I felt it the moment he said, ‘Wow! Sounds like wakeboarding saved your life.’
I had never thought about it that way before. As I pondered my friend’s statement, my pre wakeboarding life flashed before me… ‘I guess you can say that’, I replied. The more I thought about it, the more I felt what he said was true.
Before Wakeboarding
My life before wakeboarding was that of decadence, indulgence and excess… A life of chemically induced ecstasy, I was constantly seeking different perspectives. The weekends were what I lived for… it was party time! When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a dancer. And I did become a dancer – A Velvet Underground dancer. Dancing all night long at least twice a week in 3 inch high heels was how I kept in shape. I may have looked great but I knew how unfit and weak I was.
To start with, I was a pack of cigarettes a day kind of girl. McDonald’s was my go to for late night supper – Quarter pounder with cheese… yum! I could eat it everyday. If I had to wake up anytime before 12, it was considered early for me. Mornings were always a struggle because I always slept late. I thought Panadol Max was the best invention and I stocked it well. Dancing in a club was my exercise. I had no hobbies or lasting interests. I was a self proclaimed chemical girl with the mindset of living fast and dying young.
Why live till so old when it means being weak and diseased? The early 60s was my deadline.
During Wakeboarding
2 years into wakeboarding was when I started to fall apart. My knees would ache every time after wakeboarding. I had to stop wearing high heels. I was always sore and in pain after training. It would take days for me to recover. I also discovered I had a heart murmur and bladder issues. The years of negligent abuse of my body was starting to show. It was clear that if I wanted to continue wakeboarding some things needed to change.
It was time I considered my health, mental and physical. I needed to get stronger for wakeboarding. That meant I needed to change my mindset on how I was living. I needed to change my habits. It was the first time I started think about longevity. I decided to seek out natural ways. Because I knew a chemically enhanced lifestyle was unsustainable. This direction opened up a world I had been completely oblivious too. I picked up new habits and new activities. And stopped non beneficial and unproductive habits.
I discovered brand new ways of having fun and enjoying life. I also rediscovered myself. My outlook on life took a 180 degree turn and I started to see the possibilities in life.
Because of Wakeboarding
I fell in love and wakeboarding became a priority in my life. I decided that I wanted to take it as far as I could and that meant taking the competitive route. That decision changed the sails of my ship and a new course in my life was being chartered.
Wakeboarding was the catalyst for me to start looking inward. It helped me to realise my true potential and purpose.
Have you found your Catalyst?
Want to know more about my experiences and how you can learn from them? Let’s talk… Drop me a line.
