The Relationship Between Fear and Inner Drive | Big Wave Surfer, Mark Mathews

This week’s conversation is with Mark Mathews, a world-class big wave surfer, Red Bull Athlete and Surf Contest Director.

He’s made a living at the intersection of danger and excitement and knows all too well the crippling grasp of fear.

While in Tasmania, fifteen feet in front of a cliff in cold, shark infested waters, Mark hit a reef and instantly blacked out. Terror engulfed every inch of his being. Neck braced and hospital-ridden, he didn’t know if he could ever surf again.

At that moment, Mark made a decision never to allow fear to overpower him again.

Mark has deconstructed, fine-tuned, and personalized emotion and resilience techniques to successfully strengthen his mindset and sustain long term performance.

These techniques have helped him win an unprecedented three consecutive Oakley Big Wave Awards and cement him as one of the best big wave surfers in the world.

In this conversation, we discuss the strategies Mark’s developed to overcome fear and how you can apply them in your own life.

And keep in mind – this is someone who surfs some of the biggest waves known to mankind – waves as big as 80+ feet.

Mark believes that conquering fear starts with being aware and in-tune with what your motivations are – you’ve got to want the result on the other side more than you fear doing what it takes to get there.

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