Where you look, there, you go

Surfing is a complex sport. However, it seems simple, from a high level, you catch a wave, get some speed, use the wave face to do some maneuvers, and finally finish the ride with a big splash. In reality, it is far more complicated and depends on multiple factors that influence how you surf or get smashed by a massive amount of water. From position through take off to the last turn, it all depends on small details that make an enormous difference. Today, I will examine the initial phase of take-off and the process of choosing the right direction to go.

Imagine an excellent set. You are on the top of the wave, a bit too much on the shoulder, so you need to paddle a bit harder than you should. You see the lovely face on the right (I forgot to mention it is the right-hander). Suddenly, you realise there are a couple of people paddling toward you just in front of you. There is a beautiful line on the right, but you get anxious that you might ride over the innocent person, and that, seeing your dilemma, paddles even harder to the inside. It is impossible to ignore a surfer who you might injure if you don’t turn quickly enough. You keep your eye on him because you think about it, and surprisingly, your board goes exactly in his direction. You get more nervous the closer you get, and finally, you jump off the board to avoid the potential clash, losing a beautiful wave that could have been the best in the day. You get back on the lineup with mixed feelings. On one side, you might have saved the person and your board. From another perspective, you might have been too cautious and should have gone with the flow. From my experience, once you start doubting if you will make it, it’s better to jump off. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

I firmly believe this rule applies in a much broader context. I can discuss this topic from a personal experience and coding perspective. Solving a complex problem requires focusing on the outcome that we plan. We need to navigate the complexities of power sources, focusing not only on potential issues and the consequences of missing the deadline, but also on what could go wrong. It doesn’t mean we need to ignore all negative scenarios, but we need to consciously head in the direction of success instead of looking toward failure all the time. We need to identify potential risks and realistically evaluate our abilities to achieve a positive outcome. Suppose we doubt our ability to succeed and worry that we might harm someone while working on the project. In that case, we should pull off, rethink what we can do with confidence, and find a bank that is more suited to our skills to catch the wave and go down without much hesitation.

“Where you look, there you go” is a simple phrase, but it hides a lot of abstract meaning behind it. However, when I thought about it more broadly, I realised it is not only about looking in the right direction but even more about finding the right difficulty level so we can genuinely focus on the positive outcome without much anxiety and hesitation. Once we gain confidence, we can raise the bar and achieve steeper, more barrel waves that demand quick decisions and require us to learn from our mistakes.