The 7 Liberating Life Truths I Learned While Skateboarding

in inspiration •  7 years ago 

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Yes, it's true: I'm a wood pusher.

But I haven't been this way for long.

In fact, a few months ago I discovered my partner's skateboard collecting dust in storage.

At the time, my bike was busted, so I thought to myself "screw it, let's give it a go."

So I did... and I immediately fell in love with it.

Skateboarding quickly became my primary form of transportation.

I just loved every bit about how it made me feel, and on top of that, it was a great work out!

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As I improved my boarding skills, I realized that much of the wisdom that I was acquiring on the skateboard also translated directly to life itself.

And thus, I've created a list of the seven things I learned about life... by simply skateboarding every day.


But before we get into those seven things, here's a super quick intro video of me saying hello to all my fellow Steemians and introducing the article:


Lets get at it shall we?

Below are the seven lessons I've learned while shredding the roads.

As you're reading, pay attention to the ones that stand out the most for you!


1. The Wobble Is Only As Real As You Make It

When I first started skateboarding I noticed that when I would ride down a hill that was a bit steeper than I was used to, my skateboard would start to do this wobble and that wobble would get more and more intense as I sped up.

Since I was new to boarding it was a bit scary at first because I felt like I was losing control of the board and I wasn't quite sure how to handle it. I would constantly think to myself, "Is this too fast? Should I jump off?"

After I skateboarded for about a month and getting the hang of it, I realized that I could completely control the wobble by simply focusing on calming my body and allowing myself to presently connect with the skateboard.

I noticed that when focused on relaxing my body and shifting my attention to the road ahead, I was less concerned with the wobble.

Eventually, I wasn't wobbling at all - even when shredding the big hills.

The wobble was actually of my own creation!

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In life, we wobble all the time, don't we?

How often do you find yourself in situations that you fear may throw you off the edge or fear could lead to a disaster?

When we try new things, the learning process is often uncomfortable at first, but once we get the hang of it, suddenly what we once thought was difficult or even scary, becomes quite natural.

I believe that we can accelerate the learning process of life by being present and relaxing into our body while simultaneously staying attentive and focused on what we are doing, regardless of how uncomfortable or scary it may seem.

We may wobble at first, but that doesn't mean we will wobble forever.

Embrace the wobble and you will discover your flow.


2. You Can Handle The Big Bumps As Long As You Commit

Road bumps are quite a common occurrence when you spend your days shredding the streets.

I've been fortunate enough to avoid the fair majority thus far. But there have been numerous times when bumps on the road unexpectedly appeared, and usually, I wouldn't have much time to really think about what I was going to do.

Typically I had two choices within a millisecond: either jump off of my board and risk jumping in a place that might not be safe (like the middle of the road), or to commit to my board and skate through the bump.

I've noticed that more often than not, by just committing to the board I can skate over most bumps.

I've also noticed that more often than not, when I let fear overwhelm me, I'll either half-commit to the bump and end up on my ass, or I'll jump off the board and put myself in danger.

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When I fully commit and I'm conscious of what I'm doing and embracing the fears ahead of me, suddenly I gain this ability that allows me to remain balanced enough to transcend the obstacle.

We all experience bumps in our life and when we succumb to the fear of the bump, the bump suddenly gains a lot of power over us.

But when we commit to the bump, face our fears and hit it straight on, we usually find that it wasn't as scary as we thought it was, and that we are much more capable than we think!

All fear is illusion, skate straight ahead.


3. If You Skated Uphill, You Can Be Certain The Downhill Is Coming

Sometimes skating the hills can be a bummer, or at least they can really wear you out.

My neighborhood is quite hilly but I've learned to appreciate the hills as they definitely strengthen me. On top of that, when I've just climbed up a big hill, I can be certain that my next experience will be a fun one!

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When things are difficult and your journey feels like a huge uphill battle, just know that the downhill is coming and it has to come because that's just how life works.

What comes up must come down... it's a law right?

The only constant in life is change and we can be sure that the change will always lead to an inverse experience.

If you're experiencing tough times, know the good times are on their way.


4. Know When To Bail

I used to bike a lot and the only thing I don't like about biking is that it's so much harder to bail, and because of that, it's quite dangerous when you're riding around in the city.

Believe it or not, I actually feel much safer on my skateboard just because of the fact that if I find myself in a dangerous situation, I have the flexibility to immediately bail out at any time to save myself from a potential accident.

In life there's definitely times when we must realize when it's time to bail out of a situation.

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It's not about giving up when life gets hard, but more about realizing when it's time to cut your losses.

The ego or logic will often try to convince you to continue doing things that may not be right for you, simply because it would be too painful, risky, or illogical to let go of.

In my experience, holding onto these things only leads to harsher experiences. When it's time to bail, you just gotta let go.

For me, bailing looked like me dropping out of med school even though I only had six months left to graduate. Seems ridiculous but the bail was necessary and it saved me a lot of stress and pain in the long haul.

I discovered who I am by choosing to bail on what I am not.


5. Trying To Look Cool Is A Formula For Falling

I had a friend say the other day that he doesn't skateboard as often because he doesn't really look that cool while he's boarding...

First off, I think that's quite a lame excuse!

Okay, so I think it's quite natural to want to look like you are under control when you are skating around, especially when there's people around you. There's just that natural tendency to want to look good. It's part of human nature, I get it.

Here's the thing though, the more I try to look good because of an external influence, the more likely I am to crash.

There's this weird thing that happens, it's like...because my attention is not exactly on the present moment, I'm missing important information that I would normally have if I was paying more attention to what I am doing (as opposed to how I am looking).

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How often do we let the thoughts of others (or our thoughts about the thoughts of others) affect the way that we operate in our lives?

Have you ever noticed that you perform worse when you are thinking about how you may look while you're doing something?

I've noticed that the most effective way to live is to just say fuck it to what you think other people may be thinking of you and just do you.

It looks way cooler when you're just doing you.


6. Take Risks Everyday

There's this hill in my neighborhood that scares the crap out of me... or at least it used to scare the crap out of me.

The hill is a bit scary because it leads into a crossroad where there is oncoming traffic. So basically, not only do you have to make this quick turn onto a road while you're coming straight from a steep hill, but you also have to be aware of the traffic that's coming both ways.

This one always caused me a lot of anxiety and for the first couple times I tried it, I would jump off my board for fear of crashing or putting myself in a dangerous situation.

However, after about twenty times of committing to it, I now feel like it's really easy and I can safely maneuver it without even feeling an inch of anxiety along the way.

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How often do we find familiarity in things in our life that we once thought were quite uncomfortable or scary?

It begs the question - what would happen if we committed to mastering more of these types of experiences in our life?

What if we risked more with the knowing that those risks would eventually turn into skills and abilities that we have conscious control over?

I believe that if we commit to these kinds of experiences more often we can develop ourselves and become truly inspiring and incredible human beings.

Expand your life: take one risk everyday.


7. "Skate Or Die"

This is a common skate phrase and to me it means to live and enjoy your life (skate) or live in fear and wallow away in the prison of your own insecurities (die).

Although skateboarding isn't always the safest hobby, it's certainly an exciting one and there's a lot you can learn if you'll just embrace your fears and insecurities along the way.

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Same goes with life. When we are in motion and doing the things that truly bring us life - even when they're scary or risky at times - we are alive.

When we are spending our time doing the things we think we have to do (or are told to do), or simply avoiding our fears by letting our insecurities get the best of us... then we are dying.

Life is all about motion, and I believe that motion begins by moving with your heart.

So choose to skate, or write that book, or start that business, or commit to that partner, or travel that world...

Whatever it is that you know you need to do to stay in motion... do it!

It's through committing to the things that aren't always considered "safe" that keep us truly ALIVE.

Skate or die!


We Can Acquire Wisdom From Anything

I'm a huge fan of learning from life.

I honestly believe that a teacher will present itself wherever and whenever you are open to receiving wisdom.

That was absolutely the case with skateboarding.

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It has taught me so much, and continues to do so every day.

Is there anything in life that taught you things in ways you weren't expecting?

Have you acquired wisdom in unconventional ways?

I'm curious to hear it!



Reflection Questions:

  • Which one of my skate lessons resonated the most with you?

  • Which of these seven have you already learned for yourself? How did you learn it?



Thanks for stopping by! If you found this post valuable, let me know with an upvote!

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It does not get any better than this!!!!! My son, who is now 28 was a skateboarder!!! I remember having to replace decks, bearings, wheels and the entire kit 100's of times .. we are talking 100's of times if not more. And the shoes, expensive shoes that would get holes in them w/in 1-2 days after getting them .. shoe goo up the yingyang!!!! Skateboarding is a wonderful sport (I believe it is a sport) .. It is liberating to the mind, challenging in every way, peaceful to the point that you are in the zone, and a GREAT time to spend with friends. The practicing of the tricks for hours, hours, and full days on end. Darick (my sons name) was an amazing boarder. I love the time you put into this post .. passion is important in life .. it keeps a purpose!!! Don't let others challenge your passion, what the hell do they know??? Keep doing what you love, doesn't matter if you eat shit, only you know what makes you happy in life. Do you see where your boarding is taking you? Then that is all that matters Friend .. Love you lots!!!! SUNSHINE247

Really good post. I had a skateboard when I was a child. I'm gonna find it and go for one

A really awesome post brother. Deserves way more recognition. Have resteemed in the hope some of my crew notice you ;)

Wow Sam thank you so much. I really appreciate that. It means so much. Brings life to me. Thank you for sharing the positive vibes my friend :)

That’s great, Axios! Thanks for sharing :-)

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Hi Wisdom guy. Another post that made me stopped to read more. I picked up some of your best points... All fear is illusion skate straight ahead, Embrace the wobble and you will discover your flow and If you're experiencing tough times, know the good times are on their way. These actually are my life principe and truly useful. Take care my friend, such a wisdom at a young age. My two thumbs up!

You got it! Thank you for reading and sharing here. Glad you found it useful :)

Dude seriously loved the way you put this together and linked life wisdom in with your hobby. This is why I love Steemit you get to see real talented creations. Im motivated to start my day now. Resteemed, upvoted, and following!

Thank you man! Really appreciate the super positive response here. I agree with you, steemit is such a great place for exploring creative talents. Thanks for stopping by and sharing @tonysayers33!

You're welcome, keep on rocking man!

Fully!!! That's awesome that you seized that opportunity of an underutilized skateboard to create so much value in your life. I have always wanted to skate but the times that I was presented a small opportunity, I would be so excited! But in those couple of opportunities, I would have the same experience...
Step one: put wheels on ground
Step two: put one foot on board
Step three: put second fo...wow, I just came close to breaking my tail, wrist, or both bones.

I used your "know when to bail" skill to learn from the painful lesson that I didn't know the first thing about doing this and remaining intact so I opted to not keep trying to get back on the board at that time. I knew that I would do better to either get educated, or get some pads, first.

But the lesson that resonates most with me is skate or die. I left the safety of a full-time position to go to an "as needed" level of guaranteed hours because I knew that I was not challenged by the "typical" path of a professional in my field and I didn't feel like my field had been holding up its end of its societal bargin. It has pushed me to acknowledge my passion for improving the return on the trust society puts on healthcare by being dedicated to helping people accurately understand what health and quality can mean. This involves risk with losing social, credential and financial support of governing bodies or my cohort but my personal belief is that progress should be made for that sake of progress and life is the short amount of time you get that nearly impossible chance to contribute. It's hard to get caught up in a personal legacy when considering the scale of existence :)

woah @thedreamsteem sounds like we are most definitely on a similar path here. I really resonate with this:

I knew that I was not challenged by the "typical" path of a professional in my field and I didn't feel like my field had been holding up its end of its societal bargin.

and of course this:

This involves risk with losing social, credential and financial support of governing bodies or my cohort but my personal belief is that progress should be made for that sake of progress and life is the short amount of time you get that nearly impossible chance to contribute.

I feel you fully there. Thus far, it's been quite a challenge for me, but I never regret it and with all the good that has come from it, I would do it again if I had to!

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing @thedreamsteem. I appreciate you!

I love that you quit med school six months before you would have been done!!

haha yup that definitely happened :P hardest and best decision everrr :)

I can't imagine how many people told you you were absolutely insane. It takes a lot of conviction to follow your heart and gut anyway!

You're making me want to learn to skateboard.

This is all extremely well-written and very true. I love the entry video; that's an excellent touch.

I'm also a huge fan of finding wisdom and learning lessons everywhere. Every relationship, situation and activity can be teachers.

I live deep in the mountains. No paved roads here, or else I would be skating :) Sounds like a great way to remind yourself to live life to the fullest. :)

Very nice post! One of the nicest I've seen in awhile. Great job!

Wow man I really appreciate the kind response here! Awesome to hear you live out in the mountains. If I were out there I'd be climbing em! But yes, skateboarding is one of the many ways to feel alive!

Glad we connected on here man. I really appreciate your vibe.

Awesome post relating skateboarding to life. I use to skateboard growing up. Fantastic times! :)

Skate bros! haha that's awesome man. Appreciate you @bitdollar!

What an amazing post.

You are one cool and wise dude.

Dude!

:)

xox

Why thank you @idacey-laforge. I always appreciate you're pleasant and wise words around here :)

Love the prospectives and great photos! It's true the way you do one thing in life is the way you do everything. Anything can be a life lesson if you really listen.

felicidades, admiro a las personas que dominan ese madero, no me parece nada fácil

Wow!! @axios these are extremely true, it's almost like you knew I grew up on a skateboard! :p Great article!

Thank you for pointing me to your post. It is filled with the wisdom of immersion - our current school of learning.

Each of your points has value. Basic truth: The flow that is the ALL and is life, cannot be experienced from the bank of the river, but by jumping in! total immersion in the moment.

Upvoted and re-steemed. From one cosmic learner to another.

This is a super lovely post honestly! I have not yet conquored the speed woobles, but I have said fuck it for looking cool! The only way to really do something well is to let loose and be one with what your doing, and not let fear of others or fear of injury stop you! It goes for dancing or skating I guess.

Personally I longboard around town, I love going fast and feeling the air in my hair, and its a pretty cheap and effective mode of transportation!

Loved it axios. This is wisdom. Acquired through experience and shared well to ignite the heart/minds of the readers. Kudos for your work.

Great post! Awesome pics!!

Nicely written. Your analogies remind me of a book you might like called "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". There are some parallels there for sure!
https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Maintenance-text-only-Pirsig/dp/B004RCC5AA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1515647103&sr=8-2&keywords=zen+and+the+art+of+motorcycle+maintenance
Resteemed :)

I like your introduction video to this post. Isn't it so much fun to be an adult and play outside? It was an amazing post. Very inspiring! Check out @ecotrain, it is a writing group I am part of, with people who write about what ever improves life. We support each other and take new people in every now and then.


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The wobble and the formula for falling.

I was skateboarding for quite a long time before I stopped. Its truly an amazing thing and I still miss it sometimes. Bought me a new one 2 years ago and nearly broke my thumb so I stick to surfing now!

great post!!

Awesome post

You amazed me on how you connect skateboarding and life. Worth reading. I learned something especially about falling in life. I'll be following you. God bless!

This is one seriously under valued post. wish people on steemit would vote such posts rather than just follow the whales only

  ·  7 years ago 

I've been trying to learn skateboarding while I was younger. Apparently, I'm not having talent on it (quit after 3 months of learning lol)

Bro awesome post!!
'Life is all about motion, and I believe that motion begins by moving with your heart.'

This is so true man, we're totally on the same page! And my brother @themixedhippie and I skate too! It has allowed us the ability to grow as individuals and push ourselves, even as we get older and get hurt more often ;)

Oodles and oodles of wisdom here! Happy to read you started with bringing Zen master Alan Watts to mind, who always said, sit or stand but above all don't wobble! I have always felt skaters have a special lesson to learn that karmically connects them: man can't fly, but he must not wallow either. We don't need to (yes, there's always the aeroplane...). From a light-darkness perspective, you don't want to let Lucifer rule (prideful delusion) - nor Ahriman (with set ways and re-production v originality). You want to represent the middle way, with ideals instead of wings and good deeds instead of dead ends (too much goal setting). But that's where fear does come into save the day for us: it's not a delusion, but something to face and even embrace and watch melt away. Or like you do, to ride on it and respect it as a bail-out card from time to time to. The trick is not to get paralysed by it!
Enjoyed the ride with you!

Sorry to be late to comment on this. I don't get the chance to come online often.
I really like this article and the life lessons you have learned and are teaching others here. Thank you for this wonderful article I give you 10/10 on this.

I appreciate you taking the time to stop by @ladyreijya! And thank you for the very kind rating :)

Dude, you totally earned that rating.

I wanted to skateboard once.. but It never manifested as I wasn't serious enough to give it a go...but reading your experience I feel what you just explained about the wobbling of life....!! Yes it is all about establishing that deep connection and alertness within yourself and that just instantly makes you stable....... It like how the calf learn to walk for the first time and 5 mins later you see how happily she is running around..!!! you are there brother..!! Observing the moment is the key to unlock all potentials of life..... love your writing..its very inspiring .

Sick post dude, Thanks!