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I vividly remember stalling.

Carefully consider the question and possible life situations that could affect my answer.

Just over an hour into our podcast conversation, we had started a deep dive into Thinking In Waves. I am feeling a sense of shared curiosity and discovery.

Then the host asks me,

“Are Waves predictable?"

It's not like I had not thought about this before. I even wrote about it here a few months ago.

My thoughts are shuffling through different events that appear in life...

Through the range of Waves we don't expect.

After the pause, I respond,

“Yes and No."

-- -- -- --

In the conversation, here's how I was thinking about "Yes and No."

On the side of Yes, the Wave we are riding right now conveys information about the next Wave.

Leaning into our intuition, awareness, and curiosity of the current Wave expands our ability to adapt to what comes next.

In life, this prompts us to better Follow The Flow of the day, sustain momentum, and expand joy.

But, on the side of No, while acknowledging that every Wave has unique qualities to itself, I was clearly thinking about the unexpected Wave that merely pushes us a little off course.

In life, these show up as interruptions, running a few minutes late, rescheduled meetings, or a minor disagreement with a colleague.

Perhaps it was general optimism or the feeling of the moment in the conversation, but I avoided a truth about life - the unexpected Wave that reaches us with a powerful, disruptive, and chaotic force.

This kind of unexpected Wave:

Presses Pause

Changes the plan

Unsettles Life and

Brings Focus to what Truly Matters Most.

This unexpected Wave pushes us more than a little off course.

It resets the course...

And declares,

"A new and unplanned surf session begins now."

-- -- -- --

After the course-altering unexpected Wave reaches us,

And beyond a moment of pause and intake of our surroundings,

What remains is a unique and personal choice of response.

This is where leaning into the Yes of Wave predictability and the art and science of Thinking In Waves

As a daily practice

Shape the unique and personal response.

How we Follow The Flow on small unexpected Waves

Guides us how to Follow The Flow

When a big unexpected Wave arrives

And the new and unplanned surf session begins.

With gratitude, Joe

PS - The podcast from which today's essay originated was a wonderful conversation and one I'll be sharing for a long time to come. To watch, listen, and see the resource page that accompanies the conversation, simply go --> HERE.

Joe Jacobi

Olympic Gold Medalist, Performance Coach & Author

Follow Your Flow, Achieve Impacting Wins, & Ride Spectacular Life Waves

Ready to position the art of surfing waves as a process for deep reflection and meaningful life transitions?

Subscribe to Thinking In Waves, my short weekly essay about the lessons and experiences that I learn surfing offshore waves on a surfski kayak transferred to an innovative model for clear thinking and better choices <— Short, fun, and memorable - new riders are always welcome!

Subscribe to Thinking In Waves

For many years, I was certain that

Finding my purpose

Was critical to success.

Without a clear answer to

“What is my Why?”

Wouldn’t I be leaving out a huge force of power

From the performance equation?

When it comes to finding purpose,

I have read the books, watched the TED Talks, listened to podcasts,

And

Deeply reflected upon this journey of searching.

Is it just a search for purpose? Or maybe a desire to make the search less complex?

Recently, my thoughts about purpose shifted directions...

As surfing Waves

Shaped a new outlook.

When I started to paddle the surfski a few years ago,

I was in a constant state of searching.

Searching for

More efficient paddle strokes

Follow Your Flow, Achieve Impacting Wins, & Ride Spectacular Life Waves

Ready to position the art of surfing waves as a process for deep reflection and meaningful life transitions?

Subscribe to Thinking In Waves

The title of the podcast overwhelmed me a bit when I first saw it… But when you watch it, the conversation feels more like “The Re-Thinking Of An Olympic Champion.”

As someone who has appeared as a guest on many podcasts, I believe this exchange on Everything They Don't Tell You with Josh Zolin will help a lot of people.

If you are:

A leader with a clear vision but stretched at the limits of transition
An athlete curious to dive deeper into the key moments just before, during, and after Olympic success
An investor or Founder struggling to find that next gear...

This is the conversation will challenge you rethink High Performance... in way that doesn't suck.

Listen on Apple Podcast --> HERE or Watch below. Enjoy!

Two last points, After this conversation:

If you want to explore a coaching collaboration, let's schedule a discovery call --> HERE.
There is a resource page dedicated for this podcast, which you can view --> HERE.

Joe Jacobi

Olympic Gold Medalist, Performance Coach & Author

Follow Your Flow, Achieve Impacting Wins, & Ride Spectacular Life Waves

Ready to position the art of surfing waves as a process for deep reflection and meaningful life transitions?

Subscribe to Thinking In Waves

Welcome to my website, Everything They Don't Tell You collaborators! I have the wonderful opportunity to appear as a guest on many podcasts. But this conversation with Josh was one of my favorites... AND, I believe this conversation can help business owners and entrepreneurs like you. So as a follow-up to the conversation, I created a resource page designed for the challenges and opportunities unique to this community.

As we get started here, if there is a part of conversation you wish to continue, ask a question, or explore opportunities to collaborate, let's make that happen via a call - please schedule a time HERE.

As mentioned during the podcast, I created this space for us to continue our journey together, share resources, answer questions, and stay in touch. With that, let's jump in...

A Few Favorite Podcasts Conversations About High Performance

Navigating The River Of Life (The Kintsugi Podcast) - Listen on Apple Podcasts; Watch on YouTube

How To Win Gold By Aiming For The Rocks (The Unlock Moment Podcast) - Listen on Apple Podcasts

Navigating Transitions (The Soloist Life Podcast) - Listen and Read Shownotes at the Host's Website

A Few Favorite Books About Life Perspective & Transitions

Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

Strength To Strength by Arthur Brooks

The Middle Passage by James Hollis

Awareness by Anthony De Mello

A Few Favorite Books About High Performance

The Power Of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr

Range by David Epstein

Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy

Of course😀, Slalom: 6 River Classes About How To Confront Obstacles, Advance Amid Uncertainty, & Bring Focus To What Matters Most by Joe Jacobi

My Journaling Framework

This journaling practice is the longest standing reflective exercise in my life. This practice began as my Training Log following my very first practice session with the athletes and coaches of the United States Canoe/Kayak national team when I was 12 years-old... And more than 40 years later, the structure of that Training Log is now my journaling framework and remains a fundamental part of my growth and evolution. See the full framework and instructions about how to get started --> HERE.

Reflective Questions I'm Asking Myself These Days (shared in the podcast)

About testing current beliefs: Could the opposite be true?

About Process Orientation: How could I enjoy this a little more?

About Value Orientation: Is the world asking this of me? Or is my life asking this of me?

Connect With Me..

The easiest way to connect and benefit from my approach to my own redefined version High Performance is throughThinking In Waves. my short weekly essays that transfer lessons learned and strategies from surfing these offshore waves to an innovative model for clear and creative thinking. Readers love it and now is a great time to join us. Easy to subscribe --> HERE.

For a visual look into these essays and what the acquisition of Free Energy looks like in real time, check out the video below that I made while surfing waves this past summer in Llançà on the Costa Brava.

About my coaching collaborations and working through transitions, I believe in the leverage of the opportunities and adventures we can create together here in Catalunya's incredible nature.

From rivers and trails in the mountains (including the 1992 Olympic canoeing venue where I live in La Seu d'Urgell) to the waves and coves in the sea on the Costa Brava, we could not ask for a more ideal setting to reset your next chapter of Midlife Peak Performance and practice the accompanying skills, mindsets, and actions through experiential learning in the outdoors.

Whether in a 1-1 format, a group you create, or one my adventure coaching retreats, we can design a collaboration in which you will disconnect from your current routine, immerse in a new and different environment, and transform your approach to performance with connection, kindness, and impact. Easy to explore fit and alignment --> HERE.

Finally, my website here is a great place to find more of my essays and conversations as well as all of my social links. (Most active on LinkedIn.)

And please email me any time at Joe@JoeJacobi.com

Also, I shared a fun video reel from a recent downwind adventure that shows a wider perspective of this amazing activity. Watch on Instagram --> HERE

Thank you and look forward to connecting in the mountains or at the sea!

Joe Jacobi

Olympic Gold Medalist, Performance Coach & Author

Follow Your Flow, Achieve Impacting Wins, & Ride Spectacular Life Waves

Ready to position the art of surfing waves as a process for deep reflection and meaningful life transitions?

Subscribe to Thinking In Waves

Welcome to my website, Selling From The Heart collaborators! Thank you so much for watching/listening to our conversation about Midlife transitions, the idea behind Midlife Peak Performance, and what it means to Redefine Peak Performance at this stage of life.

As mentioned during the podcast, I created this space for us to continue our journey together, share resources, and stay in touch. With that, let's jump in...

A Few Favorite Podcasts Conversations About High Performance

Navigating The River Of Life (The Kintsugi Podcast) - Listen on Apple Podcasts; Watch on YouTube

How To Win Gold By Aiming For The Rocks (The Unlock Moment Podcast) - Listen on Apple Podcasts

Navigating Transitions (The Soloist Life Podcast) - Listen and Read Shownotes at the Host's Website

A Few Favorite Books About Midlife (Including all the books we discussed on the podcast)

Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

Strength To Strength by Arthur Brooks

The Middle Passage by James Hollis

The Second Mountain by David Brooks

A Few Favorite Books About High Performance

The Power Of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr

Range by David Epstein

Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy (Larry Levine's recommendation)

Of course😀, Slalom: 6 River Classes About How To Confront Obstacles, Advance Amid Uncertainty, & Bring Focus To What Matters Most by Joe Jacobi

My Journaling Framework

Reflective Questions I'm Asking Myself These Days

About testing current beliefs: Could the opposite be true?

About Process Orientation: How could I enjoy this a little more?

About Value Orientation: Is the world asking this of me? Or is my life asking this of me?

Connecting With Me..

About my coaching collaborations and working with Midlife transitions, I believe in the leverage of the opportunities and adventures we can create together here in Catalunya's incredible nature.

Finally, my website here is a great place to find more of my essays and conversations as well as all of my social links. (Most active on LinkedIn.)

And please email me any time at Joe@JoeJacobi.com

Also, I shared a fun video reel from a recent downwind adventure that shows a wider perspective of this amazing activity. Watch on Instagram --> HERE

Thank you and look forward to connecting in the mountains or at the sea!

Joe Jacobi

Olympic Gold Medalist, Performance Coach & Author

Follow Your Flow, Achieve Impacting Wins, & Ride Spectacular Life Waves

Ready to position the art of surfing waves as a process for deep reflection and meaningful life transitions?

Subscribe to Thinking In Waves

As mentioned during the podcast, I created this space for us to continue our journey together, share resources, and stay in touch. With that, let's jump in...

A Few Favorite Podcasts Conversations About High Performance

Navigating The River Of Life (The Kintsugi Podcast) - Listen on Apple Podcasts; Watch on YouTube

How To Win Gold By Aiming For The Rocks (The Unlock Moment Podcast) - Listen on Apple Podcasts

Navigating Transitions (The Soloist Life Podcast) - Listen and Read Shownotes at the Host's Website

A Few Favorite Books About Midlife (Including all the books we discussed on the podcast)

Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

Strength To Strength by Arthur Brooks

The Middle Passage by James Hollis

The Second Mountain by David Brooks

A Few Favorite Books About High Performance

The Power Of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr

Range by David Epstein

Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

Inner Excellence by Jim Murphy (Larry Levine's recommendation)

Of course😀, Slalom: 6 River Classes About How To Confront Obstacles, Advance Amid Uncertainty, & Bring Focus To What Matters Most by Joe Jacobi

My Journaling Framework

Reflective Questions I'm Asking Myself These Days

About testing current beliefs: Could the opposite be true?

About Process Orientation: How could I enjoy this a little more?

About Value Orientation: Is the world asking this of me? Or is my life asking this of me?

Connecting With Me..

About my coaching collaborations and working with Midlife transitions, I believe in the leverage of the opportunities and adventures we can create together here in Catalunya's incredible nature.

Finally, my website here is a great place to find more of my essays and conversations as well as all of my social links. (Most active on LinkedIn.)

And please email me any time at Joe@JoeJacobi.com

Also, I shared a fun video reel from a recent downwind adventure that shows a wider perspective of this amazing activity. Watch on Instagram --> HERE

Thank you and look forward to connecting in the mountains or at the sea!

Joe Jacobi

Olympic Gold Medalist, Performance Coach & Author

Unlock Your Why, Achieve Impacting Wins, & Ride Spectacular Life Waves

Ready to position the art of surfing waves as a process for deep reflection and meaningful life transitions?

Subscribe to Thinking In Waves

It's not uncommon for a new paddler on a surfski to be unsure about how successful they are at catching a wave.

While there are a few ways to gain this understanding, my favorite is not a technique - it’s a sound from the surfski.

To imagine this sound, think of the last bit of water in a bathtub going into the drain - that low to high pitch sound that the water makes during the final few seconds.

Similarly, as you catch a Wave on the surfski and acquire Free Energy, the increase in speed quickly drains any remaining water from the boat, which makes a distinctive sound like this:

Sluuuurrrrpppp!

This is one of the most beautiful sounds to hear when at sea.

— — — —

“I look at the photos and of course the landscape is beautiful,” he explains.

“But they just don’t capture the aliveness I was feeling in the moment.”

That second line stops me… and moves me.

"The aliveness I was feeling in the moment."

If this feeling has a sound, it sounds like this:

Sluuuurrrrpppp!

— — — —

More than 10 years into this style of writing, I often wonder about its impact on readers. On you. Your pursuits. Your resistance. Your growth.

The quote above was from Randy, a Thinking In Waves reader from Day 1, longtime advocate for my writing, fellow adventurer, and friend. He shared these words during our conversation last week - a conversation about gratitude, goals, and generosity that started in 2017 and continues today.

What exactly did Randy's photos miss?

All of the:

Planning

Preparation

Incremental progress

Patience

Small details and

Connection

That framed his three-week, 600-mile bicyle journey around southern Spain

Completed recently

Solo

At 67 years old.

Like the beautiful photos, to focus on the finish line would miss something.

The aliveness that brings an intense feeling to the moment,

Which opens the path to the better version of yourself that you are becoming,

Clearly signaling that you are surfing your own spectacular Life Wave -

Sluuuurrrrpppp!

— — — —

From a small step towards a new project

Or a grand adventure,

Notice what

Moves

Excites

Challenges

Changes and

Awakens

The Wave of Aliveness.

Don't search for it..

Simply follow it.

And listen for

Sluuuurrrrpppp!

With gratitude, Joe

PS - A fun connecting point between Randy's route and these essays is that Randy cycled through town of Tarifa, our favorite place in the world to surf waves and the home of our surfski coach, Boyan, whose philosophy about surfing is the foundation of Thinking In Waves. While in Tarifa, Randy ventured out to the point where the Atlantic and Mediterranean come together, a beautiful spot from which to watch some amazing kitesurfers.

I am grateful to all of you who apply even the smallest pieces of Thinking In Waves to your pursuits growth, connection, and aliveness. In that spirit, I'm sharing a favorite photo from Randy's album here:

Joe Jacobi

Olympic Gold Medalist, Performance Coach & Author

Follow Your Flow, Achieve Impacting Wins, & Ride Spectacular Life Waves

Ready to position the art of surfing waves as a process for deep reflection and meaningful life transitions?

Subscribe to Thinking In Waves

What a pleasure to spend the evening with you, EO Barcelona! I moltes gràcies, Alessio, for the kind invitation.

As mentioned during the program, I created this space for us to continue the journey of Redefining High Performance, share resources, and stay in touch. With that, let's jump in...

A Few Favorite Podcasts Conversations About High Performance

Navigating The River Of Life (The Kintsugi Podcast) - Listen on Apple Podcasts; Watch on YouTube

How To Win Gold By Aiming For The Rocks (The Unlock Moment Podcast) - Listen on Apple Podcasts

Navigating Transitions (The Soloist Life Podcast) - Listen and Read Shownotes at the Host's Website

A Few Favorite Books About High Performance

The Power Of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr

Range by David Epstein

Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

Think Again by Adam Grant

Quit by Annie Duke

Of course😀, Slalom: 6 River Classes About How To Confront Obstacles, Advance Amid Uncertainty, & Bring Focus To What Matters Most by Joe Jacobi

My Journaling Framework

Reflective Questions I'm Asking Myself These Days

About testing current beliefs: Could the opposite be true?

About Process Orientation: How could I enjoy this a little more?

About Value Orientation: Is the world asking this of me? Or is my life asking this of me?

Connecting With Me..

About my coaching collaborations, after spending the evening with me in Barcelona, you have a strong sense about how I feel about the opportunities and adventures we can create together here in Catalunya's incredible nature.

From rivers and trails in the mountains (including the 1992 Olympic canoeing venue where I live in La Seu d'Urgell) to the waves and coves in the sea on the Costa Brava, we could not ask for a more ideal setting to reset your next chapter of High Performance and practice the accompanying skills, mindsets, and actions through experiential learning in the outdoors.

As you are already living here, we can get creative in designing a collaboration for you or a team in which you lead and/or contribute. Easy to explore fit and alignment --> HERE.

Finally, my website here is a great place to find more of my essays and conversations as well as all of my social links. (Most active on LinkedIn.)

And please email me any time at Joe@JoeJacobi.com

Also, I shared a fun video reel from a recent downwind adventure that shows a wider perspective of this amazing activity. Watch on Instagram --> HERE

Thank you and look forward to connecting in the mountains or at the sea!

Joe Jacobi

Olympic Gold Medalist, Performance Coach & Author

Unlock Your Why, Achieve Impacting Wins, & Ride Spectacular Life Waves

Ready to position the art of surfing waves as a process for deep reflection and meaningful life transitions?

Subscribe to Thinking In Waves

Six and half years ago this week, I was in good physical shape.

In the previous 14 months, I had run three marathons, all comfortably under 3 1/2 hours. This included the Boston Marathon, which I had just completed six weeks earlier.

So when I lined up at the start of the Arruix Santa Fe in 2019, one of the spectacular mountain trail running races in the region of Catalunya where I live, my confidence was high.

The course covered 2 1/2 miles in distance and climbed 2,200 feet in elevation.

At the finish line, I felt even better -

Upon passing through the tiny one-room church made of stone atop the mountain where the race ends,

39 minutes and 1 second had elapsed since departing the village of Organyà at the bottom of the valley from where we started.

Unbeknownst to me, the week of this race would commence a new period of running that would have a profound impact on my life -

No technology on my runs.

No technology means:

No Phone

No Watch

No Heart Rate Monitor

No Smart Clothes and

No AirPods, podcasts nor music.

No technology during that week was fun.

And then,

It became interesting.

Tech-free running came to mean:

Attention to Nature and

Attention to my thoughts.

Three years later, I arrived

On the same start to run the same course

And still doing every single run session

Free of all technology.

My participation in the 2022 Arruix Santa Fe led to 3 Years & 6 Seconds, a favorite essay that I wrote

Exploring the freedom, agility, and simplicity one achieves

When conceding some performance gain -

6 seconds slower over 3 years in my case -

In exchange for

Letting Go of

The intense craving for and compounding weight of

Measuring and consuming data and metrics.

This feels like

An irresistible deal

Except…

I was wrong.

Specifically, about the concession of performance.

This past weekend,

3 years since my last Arruix Santa Fe

6 years since starting this experiment of running free of technology

Marathon training many years behind me and

Fully feeling all of my 55 years,

I started Arruix Santa Fe

And arrived at its beautiful finish line,

5 seconds

Faster

Than my previous best time in 2019.

Technology leads us to believe that

Improving Performance

Does not work like this.

And I do not believe that this trend can continue...

Nor I do care if it does.

But my unique experience

Shapes three post-race take-aways worthy of reflection:

1) Free Energy By Subtraction: Free Energy exists not only on the Wave but in the removal of resistance that restricts access to the Wave including systems, frameworks, and beliefs that were previously wired into us but no longer serve us.

2) Better Basic Speed Expands Opportunity: All of us have our own unique All Day/Every Day speed. The effort to improve this capacity is SO worth it AND requires NO TECHNOLOGY. Even just a little more Basic Speed brings new Waves into our world that we did not even know existed.

3) Connection > Technology: I will never say that technology does not have a place in sport, business, or life. But letting go of the insanely gripping control that we allow technology to have over our lives opens space for something much more powerful --> Connection. Yes, Connection to others and Connection to Nature but above all, Connection to ourselves.

If it were up to technology,

Every improvement in life

Would associate with an element of measurement against, comparison to, or validation by someone or something else.

What technology can not see is

Our own unique Wave. And the Free Energy it yields.

But, technology is getting undeniably better

At distracting, obstructing, and redirecting

Our attention

Away from this Wave.

The best acquisition of

Free Energy

Happens when

Attention is recovered

As a result of

Dropping the resistance.

5 Seconds worth...

Over 6 Years...

An irresistible deal.

With gratitude, Joe

PS - The people, the course, and the spirit... there is no other mountain trail running race that matches the ambiance of Arruix Santa Fe. For a closer look...

Watch the start to this year's 2025 race in the Catalan village of Organyà and after 2,200 feet of climbing, my finish line experience on this Instagram Reel --> HERE

Read 3 Years & 6 Seconds, the essay that preceded and built upon this one --> HERE

Joe Jacobi

Olympic Gold Medalist, Performance Coach & Author

Unlock Your Why, Achieve Impacting Wins, & Ride Spectacular Life Waves

Ready to position the art of surfing waves as a process for deep reflection and meaningful life transitions?

Subscribe to Thinking In Waves

What is the next right move?

Next year? Next month? Next week? Today?

As nobody wants to get this wrong,

The question has the power to:

Raise doubt

Increase resistance and

Push back

Because

When we consider this question

While rushing through life and

Striving on autopilot,

A gap is created between

Where we are

And

Where we think we should be.

And to our detriment,

Overreaching for "Should"

Does not reveal

A great next right move.

Adding more weight and drag to

Our efforts to reduce this gap...

The noise-makers

Run their playbook to

Strategically induce

Anything

Into this gap

That expands discomfort, fear, and uncertainty…

Which leaves us with

Less vision

More grip and

Pushing even harder.

The result?

Something between

An obstructed view

And the disappearance of

The Wave

That exists around us.

Before giving in

To the pressure of

Getting the next thing right,

What if we pause and

See the Wave

That is already here.

Even if this Wave appears to be nothingness,

Its Free Energy

Overlooked

Underutilized and

Incapable of

Guilting us

Into doing more

Not doing enough.

This pause is an opportunity to

Explore

Experiment and

Enjoy

The Wave that is here now

Which naturally sets up

The Next Right Move

With gratitude, Joe

Joe Jacobi

Olympic Gold Medalist, Performance Coach & Author

Unlock Your Why, Achieve Impacting Wins, & Ride Spectacular Life Waves

Ready to position the art of surfing waves as a process for deep reflection and meaningful life transitions?

Subscribe to Thinking In Waves