Olympic Gold Medalist | Performance Coach | Author I write about what it means to perform with full engagement in the second half of life.
Thinking In Waves: Coaching The Discomfort Zone
Coaching The Discomfort ZoneIt will not be long before I return to southern Spain and the waves of Tarifa To spend time with Coach Boyan. Boyan’s ideas and philosophy about surfing waves on a surfski kayak are an integral part of Thinking In Waves. With each training camp and surf session together, Not only do I improve my skills and disposition on the surfski but I am more aligned in and with my life. I also understand Boyan a little better... His framework, perspective, and delivery lead to more enjoyable experiences on the waves. It would not be incorrect to say that I enjoy a coach’s approval. In fact, all of my canoe coaches from four Olympic campaigns for which I prepared as an athlete Would agree that their positive acknowledgments meant a great deal to me. But the deeper reason I seek coaching with Boyan Is to be disrupted... Just before getting comfortable With the status quo, Which stimulates curiosity about: What I don’t yet know What I am not yet seeing What I am not yet capable of doing. This coaching collaboration Expands The Discomfort Zone, Places me inside of it, AND Reflects with me about a new way forward. All of which prompts the question - Is Coaching - Possibly connected to an obscure activity - Necessary to expand The Discomfort Zone? The answer is no as there are many alternatives. On my own Life Waves, I needed to experience those alternatives, Most of which contributed some positive momentum. But many left me wondering about What I was avoiding And Questioning how was I defining "Self Investment?" The collaboration with Boyan Returns me to the single most effective method That prioritizes "First Things First" - Embracing purpose, change, and growth At the boundaries of The Discomfort Zone. Coaching in Waves --> Thinking In Waves --> Meaning in Life Waves With gratitude, Joe PS - I LOVE being surprised when I see people share their lessons and transfers from Thinking In Waves. Recently, Bronwyn, a past client and organizer of an event at which I spoke, shared a LinkedIn post about her take-aways from my Thinking In Waves presentation. It's wonderful. Bronwyn creates her unique perspective in a way that works for her. You can read the post --> HERE. As always, new riders are always welcome to join us HERE. – Olympic Gold Medalist | Performance Coach | Transition Expert | Author Unlock Your Why, Achieve Impacting Wins, & Ride Better Life Waves |
Joe Jacobi
Olympic Gold Medalist | Performance Coach | Author I write about what it means to perform with full engagement in the second half of life.
How To Reclaim Our Energy In the past week, Three different times I have heard From three different acclaimed leaders Representing high level contributions to physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual states of human performance and well-being Emphasize and repeat The exact same phrase: Energy Follows Attention These super high level words are easy to Accept as obvious Push to the side Dismiss as non-critical Because Our plate is full: Work to do Problems to solve Meetings to attend...
Dropping Back In the process of surfing a wave, It can be so easy to Lock In, Dig deep, And convince ourselves That we either SURF THIS WAVE Or Everything will be lost. So we Grind Fight Persevere At any cost Because We are sure that This is THE WAVE. I love capturing the energy Of a great opportunity. But, doing so with a tight grip Rarely serves me well. The basis of Thinking In Waves Is built upon the Wave Surfing Progression That I learned and continue to develop under the guidance of...
How Effortless Can It Be? After focusing on elements of "preparation" for the past several weeks, Let's return to the surfing technique that yields our ultimate benefit - Free Energy - Which lives in Step Four of the Wave Surfing Progression: Surf the Wave. Here, I turn to my amazing coach, Boyan, for a visual reflection of Free Energy's accessibility - Four Minutes of surfing waves Without a single push of forward propulsion from his paddle - Not only is this an incredible accomplishment...