In 2018 I was in Maui with my whole family — my wife Shannon, three kids, the whole crew — and I decided I was finally going to try surfing.

I had never surfed once in my life. Grew up in California. No excuse.

For what felt like an hour, I missed every single wave.

Not just missed — I was paddling as hard as I could and watching the water slide right past me. My arms were burning. I was exhausted. My kids were watching from the beach. And everyone around me seemed to be doing something I clearly had not figured out.

An instructor finally pulled me aside. Classic Hawaiian — long hair, lived at the beach his whole life, the kind of guy who learned to surf before he learned to ride a bike.

He said, "Let me give you a little tip."

"You're doing what most people do. You feel the wave underneath you and you start paddling to catch up. But the water is always going to be faster than you. You'll never outswim it. Here's the secret: look behind you. Pick the wave you want. And start paddling 15 to 20 feet before it reaches you. You don't have to swim hard for long. Just get moving early — and let the momentum do the rest."

I caught the wave. Two seconds. I got up.

I have a picture of those two seconds on my phone right now.

Every time I see it I think: the only thing standing between me and that wave was timing and the right tip from the right person.

That's AI right now.

The wave is not coming. It's here. And most business owners I talk to are doing exactly what I did in Maui — waiting to feel it before they start moving. By the time they react, it's already past them.

But here's what I need you to hear: you haven't missed it.

You just need to start paddling at the right moment. And you need someone to show you when.

That's what July 10 is.