I Used to Think More Than I Did
I used to be someone who thought about everything.
And I don’t mean in a healthy, reflective way.
I mean thinking, planning, imagining, doubting, comparing, restarting, overanalyzing, and then somehow ending up exactly where I started.
Still in my head.
I had big ideas about the person I wanted to become.
More disciplined.
More social.
More creative.
More active.
More confident.
But most of the time, I was not actually doing much.
I was preparing to do things.
Planning to start things.
Waiting for the right moment.
Trying to build the perfect structure before I even took the first step.
And the more I thought about changing my life, the heavier everything became.
Willpower Was Not the Solution
For a long time, I tried to force myself into becoming better.
I looked at what other people were doing and copied their routines. I told myself I needed to wake up earlier, train harder, read more, practice more, structure my day better, become more productive, grow up, get my life together.
And sometimes it worked.
For a few days.
Maybe even for a week.
But then I would crash.
The problem was not always discipline. The problem was that many of those goals were not even really mine.
I was forcing myself toward things that sounded impressive, but did not always make me feel more alive, more grounded, or more connected to myself.
So even when I achieved something, it did not always feel like a real win.
It felt more like ticking a box.
And that is a very easy way to burn out.
The Guitar Lesson
A simple example for me was guitar.
I liked playing guitar.
I knew I liked it.
I knew it was good for me.
But every time I tried to build the habit, I destroyed it by overdoing it.
I would pick up the guitar and play for one and a half hours. Then I would do the same again the next day, maybe for a few more days if I had enough willpower.
And then I would stop completely.
Not for one day.
For three months.
Sometimes four.
Then I would feel bad, start again, overdo it again, and repeat the same cycle.
At some point, I realized that the problem was not that I disliked playing guitar.
The problem was that I made the first step too big.
Five Minutes Changed More Than One Hour
So I tried something different.
I picked up the guitar in the morning for five minutes.
That was it.
Five minutes.
No big plan.
No pressure to improve.
No dramatic new identity as a musician.
Just five minutes.
And then I forced myself to stop.
That was the important part.
Because I wanted my brain to learn that this habit was easy to start. I did not want it to feel like a huge task. I did not want to need motivation every time.
The next day, I did the same thing again.
Five minutes.
Then again.
And before I knew it, I had played guitar every day for two weeks.
Not because I suddenly became more disciplined.
Not because I found unlimited willpower.
But because the action became small enough that I could not really argue with it anymore.
At some point, I forgot to stop myself.
I would sit there, play, enjoy it, and suddenly realize I had gone past the five minutes.
And that was the moment it changed.
The habit was not built through force anymore.
It was built through movement.
Why Small Actions Work Better Than Big Plans
I think many people underestimate how powerful a small action can be.
We often want the big transformation.
The new routine.
The perfect training plan.
The full life reset.
The clean schedule.
The completely new version of ourselves.
But big plans are easy to think about and hard to start.
Small actions are the opposite.
They almost feel too simple.
But that is exactly why they work.
Five minutes of guitar.
One short workout.
One message to a friend.
One page of writing.
One walk outside.
One booking confirmation.
A small action gives you proof.
Proof that you are not stuck.
Proof that you can move.
Proof that you can trust yourself again.
And I think that is what many people actually need.
Not more information.
Not more planning.
Not another perfect routine.
Just one small piece of evidence that they are capable of doing what they said they would do.
The Countdown Trick
One simple thing that helped me a lot was counting down.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
And then move.
Not think.
Not negotiate.
Not open another tab.
Not create a better plan.
Just move.
This sounds almost stupidly simple, but it works because it interrupts the overthinking loop.
The longer you wait, the more your mind finds reasons not to do the thing.
You are tired.
You need a better plan.
You should start tomorrow.
You are not ready yet.
You should research more first.
And suddenly, the thing that would have taken five minutes becomes a psychological mountain.
Counting down helps because it gives your body a starting signal before your mind can build the whole court case against it.
Five, four, three, two, one.
Stand up.
Pick it up.
Open the document.
Send the message.
Book the flight.
Action Builds Trust With Yourself
I think this is the part people don’t talk about enough.
When you constantly tell yourself you will do something and then don’t do it, you slowly stop trusting yourself.
Not in a drastic way.
But somewhere inside, you start knowing:
“I probably won’t do it anyway.”
That hurts.
Because then every new idea already starts with doubt.
But the opposite is also true.
Every small action you actually take rebuilds trust.
You said you would play guitar for five minutes.
You did.
You said you would go for a short run.
You did.
You said you would finally book the trip.
You did.
And slowly, your identity changes.
Not because you thought your way into a new version of yourself.
But because your actions started giving you proof.
How This Led Me to My First Surf Camp
This is also how I ended up booking my first surf camp.
I had been thinking about it for a while.
I wanted to expose myself to new people.
I wanted to be around active, open-minded humans.
I wanted to do sports.
I wanted to be in the water.
I wanted something that felt different from my normal life.
And at some point, I realized:
I could keep thinking about this forever.
Or I could just book it.
So I went online, found a surf camp, booked the trip, booked the flight, and suddenly it was happening.
That was the beautiful part.
Once it was booked, I did not have to think about it anymore.
The decision was made.
The action was taken.
The future version of me was already on the way.
And honestly, that first surf camp became one of the most life-changing experiences I have ever had.
Not because everything was perfect.
But because I moved before I was fully ready.
Why a Surf Camp in Fuerteventura Can Be a Powerful First Step
I think this is one of the reasons why a surf camp Fuerteventura experience can be so powerful.
It is a very concrete action.
You don’t have to redesign your whole life.
You just decide:
“I am going to spend one week in a different environment.”
That is it.
You book the trip.
You arrive.
You surf.
You meet people.
You eat together.
You train, talk, laugh, struggle, and slowly open up a little.
And because the structure is already there, you don’t have to organize every detail yourself.
At a surf camp in Fuerteventura, especially when meals, activities, surf lessons, and community are part of the experience, a lot of the hard work is already taken care of.
You just have to show up.
And sometimes showing up is the most important part.
Movement Creates Momentum
I don’t think everyone needs to book a surf camp to change their life.
That would be too simple.
But I do think everyone needs moments where they stop negotiating with themselves and take one small action.
For some people, that might be booking a surf camp in Fuerteventura.
For others, it might be sending one message, going for one run, joining one class, applying for one job, or picking up the guitar for five minutes.
The action itself does not have to be huge.
It just has to be real.
Because once you move, something changes.
The idea leaves your head and enters your life.
And that is where everything starts.
You Don’t Need to Become a Different Person Today
I think this is the mistake I made for years.
I thought change meant becoming a completely different person immediately.
But most real change starts much smaller.
You don’t need to become disciplined forever.
You just need to do the next five minutes.
You don’t need to have your whole life figured out.
You just need to take one step that points in the right direction.
You don’t need to feel ready.
You just need to move.
And maybe by the end of the year, if you keep doing these small things, you look back and realize something has changed.
Not because of one huge decision.
But because you slowly became someone who acts.
Someone who trusts himself again.
Someone who stops thinking about life all the time and starts participating in it.
