Action, Choices, and Attitude

 Three simple ideas to live by: 
1. Action:

I love this quote because while I am a strong believer in the power of positive thought, I also believe that action, what you put into the world, is crucial.  You want to change? You want the world to change? Do something about it.  You are human.  Humans can do anything we set our minds to: we can fly into space, dive deep into the sea, harness electricity, create anything we dream...  we can do the most incredible things.  Why sit around complaining?  You are capable of AMAZINGNESS.

2. Choices:  You will make good ones, you will make bad ones.  Learn from them.  Every choice we make affects the world around us and the world in turn affects us. There are thousands of simple ways to save the world every day. Just  make the compassionate, intelligent, brave choice. 

3. Attitude:  Imagine that you are working toward your goal, but stressed out and fearful.  Then you reach your goal.  You could have been living every moment up until that point in joy.  Even if you never reach your goal, why not live in gratitude for the moment before you?  The present moment is all we are ever given.   May as well make good use of it.  

Good Vibes, Saving Lives and Surfing all the tides

           We arrived back in Costa Rica wondering what was next for us. Chasing waves and competing last year was fun, but somewhat unfulfilling. We wanted to do more with our time. That's when we ran into our friend Willy Alvarez. What he has done inspired us. He saw a major issue going on and instead of turning a blind eye he used his unique life experience to make a change. To make a difference. To save lives.
          What Willy did for life guarding in Esterillos, Costa Rica inspired us and showed us that we could use our passions to make a difference in the world.  Danielle is going to compete at a variety of events and donate all of the prize money she wins to local charities. Gary is going to auction one of his paintings at each event and donate the proceeds as well.
         Check back next month for the first episode of Sol Stories, a video series documenting our journey to give back and showcasing the efforts of people like Willy who are making a difference in our world.

Facts about Drowning :
      Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury or death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury related deaths (est. 388,000 deaths by drowning in 2004, excluding those due to natural disasters), with 96% of these deaths occurring in low-income and middle-income countries.  In many countries, drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children under 12 years old. (source)