World of Valeur
What Surfing Taught Me
Fear, timing, trust, and everything in between ;)
Priya Patel
March 24, 2026
I never thought I would write about surfing.
My love for it came the way the best things do, unexpectedly, when I wasn’t looking.
I’ve always loved the ocean, but loving something and being near it are not the same thing.
Years ago, in Brazil, I was swimming alone, pretending to be a mermaid, when I felt the current pulling. I swam harder. And harder. And realized I wasn’t moving at all.
Panic came slowly. Then all at once.
Luckily, someone noticed. A lifeguard came.
That was the first time I felt unsafe in the ocean. After that, something shifted. I still loved the ocean, but it wasn’t unconditional anymore. I lost my naivety the way lovers do, the first time they fall in love.
I saw something new. My love for the ocean didn’t make it safe. The ocean is beautiful, but it has rough edges. It is generous, but it does not negotiate.
A few years later, this September, I was in Florida for a friend’s wedding.
Early morning. I had just finished lifting.
My best friend and I went for a swim. The current picked up again. I felt the fatigue first. Then the distance. We were drifting. About a hundred feet from shore. No one visible. This time, before panic could take over, I told myself to stay calm. I swam parallel to shore. Underwater. Different strokes. No movement.
“I’m scared,” I told her.
“Me too,” she said. “But it’s going to be okay. Let’s keep trying.”
We tried for five more minutes. I knew then I had maybe ten minutes of energy left before my body would give out. And then it hit me. It was my mom’s birthday. I could leave this planet any day.
Just not today.
I started screaming. “Help!”
Waving.
Hoping someone would see us before my muscles gave out.
We were saved. Again.
That day reminded me of something I didn’t fully understand before.
The ocean, just like me, is lovable. Just not to be messed with.
So no, surfing was not a side quest I had planned for 2026. And yet, somehow, I found myself in a surf town off the coast of Costa Rica. And in the middle of fear, I did something.
I said yes.
I signed up for a lesson.
Why? Curiosity.
I was surrounded by people who loved to surf, who respected the ocean, who read her moods instead of fighting them, and I couldn’t sit still on the shore pretending I wasn’t just a little bit intrigued.
Surfing is humbling in a way that strips you clean. You are not in control. You are in a relationship. You have to listen to the wind, to the water, to timing.
One second too early and you miss the wave. One second too late and you are thrown.
Everything in life is about timing.
I have always believed that. Surfing made me feel it.
It required everything I had been building. Endurance. Strength. Resilience to failure. Trust in myself. And strangely, I didn’t mind being humbled by the ocean for two hours every day.
Surfing made me sit in the space between fear and desire. Every wave asked.
Are you going, or are you staying?
There is no guarantee. Just timing. And your willingness to trust yourself inside it. Somewhere between fear and curiosity, I fell in love. And somewhere between falling off waves and paddling back out, I came back to myself.
Love,
Pri
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
Transforming Yourself Within The Tidal Waves of Life
Tanaka Isheanesu Tava
August 11, 2026
NOTE: This is an internal note to self after spending time in Costa Rica, on a wonderful retreat hosted by World of Valeur. A six day meditation retreat that forced me to go within, face my fear of the ocean, and realize who I am capable of becoming.
Summer 2026 for me has been characterized of reflection, refinement and redirection in unconventional terms.
Life always has a funny way of leading you exactly where you are supposed to be, even when you resist it.
This trip was one that I did not plan on going. There was a lot of internal hesitation. Doubt, anxiety, and a healthy dose of skepticism filled my mind.
Not because of the practitioners or the location, rather it was about facing myself as a soul.
My favorite element is water, I have a deep reverence for it, especially when I’m in control. However, being in the ocean, trying a new activity with no experience was absolutely terrifying.
My favorite mindfulness techniques to re-center myself are contemplative prayer and meditation. However, being introduced to a new technique in the middle of the jungle thousands of miles away from the comfort of my home was absolutely terrifying.
No matter what anyone tells you, doing the work is arduous and exhausting. It requires a level of self-edification, pension for growth, and operating in life with a disgust of complacency.
Growth was never meant to be comfortable. Even in the midst of facing the greatest enemy, yourself, there is always beauty surrounding the chaos.
What a privilege it was to capture the beautiful landscape of Santa Teresa with an incredible group of creatives on the journey towards improving themselves.
To The Dreamers and all who read this,
I am not where I want to be in life.
Period.
It’s petrifying.
I’m not driving the car I want.
I’m not living in the house I want.
I’m not working full-time on the things I want.
I’m not making the amount of money I want.
I’m not wearing the clothes I want.
I’m not the person I want to be.
And for the first time in my life, as I look in the mirror, I’m not okay with it.
I realized, I have a choice and I am making the choice to get up and do something about it.
That is the greatest responsibility one has.
The power of choice.
Yes, gratitude is important. It is essential and one of the keys to living a life well-lived.
However, one has to realize, to live up to your potential, you have to stop settling for less than what you desire.
You have to grow into who you are capable of becoming.
That’s terrifying.
Because, I’ve used gratitude as a way to settle into a lower version saying to myself “I should be thankful for this opportunity.”
Rather than using gratitude as fuel to the fire to become who God has called me to be.
A leader.
An entrepreneur.
A creative director.
A visionary.
An artist.
I’m not sure about you, but I am tired of settling for mediocrity.
Settling for less than what I believe I am capable of becoming.
It looks like starting over to the outsiders, but I know it’s exactly what I need to do truly align with purpose.
It takes a lot of humility, self-analysis and self-reflection to come to this point.
It takes courage to look within and realize that being content DOES NOT EQUAL living 5% of your potential.
It’s a nasty feeling, but we all have the choice to overcome that and choose to be better today.
Until next time.
With Light, Peace, & Loving-kindness,
Author: Tanaka Tava
My Reflection
Arisha Ali
July 22, 2026
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