Comfort zones

I want to talk comfort zones.

As a kid I wanted badly to be a champion bodyboarder but I couldn’t.

I have been a chronic asthmatic since I was born. I couldn’t swim & I’m terrified of the ocean.

How terrified?? After watching Jaws (unsupervised) as a kid I refused to have a bath until I was a teenager. I wouldnt even close my eyes in the shower.

I even hated pools most of my life..

However.. A couple years ago my girlfriend Marie Elise Goulart encouraged me to join her in the ocean (Marie is pro bodyboarder)

So in I went.. Completely horrified by each of the hundreds of surf sessions we had in the ocean.

I was scared of every moment in the ocean but I kept going.

I was so happy because as a kid I felt drawn to the ocean & I started feeling like a kid again.

So there I was scared of the ocean & here I am still completely scared of the ocean.

Turns out though.. We heard about a place in Melbourne calle URBNSURF (a man made wave with pumping surf) so we flew to Melbourne this weekend.

Marie went first on expert level. Then we went together in intermediate.. There was nothing intermediate about it intermediate!

I struggled so much to paddle out.. got wiped out first wave & wanted to stop immediately. (Did I mention it’s concrete.. not sand)

On my second wave my asthma started getting bad & I couldn’t breath. A non swimmer, not breathing = No.

I just wanted to stop & watch, but there was 50 minutes of waves left..

So I focused as best I could in breathing & paddling & started to feel comfortable in the huge, fast & heavy waves..

I felt the fear of the big waves & kept going. Hoping the lifeguards took me serious when I said I was nervous at the start.

Towards the end of the session in the second last wave I killed it! Had the best ride of my life & felt like the pro bodyboarder I’d always wanted to be! (It was probably awful haha)

So with that.. Unable to breath at this point, I paddled & watched the lady waves from the shallows.

Proud that I didn’t give up, even though it would have been ok if I did.

I’d won the moment, one I’ll never forget.

It was like everything in my life.. A personal battle with myself.

I strongly believe in pushing yourself out your mental & physical comfort zones. I know it can be hard, I still have fear of many things, but I’m working on them.

But if you are reading this.. I urge you to get up & get out today or this week or this month & do something you’re afraid of.

If it’s mental.. Just do it.

If it’s physical, train for it. Improve until you can.

Say goodbye to your zone of comfort.

Also go to URBNSURF in Melbourne & please build one in Tasmania (heated)😎🌊☀️