Ever think you have the right know-how then encounter something that throws you off balance?
Tina and I met at a conference. Luckily, we both pre-planned to paddleboard after the last day at a local beach. Who knew that another person would also bring their paddleboard with them. A fun and delightful surprise!
We were both athletic in nature. Upon arrival, we took a quick peek at the water. Waves were normal, no crazy or erratic rip currents. We decided to give it a go.
She blew up her inflatable board while I carried my hard-frame carbon-fiber board. Due to a holiday weekend, we were guided to put our boards into the water several hundred feet away from the parking lot area to avoid people. Despite "thinking" my board was light, walking over soft sand proved to be interesting and even a little exhausting. Curious, how this would turn out.
Paddleboarding can be done sitting, kneeling or standing. There is no wrong way. It's where you feel most stable to paddle.
Tina moved right through the waves and stood up.
I, on the other hand, swam past the break and hurdled myself onto the board like a beached whale. Laughing at myself in the less-than-stellar style to get on the board. As with prior paddleboarding outings, I stood up. Within 30 seconds, I fell off the board! Shocked and a bit embarrassed that my athletic ability was not holding up. Previously, I never had an issue with balance and standing.
I humbled myself, while my ego took a back seat and opted to kneel and paddle.
As we paddled, the undercurrents were very strong, despite what we saw from the shoreline. We found ourselves traveling down the beach fast with hardly any paddling. When we turned around to paddle along the beach, we literally only paddled on one side to stay in the chosen direction.
After making adjustments, we found a beautiful paddle flow and enjoyed a fun conversation along the way. Luckily, Tina was patient with my pace.
Life and world events are the undercurrents that throw us off our boards when least expected. When we hesitate and overthink, our apprehension allows us to be knocked over by the next wave. On the flip side, if we rush forward before making crucial adjustments, we become unstable and have the potential to make very costly mistakes.
It’s important to remember.
Make the adjustment to calibrate, then commit to making the move. This creates the right action, the right timing, and the right amount of effort to apply. Decision-making at its finest caliber.
We're all navigating new waterways right now. Ask yourself this week:
Am I moving forward from stability—or attempting to create stability by forcing movement?
© 2026. Lora Lapiz. All Rights Reserved.
