New experiences and pushing the limits make life worth living. Without them life is boring. I want to see what’s out there and what my mind and body can take on the way.
I have been getting a lot of questions and curiosity about two very different things about me. My “engine” aka metabolic conditioning level in athletics and my trip and life aboard Tula. Completely separate topics. However, I have found that the success of both comes from two of the same things that I try to do to the best of my ability.
The first is reaching outside my comfort zone. We all have a place where we are comfortable. A place where we don’t feel much pain, we don’t strain too hard, and we don’t need to put any extraordinary amount of effort into doing things. A lot of people are content here, but being content leads to laziness, and laziness prevents us from really LIVING.
Beautiful new experiences in Nantucket
The key to extraordinary experiences is to escape this comfort zone. If there is something out there you want to do, an activity that looks awesome, or a challenge that intrigues you then DO IT. Get out of your warm bed and cross country ski for the first time, get off your beach chair and see if you can swim 500 yards or a mile! Plan it out when you need to but don’t plan too hard. Always wanted to drive cross-country? It’s not hard, just get in your car and DRIVE.
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek”
-Joseph Campbell
The hardest part is the initial step. People think “what if this or that happens” I say, what if the sky falls? What if a meteor hits earth tomorrow? Using a quote from a good friend I ask, do you “fulfill the unforgiving moment”? Don’t worry about if’s and that’s.
When things get tough find the good in them. When the situation gets worse, find something fun or funny about it. If you can’t, smile anyway. This makes us STRONG! Finding the love in what we do makes us mentally tough, positive, and overall better people.
When I was puking off the coast of New Jersey for the first time on my solo sail south, it was the hardest thing in the world to find something to enjoy. I was cold, wet, and seasick. I tried to notice how blue the ocean was, or that at least the sun was out. Consistently reminding myself to zone out the bad and find the good has allowed me to enjoy some beautiful sunsets and amazing views on my adventures.
The second step to extraordinary experiences and reaching new levels is CONSISTENCY. This applies to training as well as our passions. When we are consistent with our passions we become experts. We reach levels that we might not have thought existed, which open up even more doors to new and wonderful experiences.
Training pays off in competition
I train hard. I push myself to the limits almost daily, and I am consistent about it. Training in and of itself has become a challenge for me and I enjoy seeing how far my mind and body can go, but I also use it to help me pursue my own passions. My training helps me surf better, paddle further, and kite longer. It is cross training to help me reach new levels in the sports I love. When I am on a long paddle fatigue doesn’t impede on me enjoying the scenery and wildlife around me. Having great conditioning lets me dive further and stay down longer to hunt that monster fish hiding in the rocks.
free dive spearfishing off Montaul
For you, consistency might mean walking daily so that you can build up to that hike on the Appalachian trail, or swimming twice weekly to train for your first sprint triathlon. Whatever it might be do it consistently, do it with your full attention and do it with INTENSITY.
“Nothing great was every achieved without intensity”
So go get out of your comfort zone, have fun, be consistent, be happy, be positive, and do GREAT things!
Comment below and let me know of some of the great things you have done lately, some of the rough times you might have had where you found even just a little bit of joy. How do you train? What do you do consistently to help you become a better athlete? A better person?
If you like this post, find it inspiring, find it helpful, or entertaining please those little “like” and “share” buttons. Thank you!
Very inspirational. Thank for sharing.