How to the use the Ocean to Create the Life you Dream of Living.
I recently listened to a Tim Ferris podcast with Sam Harris. If you haven’t tried meditating or have said it’s not for you, I hope you will listen to the podcast! It will change your mind…literally change your mind! It’s not just the studies that report people who meditate have a better immune system, better brain functionality and a greater sense of happiness, but that mediation allows you to live in the moment of your life and appreciate it in a deeper way. We can control the loop in our mind and change our wiring. Sam talks about looking at things as if it might be your last time to do it and how realizing this makes you see things in a different way, even the hard stuff. The last time you might study for an exam, or the last time your child might need you to help them into a high-chair, or the last summer of travel before your son graduates, or the last time you might go to a country you are visiting. The truth is, we do things everyday that might be the last time and we should try to enjoy it, all of it.
When I was in my thirties I went to the Virgin Islands with 5 friends. Ironically, it was the last time I have been to the Virgin Islands and it was the last time the combination of the five of us were all together traveling. See how this works! It’s about living in the moment and appreciating each experience. On that beautiful, sunny, 75 degree day in the Virgin Islands we got dropped off by a small motor boat to another larger boat that offered lunch and music. We all ate fish tacos and laughed at ridiculous fun facts and stories each of us told. We sang songs and as the sun set, the music played a little louder and we danced into the night. Around 10:00, we got word our motor boat ride was coming to pick us up. As he approached together, we all stood on the back of the boat in the middle of the ocean, held hands, counted to 5 and jumped into the dark beautiful sea with our laughter echoing through the night. My life looked very good at the time. I was married, I had a beautiful child, beautiful house, all the right things that went along with that. What I didn’t have was a sense that I was using my life and gifts in the best possible way. I felt a bit like I was living the life people tell you is the dream, except I had not created a dream that I felt was using my voice and gifts in the deepest way. I didn’t feel I was maximizing the time I had to make the most out of the time I had been given on this earth. I was 36, and wondered if I would wake up at 56 and my life would look a lot like it did at that moment. Or, if I would just be older and my son would be older and would not have seen me build something.
There is a poster that breaks down life in 90 years by the weeks you have lived and the weeks you have left. Tim Urban did a Ted talk and explained how each row on the calendar makes up a year and how many weeks it takes to turn a newborn into a 90 year old. Our lives are not made of an infinite number of days and weeks, even though we sometimes act like it is. But rather, our life is finite and countable by weeks. When you look at the poster you can almost hear it asking, “what are you going to do with the time you have here in this wonderful place?” When you look at it you realize how important it is to enjoy all of it. You realize how important it is to make clear plans on how you want to use the time you have been given, the time you have left, and most importantly to live your life in a way that reflects your true beliefs and hopes. “Being authentic is hard because there are parts of your brain that don’t want you to be authentic, they want you to try to fit in at all costs.”
Under the salty cool ocean water that night, I realized I had the power to choose the life I wanted. I knew when I came up and looked around that I wasn’t going back to my old life, I was going to use the time I had on earth to create something I was proud of, or at least use my time trying. So bit by bit, I started paying closer attention to everything I did- to how much time I wasted living parts of my life that looked good to others, but didn’t create the dreams I envisioned for family and myself. I changed my morning habits and my nighttime habits. I was honest about the time I was actually spending on the things I said were my priorities. Wherever you spend your time is your priority. Bit by bit, things began to change. Habits began to form that allowed me to feel stronger and more focused. In the mornings I read a bible app for 5 minutes, meditated for 10 minutes, and wrote 1-3 sentences about what I wanted from the day. I still do this today. I walked and listened to podcast after podcast from people who had lives I admired. Slowly, week by week, month by month, the decision I made in the ocean that day changed my life.
This week, we have a swim capsule releasing. What I love about my work is our KOCH community and creating things together. So, in honor of the Swim release I hope you will jump in the cool beautiful ocean this summer (hopefully in one of our suits) and when you come up from the water and the sun hits your face relish in the idea that that anything is possible, any dream is there for your taking, you can change your life, you can add to your life, the key is to start now, TIME IS TICKING- 2023 is in six months and don’t let anyone waste your time or write your story. You are the author and each of us has a best-seller in us!
NEW COLLECTION
We are so EXCITED about our new SWIM collection. The fox and fish prints on the suits were hand-drawn and designed at KOCH. We made limited quantities of 50 of each suit-about 12 of each size- so grab one fast. We will have new prints coming for resort in six months to add to your swim collection, so stay tuned and send us your ideas of what you would like to see on your next suit.
Surprise, since you are reading this Nicole’s Notes You can DM us on Instagram to pre-order your suit!
POP-UP
We have a Charleston pop-up coming June 28th! I hope you will come see us and please keep sending us notes about where we should come. We also are getting ready to launch private JOYMAKER parties for people who can’t find KOCH in their community and want us to travel to see them! DM @shop_koch on Instagram or email lindsey@shopkoch.com to ask about the details.
We ordered more black Original 33.9 sneakers and you can pre-order on 339orginal.com! We have pink and blue limited quantities available too! Once the pink and blue are sold out we won’t release the color again but will have new ones dropping each month! Red is next up and we are dying over the samples. To see all things 33.9, follow us on Instagram and TikTok!
Podcast of the week:
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