If you are not familiar with Maya Gareira, you should be. Recently, she set the Guinness World Record for surfing the largest wave ever by a woman. The height of the wave located off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal was over 73-feet tall. Watch the video below to see her historic accomplishment:
Surfing giant waves requires expert planning, experience, the ability to overcome fear, and superior skills. After Gabeira’s world-record performance, she discussed her accomplishment in this article. The following are five leadership lessons on having your best year ever I gleaned from Maya Gabeira and her comments:
To Have Your Best Year Ever You Will Need To Take Risks
Surfing giant waves is a death-defying experience. Gabeira said, “The amount of speed (45 mph) you get going down those waves is incredible.”
While leaders may not have to risk their lives, there is a certain amount of risk required for to achieve your best year ever. Are you willing to take them?
To Have Your Best Year Ever You Will Need To Change
It has been said that if you keep doing what you have always done, you will keep getting what you have always gotten. That statement is actually incorrect. Because of diminishing returns, if you keep doing what you have always done, you will begin getting less and less of what you have gotten before.
Gabeira said, “The water is changing under your feet as you’re going down. You have to navigate, do jumps, a lot of adjusting.” A leader’s world is always changing. Therefore, they must also be constantly navigating new terrains and adjusting.
To Have Your Best Year Ever Requires Increased Focus
Gabeira continued, “I’m very present at the moment, I’m completely focused. … It’s one of those things that makes you very present and it’s a wonderful feeling.” Having your best year ever requires you edit your life, eliminate distractions, and focus solely on what yields the greatest results.
To Have Your Best Year Ever New Information Is Required
Gabeira noted, “There’s a lot of information to absorb with the wind, the waves, the people around, the jet skis going by.”
Having your best year ever requires you expand your intellectual capacity. A deeper understanding of your area of discipline will be needed. In short, you have to get smarter because there will be a lot of information to absorb as well.
To Have Your Best Year Ever You Will Have To Overcome Significant Obstacles
Gabeira concludes, “On the really big waves, there’s a noise that’s indescribable. When the lip of the wave breaks and it hits the bottom, it’s like an explosion. It’s like a bomb. … When you get to the bottom of the wave, you’re reaching the peak of speed. For me that’s the most exciting. You hear the explosive power of the wave breaking all around you, but you have already triumphed—over the wave, over the phenomenal power of the ocean, over your own wild and ferocious heart.”
You may or may not have a wild and ferocious heart like Gabeira, but having your best year ever will likely require facing indescribable obstacles. There will be things, expected and unforeseen, which will test you. But leaders understand that is one of the most exciting parts of the journey. Obstacles are a sign you are doing something that matters and taking steps toward achieving your goals.
Conclusion
If you are willing to take risks, change, increase focus, gather new information, and overcome obstacles, you have positioned yourself to potentially have your best year ever.
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