Veteran, world champion surfer Shaun Tomson—who is on most lists of The Top 10 Greatest Surfers of All Time— has issued a new book on overcoming life’s obstacles drawing on the pain of losing a child and the strengths he acquired becoming a sports leader.
The Surfer and the Sage: A Guide to Survive and Ride Life’s Waves , co-written with Poet-Philosopher Noah benShea, employs surfing as a metaphor to analyze 18 “breaking waves” of life, including loss, depression, aging and relationship changes.
Tomson, a native South African who has won surfing championships around the world, will be launching the book on NBC’s Today show on August 1 in a Motivational Monday segment. He will emphasize the Code Method (described in the book), which stems from his decades of surfing experience and is a simple system to find purpose in everyday life. The Code is based on using the power of one’s own will to defend against the rigors of life and calls for individuals to devise 12 life-affirming commitments for themselves to follow or a successful life path.
Tomson put the Code Method to the test upon the loss of his son years ago to an unfortunate, dangerous school game. He has learned to “ride the waves” of daily existence and is eager to share the inspiring power he has gained on his personal path with others looking for ways to live better and get more out of life.
Tomson, who has a Master of Science in Leadership from Northeastern University and who created two popular apparel brands, Instinct and Solitude (co-founded with his wife Carla) has also worked with some of the world’s best-known organizations – Google, GM, Cisco, PWC, Disney and Gap- to integrate power and purpose for optimal performance.
The Surfer and the Sage is not intended as a clinical book, but it is rather an inspirational guidebook for the millions who suffer from anxiety, depression and/or disconnection.
