Surfing: set your New Year's resolutions based on life goals | Photo: Shutterstock

Towards the end of each year, we sit down with a cup of coffee and reflect on how life has been and how we can improve it.

Typically, we ponder about our career choices, financial status, and personal issues and dream about the upcoming year.

This year, Henrik Beyer, author of "Health & Fitness for Windsurfing," suggests water sports fanatics consider our souls in the process.

Let's set a surfer's New Year's resolution - qualitative life goals. Instead of counting money, count time spent on the water surfing and sailing.

Instead of pondering over ways to boost your professional career, consider how you can please your soul with the stoke of surfing.

Count the number of sunsets you've experienced with the love of your life. Remind yourself of how it feels to lie on the beach in the sun.

Never forget the thrill of rigging the gear, looking out across the water, and finding the perfect spot for a beach start or riding a perfect wave.

Water sports enthusiasts are as drawn to traditional accomplishments as the unfortunate people who do not surf.

New Year's resolution: surf more, live more | Photo: Shutterstock

Choose Life, Choose Experiences

A wise life goal should be based on your feelings, not your external circumstances. And it's easy to lose track of what's important to us when setting life goals.

We are tricked into working hard to have a fancy car to drive to the beach when, in fact, all we need is time on the beach.

We are fooled to need a luxury house on the beach when we can set up a tent today.

Back in the day, beach bums in Hawaii stole pineapples from farmers and slept on the beach underneath the naked sky.

What happened to us? Do we even need a new board or a fin to experience what our souls are longing for?

A New Year's resolution is about finding what's important to us and sticking to it.

Research shows that a lifestyle change should be about what's vital for us in order for it to be successful.

Therefore, let's not forget the reason why we started to surf or windsurf. For many of us, water sports are what we live for.

Make sure your New Year's resolution is something worth living for.

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