Why I Made a Career Change
- On an early morning in January of 2020, one of my closest friends took me to Haleiwa Ali’I Beach Park. Today would be the start of my surfing obsession. When I first paddled out, my board felt awkward and unstable. After much effort and brute force, we made it to the lineup (and I could catch my breath). I was not quick to learn.
- At the end of an hour of flailing, near drowning and tumbling, I finally was in position to catch a set wave. The green curl approached me, I kept my body as stable as possible and paddled for dear life. Soon, the energy of the wave propelled my board forward, instinct kicked in, and I popped up. Sliding one time across a waist high wave was all I needed, I was hooked.
- In the army, I always found myself looking forward to the next thing. I would get caught in the trap of, “if I achieve this rank, if I complete this school, if I get assigned to this job, everything will finally click.” Surfing is the antithesis to this trap. I don’t surf because I am trying to achieve a specific thing, I surf for the pure love of the process. The feeling I get when I’m driving down the face of a left hand wave makes me forget everything. For a snapshot of time, my mind is settled in one specific place.
- I’m not wishing to be in my past or my future, I am content with the present. Surfing made me rethink a career in the Army. Purpose, belonging, and drive, all of these things can be found in the water and with the right team. I know that somewhere there is a job or team that will give me these exact feelings. Surfing made me want to search for that career and remain in the present moment.
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