Keep Paddling

Do you enjoy water sports like kayaking or rafting? My only experience with rafting was a mild one—Beaver’s Bend State Park in Oklahoma. It was peaceful, almost uneventful. The best part was watching the sky blend into the trees and river, listening to nature, and waiting for bites while fishing.

Back when we lived in Dallas, we used to drive up there for fishing. The trout—especially in the “red zone”—were top-tier. If you had a cabin nearby, grilling fresh fish was the highlight of the trip. But back to pedaling…

At Pocahontas State Park in Virginia, we tried something different: a water bike. You pedal just like a bicycle to move across the lake. We also kayaked there—this time with three kids in tow. Instead of peacefully admiring the water lilies, I was laser-focused on keeping everyone safe—making sure no one fell in or got too much sun. All I remember was pedaling as fast as I could.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about pedaling in a different sense. What if I’m on the wrong boat? But even if I am, the only thing I can do is keep pedaling. It’s better than drifting aimlessly. It’s better than not being on a boat at all.

I bought a book on confidence for women today. Amazon sent me a used one instead of new, which was frustrating—not because it was used, but because it wasn’t sold as such. I got the book thinking that learning to build confidence would help me develop leadership skills.

But then, I came across a post that challenged that idea: I shouldn’t wait to be confident to take on leadership. Leadership isn’t about waiting until you feel ready—it’s about influencing action, taking responsibility, working through chaos, and being okay with uncertainty. Too often, I choose to let someone else take responsibility, just for my own peace of mind. And that’s what keeps me at the contributor level.

The opening story in an Emotional Intelligence book stuck with me. A man is out surfing when he suddenly spots a great white shark. At first, fear and anxiety freeze him. But then, his mind shifts to survival mode, and he starts paddling for his life. He makes it to shore.

Most of us aren’t facing sharks every day, but we are navigating uncertainty. Fear, doubt, and unknowns shouldn’t paralyze us. We just have to keep paddling. And if we inspire others along the way, that’s leadership in action. Every challenge, every unexpected turn, builds new skills—sometimes ones we don’t even have a name for yet.

What skills are you working on? Have you found any shortcuts along the way?