trust in yourself! Know that you can do it. If you dwell on the negative you are setting yourself up for failure. I don't always make the waves that I try to surf, but every time I pop to my feet I believe in my abilities and trust in me. 

WOW! Such insight in these answers! As a woman business owner who has raised her children, overcome ridiculous odds that were against her and built 11 successful companies online, all 6 & 7 figure businesses, I can say without hesitation as well, "YOU must learn to trust in yourself!" to build the kind of business you want.

When push comes to shove, it is my conviction that God has already given us what we need to succeed in life. Our job is to "Just do it!"  

The concept of faith literally means to JUMP when there is no support and to FLY when you don't even know how to. Unfortunately people are waiting around waiting for God to give them  faith, to give them more courage… and in my personal conversations with Him, when I ask Him for these things, He always reminds me, "I've given you everything you need Sandi, just trust me! JUMP!"  🙂

Whether you are building a business or riding an enormous surf, always remember this- there's nothing that can promise you security when it is time to take that risk. I was reading an article on the airplane here to Maui where a professional surfer said that when you are right there looking the wave in the face, you always know that no matter what you've done in the past, no matter what you've known or experienced, the fact remains you could die. And…. you press through that.

Risk is a polar opposite of safety!

Far too many people think they are taking risk when the reality is they are in training pants wading in 3 feet of water with nothing more than a 2 inch wave! Their fear factor has been so programmed and altered that they have no concept whatsoever of what risk is! Even more startling is the fact that there is an entire quadrant that God Himself design in our world, a personality trait, where people are DESIGNED DIVINELY to be wild, free spirited, full of faith and even live life dangerously on the edge and we've dumbed them down, given them drugs to sedate their wild passion and held our entire world back in the process.

EVER single major inventor, scientist, athlete and musician that breaks molds and changes society is said to have stepped into the edge of insanity more than once, only to come back holding the keys we needed for a better world.

My friends, you must have faith to reach your goals.

You must FEED your faith by taking risk and you must get over the thought that this battle is all about you. It's not… it's about an entire world that needs you to impact the earth with what God gave you.

So my question for you today is this- what are you going to do in 2012 that you never had the courage to do previously? The first step of faith is to make it known! Tell me and all of our readers below in the comments section! Let's do this together!  

With love,

Sandi Krakowski