OUT OF THE BOX THINKING

I was reading an article on one of the best athletes of the world Laird Hamilton and his unwillingness to compete in surfing. "It's very difficult to judge surfing because surfing is art," he declared. 

So he paved his own way as an athlete. Having made this choice he made a living in a different way than athletes that compete. Quote from a Huffinghton Post article : "Laird Hamilton rose to fame during a time when free surfing was just as popular as professional surfing. He made a name for himself as one of the most fearless surfers, taking on the biggest waves around the globe. Sponsorships helped bring in money and he was able to skip competitions altogether." 

Again I want to bring up the issue of listening to our inner voice. This could make a difference and lead us to a point where we create and offer something new to society and also inspiring others on a new perspective. He says that competition is with himself and what he is interested in is what he can achieve. Having this freedom every human being who has heard and followed his/her inner voice can accomplish fabulous things. This out of the box philosophy enables our gift rise to the surface otherwise it is suppressed by the "right way to do things" mentality. This way people create in all areas whether it is athletics or science, humanities or art. The different approach is the approach that brings new knowledge about something but it takes courage and confidence to go, I wouldn't necessarily say against the current but outside the current. Experimenting doing things in a different way. Why not?

On his Huffinghton Post interview he brings up a psychological issue many athletes and not only, surely encounter with , he says "I watched my stepfather, who was one of the best surfers of his time, get judged. I watched him have some weird calls in contests, whether they were fair or unfair, and I saw the devastation that it caused him. " I think he wanted to avoid all this unnecessary self doubt and waste and concentrate on his real purpose which is the big waves. No waste of time and no waste of psychological resources. This applies to all of us. When trapped in unsuitable to us situations we don't excel in what we are able to excel. There isn't only one way to do things.

He also approaches the issues of fear and pain in a non-conventional way. His injuries were making him fear, every single time that he might not be in the same physical condition after recovery but he was always battling these thoughts and was approaching recovery in an active way exercising anyway he could and not sitting around for e.x. when he had broken legs he was paddling. 

He also invented new underwater workouts which he was using during injuries but in normal times also and trains others too in them. On pain, what he has to say is that he can endure discomfort, he sees pain as growth "Your ability to handle pain on an injury level can be implemented into how you handle pain on an exercise level. Your tolerance for pain can help you work harder on the positive side," he said in his Huffinghton Post interview. These out of the box approaches bring innovation and differentiation on issues we are all used to deal with in a conventional way.

If new ideas pop in our head why not exploring them with confidence and eventually following them creating new paths for other people too.