Page 11 - SA Chamber UK MONTHLY NEWSLETTER - March 2024

OPINION
SURFING’S WISDOM IN

BUSINESS AND LIFE

- By David White CEO DRG Group

One of the many joys of growing up and living along the South African coastline is the
presence and attraction to the sea. Having played golf passionately until I was 12 years old,
and mastering an 8 handicap at that age, I thought my life was going to be a career in golf.

I look back with a smile. My destiny changed when I went to the beach with surfers. The

beach was vibrant, full of young people, and the challenging sea alluring.

In that instant my whole life adjusted, and I became deeply drawn to the sea. A sport or
hobby becomes a mind-fulling attraction. Surfers are totally reliant on nature to produce
winds and swells, and when they arrive on our shores, for us to conquer and ride.

Surfing can be likened to being immersed in nature, on a roller coaster. As the Billabong
slogan says, “Only a surfer knows the feeling”. Watching a surfer emerge from a tube ride or
being that surfer yourself says it all. Exhilaration, ecstasy... and more. Perhaps likened to a
great shot or hole in one in golf, or a game winning try scored… or a satisfied customer who

tells you that you are great.

Eight years ago, I had to put surfing down due to a surfing knee injury and I needed to focus
on work. Surfing is addictive, and instead my compulsive obsessive personality aligned to
driving income. Running a growing successful business is addictive. It gets you up in the

morning; it fires you to stretch the limits, and feeds positive endorphins that focuses positivity
and solution outcomes.

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SA CHAMBER UK NEWSLETTER MARCH 2024