If you’re a keen surfer, a beginner surfer or someone that’s been around the block a few times but can still kick it on a long board, you will have had - or are yet to have, the moment in time when you realize surfing is a part of your soul. It’s a moment of clarity, when everything in your life and the world around you makes sense. It’s a moment in time where you realize your place on the earth, and see where you fit into this puzzle of life. More than anything, it’s a moment that defines your future, shapes your heart and your dreams, and puts you in a different category to everyone else in the world. A category that is defined by surfing and stoke, peace and love. For some, and for me in particular, it was a bit of a process, maybe not quite a single moment, but it happened none the less. So this is me, my life, the story of where I was and where I am.

I grew up in a small town. A place where I always felt trapped; I felt like I didn’t belong there, it was just never enough for me. The world owed me something more and I had so much more to give. I have learned that the most important question anyone can ask themselves is what makes you happy, truly deep down inside, what fulfills you, makes you smile like nothing else in the whole world.

For me, the answer to that question is surfing. The gospel of wave riding is as explosive as it is healthy and positive. Maybe it’s the lack of routine, the natural environment, the harmony of paddling the ocean. The aesthetic of surfing is freedom, its expression, it’s an adventure.

Exactly what I was so desperately searching for! I made the decision not to give up on myself, my dreams and my happiness. After stopping at nothing, my determination came through for me. I moved to a big city and with no experience but an immeasurable amount of passion, I got the opportunity to work for the sickest girls surfing magazine ever. All because someone believed in me, because they could see how much I believed in myself.

And what an incredible, life changing road I traveled. The things I learned about myself and my capabilities. The lifelong relationships I gained and friendships that will last forever. I got all that from just believing in myself.

Just when I thought I had done it, when I though life couldn’t get any better, I found myself on a surf trip on a yacht in Mozambique, Africa, and just like that my perception of my happiness changed. More than leaving home, more than a new life in a new city, even more than working for a surfing magazine! I needed to be on this boat; no matter what else I could have I didn’t want it. I wanted to live on a boat, be free, surf and forget about all the real responsibilities in the world. I wanted to live every surfers dream. It was a moment that I knew I was destined for this life.

I guess experiencing something new can make you realize the important things in life and maybe what you thought made you happy, doesn’t seem so significant after all. So I chased my new dream, I left my life of normalcy and moved on board the yacht. Was it scary? Hell yes - do I regret it? No, not for one second.

You see, as I sit on the deck of the most beautiful 70 foot yacht in the world, I think about my new surroundings, my new home. I wonder about my new direction in life, the people I’m going to meet, the places I’m going to see and the perfect waves I’m going to surf. A brand new journey awaits me!

So, my advice to you surfer girl’s, be the change that you want to see. We are constantly changing as we go through life and while revolutionary change seems like a long road - it is possible. One thing at a time, one foot in front of the other - that is the way to walk out change. Live the dream, whatever yours may be.

Tags: Surfing