(<2 minute read time)
I am a complete novice at kayaking.
Yet, somehow this never occurred to me as a problem when I climbed into a single person kayak and departed on a 5 1/2 mile tour down the Weeki Wachee.
No instructions other than “Have fun!” were given to me as they shoved me and my rented kayak into the gorgeous, crystal clear spring.
I was a little nervous at first. Unsure of how to steer and grateful for the current that led me downstream.
But that current I was initially so grateful for soon became a problem.
The Weeki Wachee, if you’ve never been on it, is mostly shallow but also has some deep spots. Mostly calm, but also has some surprisingly strong currents. Mostly beautiful and enjoyable, but scary as heck when a fellow boater or tree is coming at you in the opposite direction and the current is taking you right towards catastrophe!
This scenario of being led by the current into the pathway of oncoming traffic and/or trees happened several times throughout the tour.
After a couple of these incidents, I started to pay closer attention.
What I noticed was no surprise…
When I was feeling tense and fearful about navigating the traffic, I did MUCH worse. (As evidenced by the branches, leaves, and sticks that piled up on the back of my kayak from my failures).
When I was feeling calm and capable the currents were no match for my confidence. I smoothly negotiated the current, trees, and traffic as if I’d done it a million times before.
Here’s the thing, I had no right, no evidence from my past to help me feel capable, calm, confident. Remember, I am a novice kayaker at best. Yet, I was still able to create those feelings. I was still able to be successful.
We need not have experience to be successful. We just need to believe we can be successful. Need a hand? I can definitely help. Click here to chat!
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