Hey Dibi: What's Surfing's Ideal New Year's Resolution?
Editor’s Note: Have a question for Dibi Fletcher? She’s definitely got answers. Or at least a perspective. Don’t hold back, shoot her a DM on Instagram and ask away. Here’s this week’s dispatch from the Matriarch of Radical…
Hey Dibi.. Every New Year I make serious resolutions that I tell everyone about, after a month or so and I haven’t kept any of the promises to myself, my friends take it in stride and don’t rub my nose in it but I’m wondering how to do it better this year… - NYResolotion
Hey NYResolotion… I think making loud and definitive promises any time of year is kinda’ setting yourself up to suffer. First, I think goals are most easily accomplished one day at time. I had an 8000 LB piece of granite I was working on, I had this vision in my mind of how I wanted it to turn out, but it was the chipping away day to day, the loss of feeling in my hands from the pneumatic tools, the exhaustion of using a skill saw, 2lb sledge hammer and 16” chisel day after day that brought it to fruition… I was foolish and spoke about my vision, it made the process, which in hindsight was pretty amazing, something I rushed through for some idea of validation, that never came to fruition. My advice, don’t advertise, don’t make big public goals, pick goals that enhance your life in ways maybe know one else could ever imagine. It’s your Road… Make the best of It!
Hey Dibi… Somewhere along the way surf stopped being a pleasure and turned into “the next clip” for likes. If I’m not posting, I feel no personal validation. I paddle out thinking about angles instead of waves. I hate it- but can’t stop. Is there some way to get things back into balance? - Addicted To Likes
Hey Addicted to Likes… They say a habit, good or bad, is created in fourteen days of doing something at pretty much the same time under similar circumstances. Considering that as a truism if you are serious about wanting to change, think about when and where you sat down to create a post and I’m sure you’ll most likely see a pattern in your behavior. It will take a conscious decision on your part to change that pattern that has become habitual. Recognition is the first step towards change and the short dopamine high you’re experiencing through “likes” is similar to s sugar crash and burn, a short fix that will never be enough to sustain you long term and that’s the cycle. So, New Year, new you, it’s your choice… All the best to you in 2026!
Hey Dibi… My best friend said his New Year’s resolution is to quit drinking, says he needs the space from the chaos we built our lives around. I’m proud of him, but can’t help think we won’t be friends if he stops and no longer wants to hang out and party with our crew. We’ve known each other since grade school, do you think it’s possible to stay friends? - Cheers
Hey Cheers… Good for your friend. Sounds like the two of you are tight, why don’t you both give it a rest for a while, it sounds like a great way to start the New Year. Instead of the “chaos” you could make plans to do things that drinking got in the way of. It would be easier for your friend to keep the resolution to himself if he had a buddy to do cool new things with. Make a plan to get in shape, compete with each other, get up early, get in the water, go skate, hit the gym, whatever it is that clears your head, builds your body and self-esteem. What do you have to lose, your friend? If you’re not stoked, in say six months, you can always go back to the comfort of the couch and be grateful you helped your buddy make the changes he promised himself for 2026…
Hey Dibi…Every New Year, I make all sorts of promises to myself that sound so great and then life just seems to get in the way. Is there some way to stick to a path and not get distracted by all the BS… - Resolution Denier
Hey Resolution Denier… The phrase “If you want to make god laugh, just tell him your plans” comes to mind. We all make plans and life has a way of changing our course, not always our we fortunate enough to think it’s for the better, but the greatest life lessons I’ve learned didn’t come from the road I would have chosen, they came from the unexpected detours I would have avoided to spare myself the pain of growing but there was no wiggling out, I was forced to come face to face with the demons of my imagination and once through them they no longer had the same power to control my emotions. Would I have volunteered, NO, but I think I heard laughter in the distance. So, whatever your promises are be grateful you’re on the path...Happy New Year