Surfing and singing, pitching and selling. Success is yours to win or lose.

by IANZ Admin

Posted on 12.08.2022

Surfing and Singing

On Monday evening I was sitting in a packed community hall at Whangateau, a 100 year old community hall you have probably never heard of. It’s across the harbour from the beach suburb of Omaha and you drive past it on the way to the famous Leigh Saw Mill and Goat Island Bay Marine Reserve. An unassuming spot as well as the location for an internationally renowned Folk Music club that meets once a month.

I play a bit of music. I am no great musician but at times of my life have almost scraped together a living out of it. I would not call the music I play and write folk music, but it certainly fits the requirement of acoustic music. When I go to this folk club, I have a bit of a sing in the open mic forum, meet up with muso friends, listen to some blue-grass, and have a cuppa and a bikkie at half time.

Even though there were less than 100 people in the hall that evening I felt a wave of trepidation prior to playing. I always feel a bit of nerves in the moments before playing regardless of the scene or setting.

It occurred to me at this moment that there is a similarity between jumping on stage to sing, and paddling into a wave. It is not just that both playing music in public and surfing need a degree of ability or mastery to do well, I was more thinking of the complete focus that is required.

When I am on the small stage or when I am paddling into a wave, there is complete focus to the exclusion of all else. In those moments everything else fades away.

In both cases there is a point of no return – on a wave this is physical. On a stage it is social.

As you paddle into a wave, you get to the point of no return. You are either going to be getting up and surfing, or if your focus lapses, you are going to be taken down for a beating.

If you lose your focus on stage then there will be an error, and the performance that you were hoping to bring is compromised. You might miss a chord or fumble a line. The non-musos might not notice it however the pros will.

Both situations are followed by either elation or a commitment to do better next time. Or sometimes both.

In both situations you are also completely and utterly alone. It’s up to you. It’s yours to catch, to deliver, to smash it! It’s yours to screw up. There is an element of risk and danger that makes it real. It’s not playing music in your bedroom. It’s not paddle-boarding on a still lake. It’s living in a real and moving moment, when success is yours to win or lose, where the stakes are high and where the consequences are real.

I am going to say that music and surfing, and pitching and selling all require a level of practice to get to a functional ability. Certainty if you want to get to mastery.

I think that when pitching for business the dangers are just as real as pulling into a large wave or being exposed on stage – in this case it is social and financial risks being taken. I am super happy when I am pitching someone my business and I know when my flow is on. When I was out listing apartments, it was the same. The laser focus, the desire to get the job done right. The consequences of not getting it right – you are on the edge and relying on your wits. The elation of a win and the disappointment of a loss. And when it comes down to it, you are on your own. It is up to you.

Both surfing and music are interests from my teens that I dropped for while I was raising small children. I picked up my guitar again in my late 20’s and surfing has become important to me again in my 40’s. If you are looking for something to ‘get into’ maybe a look back in time will give you some answers.