Life often mirrors nature in ways we don’t always notice. One of those ways is captured in the idea that bigger oceans have larger waves. It’s a simple observation about water, but it carries a deeper truth about life, challenges, and the way we grow through struggle.
Oceans are vast, open, and powerful. The larger they are, the more space the wind has to travel over the water, gathering energy and creating waves that rise higher and crash harder. A small pond on a quiet day barely ripples, but an open sea in a storm can produce waves taller than buildings. The same principle applies to life: the bigger your world, the bigger the waves you face.
People who dream big, take risks, or step into unknown territory often encounter challenges that feel overwhelming. The more you expand your life—whether through ambition, relationships, learning, or experiences—the more resistance you will face. It’s not a sign that you’re on the wrong path. It’s a sign that you’re in deeper waters. The only place without waves is a place too small for movement.
It’s easy to look at people who face massive challenges and think they must be doing something wrong. But in reality, the biggest waves come to those who have ventured far from the shore. The ones who stay in safe, shallow waters will never experience the turbulence of an open ocean, but they also won’t experience the freedom, discovery, and depth that come with it. Growth, like the ocean, comes with waves.
This is why people who take on great responsibilities—leaders, creators, pioneers—face the strongest opposition. The greater the impact you want to have, the greater the forces that push back against you. Some people mistake these waves as reasons to turn back. But just like in the ocean, you don’t fight the waves by resisting them head-on. You learn to ride them.
Surfers don’t try to stop waves from forming. They don’t waste energy fighting against the water. Instead, they understand the rhythm of the sea and learn to move with it. In life, the same idea applies. The bigger the challenge, the more skill and adaptability it demands. Those who learn to ride the waves of life instead of fearing them find joy, strength, and mastery in the process.
Another thing about waves is that they never last forever. No storm, no matter how fierce, continues endlessly. Even the biggest ocean eventually finds calm again. This is something people often forget when they’re in the middle of struggle. It feels endless when you’re inside it, but from a distance, you can see that all waves rise and fall. The key is to keep going, knowing that movement itself is proof that you’re alive, learning, and growing.
Some people spend their whole lives avoiding waves. They seek comfort, predictability, and calm waters. There’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s also little adventure, little discovery, and little challenge. Others, however, are drawn to the vastness of the ocean, to the unknown, to the thrill of testing themselves against something bigger. These are the ones who take risks, chase dreams, build new things, and push limits. They are also the ones who experience the highest waves—but they are also the ones who learn to rise with them.
People often admire those who seem to handle life’s challenges effortlessly, without realizing how much practice went into it. No one becomes good at navigating waves overnight. It takes experience, failure, and a willingness to keep going even when pulled under. Strength isn’t just about surviving rough waters—it’s about learning to use them to move forward.
The metaphor of bigger oceans and larger waves is also a reminder that struggle isn’t a sign of failure. In fact, it’s often a sign of progress. If you find yourself facing bigger and bigger challenges, it might not mean you’re lost—it might mean you’re exactly where you need to be. A small life comes with small problems. A big life comes with big ones. The waves you face are a reflection of the size of the ocean you’re willing to step into.
In the end, the choice is simple. You can stay where the water is still, safe from the power of the waves but also from the adventure of the ocean. Or you can step into deeper waters, knowing that bigger waves will come—but so will the strength to meet them. Because just like the ocean, life doesn’t reward those who avoid the waves. It rewards those who learn to ride them.
