Be who you are. Do what you love. And follow your heart.

Lena Katharina - 8th November 2016

Be who you are. Do what you love. And follow your heart.
A short reminder about the importance of happiness.

I am sitting down in the doctors lounge of our hospital to take a sip of my coffee. It´s my first break today and I start to feel my mental and physical tiredness. As I look around in the room, one of the female magazine covers catches my attention: „The ultimate guide to happiness in life“.
As a passionate Surfer and now young doctor I have spent a lot of time thinking about happiness in life. The perfect waves, the wipeouts, the orange sunsets, the laughters - Golden memories of a time that seems to be far away from where I am right now. In the middle of a nightshift somewhere in a small room in a hospital in Germany. Do I really want to be here now? 
Yes I do! Because I love my job, even if it is tiring. I love my job even if people are difficult and my work hours are crazy. But I need time to travel, surf and enjoy myself as well. The happiness I have inside me now is simply created  from all the beautiful moments  I experience during my trips, with my friends and family. And this affects how much positivity I can give to my patients and beloved ones even in their darkest moments.  
We all need to refill our  energy with whatever makes us happy. By saying that I simply remind you to follow your heart : Do what makes you happy. Don´t stay stuck in old patterns and habits and don´t fear change in your life. I realized I was different from the other medical students early during my studies but at that time I didn´t have the courage to live a life true to myself. I lived the life others expected of me and it made me unhappy somewhere deep inside. I felt all the pressure and the heaviness of life and I knew I needed to change my life.

Thats when I quit my plans of a medical career, in order to be able to go surfing as much as I can. I started exploring the world, combining medical clerkships with surfing. I went to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Australia and I love being a doctor - but I know that I need the ocean as well to be happy. I now work on a part time base and spend half of the year either traveling or in the Canary Islands as a Surf Instructor. With this new freedom, I am so happy and balanced. It just took me a while to have the courage to be different from everyone else around me. 
And because life is so short: Please don´t waste any time. Be who you are. Do what you love. And follow your heart.
Thanks to GlideSoul Waterwear for supporting me. I couldn´t think of a better sponsor for girls and ladies wetsuits, because the uniqueness and positivity of the colors matches my personality just perfect. 

Text and photos by Lena Katharina
https://www.facebook.com/katha.rina.583679
https://www.instagram.com/lenikatharina/

Sunset Surf with my GlideSoul 3mm backzip full wetsuit in Caleta de Famara, Lanzarote. 

My happy place and workplace as a Surf Instructor: amazing beach break with a great view in Lanzarote.