Just Along for the Ride

I have written about the parallels between surfing and investing in start-ups before (see Surf’s Up!… ironically, written just about a year ago to the day), but have found myself thinking about the similarities yet again recently and thought I’d share my thoughts on the matter with all of you once again.

Whether you are a VC or surfer in SoCal, see if this feels familiar to you:

You get up at the crack of dawn;

travel to where you are thinking (praying) the waves will be;

the water is so cold you can’t feel your feet or face;

you almost drown paddling out;

your arms/chest/back/shoulders ache from the effort;

you finally get to the lineup only to find the waters more and more crowded; and

you have periodic thoughts about getting eaten by a shark or catching a staph infection in our polluted waters…

and then you catch your first wave and all of the above just goes out your mental door and you’re in the moment enjoying the ride.  Life is short.  Enjoy the ride.