Toyota Reminds Us That Passion Drives You

Success is a very subjective word. What success means to one person could be something entirely different to another. For some, grinding away 9-5 in an office to make it in the business world is success. For others, like a surfboard shaper perhaps, success is simply enjoying what you do. Life is one big, fun adventure if you leave room for it to be. Al Ciski, surfboard shaper and free spirit, reminds us of just that; if you want something bad enough, you must immerse yourself in it fully. If your true passion or true calling is surfing, why would you living in a big city?

Al works at The Cabin surf shop and is the owner of Enemy Surf. He shapes boards for some of the worlds’ top surfers for a living, which probably leaves a lot of people wishing they had his job. He says that living in a big city just wouldn’t do that for him, so he found himself in the small town of Manzanita, Oregon. He has done what few people ever do in their life; followed his passion and dream.

“In order to harness the energy of shaping, you need to harness the energy of the ocean, anything that takes time away from that, I’m just not interested in,” Ciski says.

Al serves as a great reminder that in order to follow our dreams, we have to live out our dreams, every single day. For some, that means riding around nature in a Toyota, with a surfboard in the back and some friends in the seats next to you, heading out to find some waves. For Ciski, when he needs peace and tranquility, he rides to the beach to find it. He says surfing, and life, is all about knowing your surroundings.

“Never turn your back on the ocean,” the surfer says.