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This is not a post about lessons I learned from B2B sales, I promise. Here I'll be explaining my view of a sport that, after just two classes, gave me a surprisingly clear lens on life. The sport is kitesurfing — a water action sport that involves you (the kiter), a kite, and a board.

What does kitesurfing have to do with life?

In two classes, I identified 9 factors at play. Six that can be controlled, and three that can't. That ratio alone felt familiar.

Controllable
1 Power Up / Power Down Pulling or releasing the handle
2 Turning Left / Right Moving the handle up or down
3 Body Stance Shifting your body balance
4 Wind Clock Military code positioning
5 Mindset What you bring into it
6 Safety The risk management system
Uncontrollable
7 Other Kitesurfers What others are doing
8 Sea Levels Tides and conditions
9 Wind False Positives & Negatives Sudden wind changes

Life lessons in kitesurfing

Every single factor maps directly to a life situation. Click each one to see the connection.

1 Power Up / Power Down
Aggressiveness
→ In kitesurfing, you control speed by pulling or releasing the bar. In life, knowing when to push hard and when to ease off is the difference between momentum and burnout. Aggressiveness is a dial, not a switch.
2 Turning Left / Right
Relationship push & pull
→ Small handle adjustments change your entire direction on the water. Relationships work the same way — slight shifts in how you engage, listen, or pull back can change everything.
3 Body Stance
Firm statements
→ Your body position determines whether you hold your ground or get pulled off balance. In life, standing firm on what you believe requires the same intentional positioning — lean in, plant your feet, commit.
4 Wind Clock
Due diligence
→ You need to know where your kite sits in the wind window at all times. In life, that's doing your homework — understanding what forces are at play before making a move. Awareness before action.
5 Mindset
Self-belief
→ You show up to the water with whatever mental state you carry. If you doubt yourself, the kite controls you. Same in life — confidence isn't optional, it's operational.
6 Safety
Risk management
→ Every kiter has a quick-release system. You learn it before you ever touch the water. In life, knowing your exit strategy and managing downside is what lets you take bigger swings with confidence.
7 Other Kitesurfers
People around you
→ You can't control what other kiters do on the water — only how you navigate around them. Same with people. You control your response, your positioning, your awareness. Never their behavior.
8 Sea Levels
The environment
→ Tides change regardless of your plans. The environment you operate in — markets, economy, culture — shifts on its own timeline. You adapt to it, or you fight a losing battle.
9 Wind False Positives & Negatives
Human bias
→ The wind can trick you — a gust that feels strong fades instantly, or calm air suddenly picks up. Our own biases work the same way. What we think is true isn't always what's real. Stay skeptical, stay calibrated.

Six controllable factors versus three you can't touch. Most of the game is in your hands — if you focus on the right levers.

Sports have parallels with life — practice them if you can.

The wind doesn't care about your plans. But how you respond to it — that's the whole game.