Ep.535 ~ The Mindset of a Big Wave Surfer ~ Laird Hamilton

Our guest today is someone that I have followed since I first heard about him when I was 25 years old. Somewhere I came across this cool hour long surf video and I used to watch 2-3 times a week as a sort of meditation/visualization process picturing myself living somewhere where I could surf on a regular basis, and enjoy the beach lifestyle. One day, I was looking up more cool surf videos on YouTube and came across a video of this guy that would surf the biggest and most difficult waves anyone could surf. And I remember him saying in one of his videos on how he said he felt called to the waves, how the waves just called him in, and this really stuck out for me because many times I had felt called to climb mountains, travel the world, go on adventures and I didn’t really know where it came from, because the things that I was doing were semi crazy compared to everyone else I knew at the time. but that I had this intuitive feeling of being called to things also. During one of his videos he said this quote that struck me to my core. It was, “Do not be afraid of death, be afraid of a half lived life.” This really resonated with me, it spoke to me and I thought to myself….I like this guy. Since that moment I have followed him and watched multiple documentaries about the accomplishments he has taken on and how he lives his life. He is one of the two biggest names in surfing, and has become the Michael Jordan of big wave surfing and his name is Laird Hamilton.

I will be honest, I was nervous as hell before the interview. I think that is expected when anyone meets their role model/superhero for the first time. But after a couple minutes, it really felt like I was speaking to an uncle that I had known for years. Laird was really down to earth, a good conversationalist and just fun to hang out with for the time we had together. We got nearly an hour and a half to chat on this interview and we talked about so much during that time, but what I really wanted to get out of the conversation is Lairds mentality, how he sees the world, and why he chooses to live his life the way he does. I think I did a pretty good job of that, while both of us having a really good time during the interview. We touch on everything from competition surfing, handling opposing views, near death experiences, inner-callings and being connected with one's higher-self, his passion for innovation, living a healthy and high-performance lifestyle and of course keeping his home balance and family routine. We dive into breathwork, Laird’s current recommended books, flow-states, reducing stress goal setting, daily rituals, the type of people Laird surrounds himself with, riding Teahupoo, where he conquered the impossible wave to ride that really put him at the top of big wave surfing and we find out if Laird still fears a half lived life. Ladies and gentlemen, I am so excited to bring this show to you….Laird Hamilton

03:54 Who is Laird Hamilton?

10:49 How Does Laird See Himself?

16:24 Laird on Competition Surfing

17:49 Handling Opposing Views

18:47 Laird on Near Death Experiences & the Impact on His Life

23:54 What is Laird’s Internal Inner Drive?

26:59 Staying Connected to One's Higher-Self

29:39 Laird’s Biggest Fear

34:39 Laird's Biggest Passion Currently

35:59 How Laird Keeps His Home Balance

37:39 Laird on Breathwork

42:56 Laird’s Recommended Reads