The Willis Bros. have surfed all over the world: Brazil, Peru, Mexico, all of California, Australia, France, Spain, and beyond!

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Secret of Greatness

Of the hundreds of thousands of good surfers around the world there are only a few who become great. How does a good surfer become great? What does it take to become a great surfer? Is there a secret to attaining greatness? Could it be above average physical ability, skill, balance, strength and coordination? How about white hot desire to be the best combined with top professional training? While all of these wonderful qualities do go into the making of good surfers to become great requires something more. Transcend limitations while increasing physical and mental capabilities by following the same formula good surfers use to become great surfers?Dedication, Discipline, Sacrifice and most importantly Unconditional Love.

Hard work pays off. Becoming great at something is not something that happens over night. It is not something most great people aspire to rather it is something that happens along the way. World champion professional surfers such as Kelly Slater, Barton Lynch, Shaun Thompson, Felipe Pomar, Lisa Anderson and others are genuinely dedicated surfers who have put in the time and the effort it takes to become great. These guys catch more waves in a week than many surfers catch in a year. They have put the time in it takes to become great and their surfing shows it.

It is no secret that to get good at surfing one has to catch a lot of waves; to become great one catches a lot of waves over and over again, week after week, year after year. If Felipe Pomar one of the very first world champion surfers put the same amount of time he has invested in surfing, forty years plus, into say music he would no doubt be a master of the highest level. Put Pomarfs surfing time accumulation into schooling and he would be a PHD many times over. Likewise if Indian maestro Ravi Shankar traded his forty plus years of playing music with the sitar for forty years of non stop surfing chances are he would have become one of the greatest all time surfers. When one remains dedicated to something an such as surfing, music, study or other activity they stick to it by putting in the time it takes to come out with the best results.

Great surfers, athletes, musicians, scholars and more are greatly disciplined people. Being a professional surfer requires a lot of travel and surfing at many different beaches in many different climates and conditions. Waves are not always a perfect 3 to 5 feet with warm water and sunny days. World-class surfers such as Bruce Irons and Jamie Sterling became great by having the discipline to surf all waves high or low quality in all conditions winter, spring, summer and fall. Irons a top pro and Sterling a veteran big wave surfer in his early twenties have more than likely spent more time surfing in windy low quality wave conditions than most surfers have spent surfing, itfs no surprise when the waves are good they surf great.

Tom Curren is a former professional world surfing champion and a great surfer. His ability to ride waves is to this day considered nothing short of phenomenal. Almost every surfer from around the world has heard of him. Many of todayfs top elite pros site Curren as a primary influence. Curren has inspired thousands of surfers to dig deeper, raise performance levels and be the best they can be. No doubt sacrifice, handwork and willingness to get the job done played a major role in his rise to greatness as a surfer. When Curren was reigning champion there was not the money in surfing that there is today. Curren gave up a promising future in financial fields of his choice to become great at surfing. Those who become great must sacrifice something in exchange along the way; sometimes itfs time, energy or even financial security.

Above all unconditional all consuming boundless love is the foremost important ingredient that changes all good performers into great performers. Great surfers surf with full tilt passion putting their whole essence, body, mind and soul into every wave they ride gfeeling every move?E Surfers who feed off fame and glory will never become great; theirs will be a different fleeting reward. If they do not win a contest or get a picture published in a surfing magazine their enthusiasm wanes. The surfer who truly loves surfing keeps surfing purely because of a great love of surfing. Unconditional love takes a routine activity and changes it into a magnificent activity. The seed of which all great performance sprouts is pure, honest, unconditional love.

Like great surfers we all have the ability to become great at anything from being the best parent to being the best surfer when we truly love doing what we do. Someone who feels passionate about something will remain dedicated to attain excellence and they will succeed. Those who remain disciplined because they are passionate will experience uncommon results rarely seen for they will be made strong. Great sacrifice brings great reward as well as great humility. Love what you do and do what you love, you will become naturally dedicated, disciplined, willing to sacrifice and work hard, there in is the secret to greatness. Sea you in the surf.

Come, Live the Life

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