Yes, it's true: I'm a wood pusher.
But I haven't been this way for long.
In fact, a few months ago I discovered my partner's skateboard collecting dust in storage.
At the time, my bike was busted, so I thought to myself "screw it, let's give it a go."
So I did... and I immediately fell in love with it.
Skateboarding quickly became my primary form of transportation.
I just loved every bit about how it made me feel, and on top of that, it was a great work out!
As I improved my boarding skills, I realized that much of the wisdom that I was acquiring on the skateboard also translated directly to life itself.
And thus, I've created a list of the seven things I learned about life... by simply skateboarding every day.
But before we get into those seven things, here's a super quick intro video of me saying hello to all my fellow Steemians and introducing the article:
Lets get at it shall we?
Below are the seven lessons I've learned while shredding the roads.
As you're reading, pay attention to the ones that stand out the most for you!
1. The Wobble Is Only As Real As You Make It
When I first started skateboarding I noticed that when I would ride down a hill that was a bit steeper than I was used to, my skateboard would start to do this wobble and that wobble would get more and more intense as I sped up.
Since I was new to boarding it was a bit scary at first because I felt like I was losing control of the board and I wasn't quite sure how to handle it. I would constantly think to myself, "Is this too fast? Should I jump off?"
After I skateboarded for about a month and getting the hang of it, I realized that I could completely control the wobble by simply focusing on calming my body and allowing myself to presently connect with the skateboard.
I noticed that when focused on relaxing my body and shifting my attention to the road ahead, I was less concerned with the wobble.
Eventually, I wasn't wobbling at all - even when shredding the big hills.
The wobble was actually of my own creation!
In life, we wobble all the time, don't we?
How often do you find yourself in situations that you fear may throw you off the edge or fear could lead to a disaster?
When we try new things, the learning process is often uncomfortable at first, but once we get the hang of it, suddenly what we once thought was difficult or even scary, becomes quite natural.
I believe that we can accelerate the learning process of life by being present and relaxing into our body while simultaneously staying attentive and focused on what we are doing, regardless of how uncomfortable or scary it may seem.
We may wobble at first, but that doesn't mean we will wobble forever.
Embrace the wobble and you will discover your flow.
2. You Can Handle The Big Bumps As Long As You Commit
Road bumps are quite a common occurrence when you spend your days shredding the streets.
I've been fortunate enough to avoid the fair majority thus far. But there have been numerous times when bumps on the road unexpectedly appeared, and usually, I wouldn't have much time to really think about what I was going to do.
Typically I had two choices within a millisecond: either jump off of my board and risk jumping in a place that might not be safe (like the middle of the road), or to commit to my board and skate through the bump.
I've noticed that more often than not, by just committing to the board I can skate over most bumps.
I've also noticed that more often than not, when I let fear overwhelm me, I'll either half-commit to the bump and end up on my ass, or I'll jump off the board and put myself in danger.
When I fully commit and I'm conscious of what I'm doing and embracing the fears ahead of me, suddenly I gain this ability that allows me to remain balanced enough to transcend the obstacle.
We all experience bumps in our life and when we succumb to the fear of the bump, the bump suddenly gains a lot of power over us.
But when we commit to the bump, face our fears and hit it straight on, we usually find that it wasn't as scary as we thought it was, and that we are much more capable than we think!
All fear is illusion, skate straight ahead.
3. If You Skated Uphill, You Can Be Certain The Downhill Is Coming
Sometimes skating the hills can be a bummer, or at least they can really wear you out.
My neighborhood is quite hilly but I've learned to appreciate the hills as they definitely strengthen me. On top of that, when I've just climbed up a big hill, I can be certain that my next experience will be a fun one!
When things are difficult and your journey feels like a huge uphill battle, just know that the downhill is coming and it has to come because that's just how life works.
What comes up must come down... it's a law right?
The only constant in life is change and we can be sure that the change will always lead to an inverse experience.
If you're experiencing tough times, know the good times are on their way.
4. Know When To Bail
I used to bike a lot and the only thing I don't like about biking is that it's so much harder to bail, and because of that, it's quite dangerous when you're riding around in the city.
Believe it or not, I actually feel much safer on my skateboard just because of the fact that if I find myself in a dangerous situation, I have the flexibility to immediately bail out at any time to save myself from a potential accident.
In life there's definitely times when we must realize when it's time to bail out of a situation.
It's not about giving up when life gets hard, but more about realizing when it's time to cut your losses.
The ego or logic will often try to convince you to continue doing things that may not be right for you, simply because it would be too painful, risky, or illogical to let go of.
In my experience, holding onto these things only leads to harsher experiences. When it's time to bail, you just gotta let go.
For me, bailing looked like me dropping out of med school even though I only had six months left to graduate. Seems ridiculous but the bail was necessary and it saved me a lot of stress and pain in the long haul.
I discovered who I am by choosing to bail on what I am not.
5. Trying To Look Cool Is A Formula For Falling
I had a friend say the other day that he doesn't skateboard as often because he doesn't really look that cool while he's boarding...
First off, I think that's quite a lame excuse!
Okay, so I think it's quite natural to want to look like you are under control when you are skating around, especially when there's people around you. There's just that natural tendency to want to look good. It's part of human nature, I get it.
Here's the thing though, the more I try to look good because of an external influence, the more likely I am to crash.
There's this weird thing that happens, it's like...because my attention is not exactly on the present moment, I'm missing important information that I would normally have if I was paying more attention to what I am doing (as opposed to how I am looking).
How often do we let the thoughts of others (or our thoughts about the thoughts of others) affect the way that we operate in our lives?
Have you ever noticed that you perform worse when you are thinking about how you may look while you're doing something?
I've noticed that the most effective way to live is to just say fuck it to what you think other people may be thinking of you and just do you.
It looks way cooler when you're just doing you.
6. Take Risks Everyday
There's this hill in my neighborhood that scares the crap out of me... or at least it used to scare the crap out of me.
The hill is a bit scary because it leads into a crossroad where there is oncoming traffic. So basically, not only do you have to make this quick turn onto a road while you're coming straight from a steep hill, but you also have to be aware of the traffic that's coming both ways.
This one always caused me a lot of anxiety and for the first couple times I tried it, I would jump off my board for fear of crashing or putting myself in a dangerous situation.
However, after about twenty times of committing to it, I now feel like it's really easy and I can safely maneuver it without even feeling an inch of anxiety along the way.
How often do we find familiarity in things in our life that we once thought were quite uncomfortable or scary?
It begs the question - what would happen if we committed to mastering more of these types of experiences in our life?
What if we risked more with the knowing that those risks would eventually turn into skills and abilities that we have conscious control over?
I believe that if we commit to these kinds of experiences more often we can develop ourselves and become truly inspiring and incredible human beings.
Expand your life: take one risk everyday.
7. "Skate Or Die"
This is a common skate phrase and to me it means to live and enjoy your life (skate) or live in fear and wallow away in the prison of your own insecurities (die).
Although skateboarding isn't always the safest hobby, it's certainly an exciting one and there's a lot you can learn if you'll just embrace your fears and insecurities along the way.
Same goes with life. When we are in motion and doing the things that truly bring us life - even when they're scary or risky at times - we are alive.
When we are spending our time doing the things we think we have to do (or are told to do), or simply avoiding our fears by letting our insecurities get the best of us... then we are dying.
Life is all about motion, and I believe that motion begins by moving with your heart.
So choose to skate, or write that book, or start that business, or commit to that partner, or travel that world...
Whatever it is that you know you need to do to stay in motion... do it!
It's through committing to the things that aren't always considered "safe" that keep us truly ALIVE.
Skate or die!
We Can Acquire Wisdom From Anything
I'm a huge fan of learning from life.
I honestly believe that a teacher will present itself wherever and whenever you are open to receiving wisdom.
That was absolutely the case with skateboarding.
It has taught me so much, and continues to do so every day.
Is there anything in life that taught you things in ways you weren't expecting?
Have you acquired wisdom in unconventional ways?
I'm curious to hear it!
Reflection Questions:
Which one of my skate lessons resonated the most with you?
Which of these seven have you already learned for yourself? How did you learn it?
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