sur f& trend watching

sur fseems easy from the sand

It is by no means easy. Anyone who tried it knows how hard it gets after failing a couple of times...

...in less than 10 minutes.

Why does that happen?Why can’t one with much more schooling than the average surfer be incapable of

self-balancing on a board?

maybe it’s a matter of approach it grabbed my attention some years ago and led me to examine their behavior. Let me share this story with you.

As surfers reach the shore,their boards are laid aside,no matter how eager they are to join the waves. They just stop and wait, staring at the sea.

1.

that’s no side effect of

they are justganjatrying to catch the big picture:wave size, its strength, format, wind conditions... those things.

surfesefilled of jargon related to relevant info on what isn’t visible: tips, challenges, support. Like all professional conversations,it sounds very boring to the outsider.

is shop talk.

walksearching for a place where the waves

look good and it’s easier to swim past them. The sea isn’t the same everywhere.

After a little chat,they start to

2.

wait and wait. Sometimes even refuse good waves that come their way.

When they get there they sit and

sitting there they are

watchingthe waves from a privileged position. There are nocoincidences. They have to be in the right place at the right time.

and the sea almost

never lets them down.

It may seem like happening by

chancebut it hadn’t. It can’t. Not that many times.

jump out of them before they are over. Why that waste?

Even when riding a perfect wave, most surfers

restartSurtfing until they hit the sand means a long, worthless way back.

By not riding until its very end, they areat a better place to

Have you realized surfers are

never alone?No matter how great it is to ride solo, they always wait in groups. It’s safer this way.

3.

(now we’ve got to that time when it gets pointless to remind you how

you’ve tried to approach the waves. I’ll skip this part if you don’t mind :)

4.

flow with the sea. They wouldn’t dare trying to control them. It’s very Zen.

surfers5.

flow happens with rock climbing, paragliding, diving, sailing...

the same

...and trend

spotting

The ebb and flow of trends that

emerge from the social mesh is as unpredictable as the ocean.

sciences might help, maybe not. It may obscure perception due to excess knowledge. Surfers aren’t meteorologists.

knowing much of social

Like the sea, it’s useless trying to

controlor to predict trends. It’s also stubborn to believe they are there to be followed until their very end.

that’s the source of their

beauty Imagine how boring it would be to surf predictable, risk-free waves.

feelthe right waves coming and achieve the best out of them.

By simply observingthe environment,a good surfer can

It may not get you anywhere. Most waves don’t. Tourism also doesn’t get you anywhere, for you always end going back home.

awareness reflexes

visionwhich is priceless and addictive.

But it is undeniable thatthese activities increase your

Trend watching,like surfing, is good for your mental health, even if your professional activity doesn’t demand it (oops, all demand)

How coolis that?

By spotting trends regularly you may end up with a privileged, innovative, ageless point of view.

alohaif only I knew what that meant.

thanks for watching.Now it’s time to restart.

I would say