Ride the Wave of Life

A motto is a short phrase that embraces the essence of one’s beliefs and ideologies. Here are some that stand out for me:

We must become the change we wish to see in the world.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi

Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Seize the day (Carpe Diem)
- ancient Roman (and Dead Poets Society Robin Williams)

What is your life motto?

According to a Facebook app http://fuzzyking.com/en/  this is my life motto:

 ‘Two things define you: Your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.’ 

The surprising part for me is how accurate the life motto actually is for me.  Which makes me very curious about the smarts around data analytics, how much we are showing and sharing of ourselves with social media and how did my life motto actually emerge?

The plethora of data and knowledge that is so easily available is mind blowing.  My 10 year old is accessing information instantaneously about anything and everything.  I observed my daughter messaging her cousin yesterday and she used speech to text recognition technology to expedite her communication.  How much quicker can we get in communicating our thoughts?  Companies like Oculus and Google are continuing to stretch what is possible in communicating and connecting to one another.  It won’t be long until we are communicating telepathically (no need for spell checks).  I am curious about how this immediacy of information will impact our planet, is it making us smarter or lazier?  Will this help us save our planet or destroy it quicker? What does this mean to how we are educating our kids and creating intellectual property?

So if I go back to my life motto – ‘Two things define you: Your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything’ let’s go with the flow and ride the wave of speedy knowledge and communication. Be open to it and see where it can take us.

At the lowest times of my life I am patient. I put on the life vest and tread water until the surf changes. When life has been at its highest I pause and am very grateful for what I am experiencing. I throw off the life vest, dive deeply and enjoy the moment and appreciate the present.  Life is like the ocean the waves are glorious and treacherous and the rhythm of life can be exhausting and spectacular – but not at the same time.  I have seen people, teams, organisations ride this wave.  The fortunate ones have the courage to be open and humble the less fortunate drown in the swells and can’t see above the water. 

 

At a recent holiday in Noosa I marveled at the blue, powerful surf.  The surfers of all ages were able to find wave after wave after wave and smoothly glide through the water.  It was beautiful to see how a human being with little effort and ease harness the power of the ocean to create momentum and energy.  In business and in life we need to at times just surrender to the flow of life and take courage to ride the waves and achieve much with less effort.

What is your own life motto? What if you were more conscious of it?  What would that mean for your own wellbeing and success? You need rain and sunshine to make rainbows and in life you need highs and lows to savor life.