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The original was posted on /r/getmotivated by /u/paulcheeba on 2023-12-07 05:12:05+00:00.
I once spent 7 hours straight, only stopping for smoke, water and piss breaks breaks, trying to land a kick flip to backside 50/50 grind, heelflip out while sticking the grind for at least 10 ft. I think I tried the trick about 600 times that session, no joke, I was pushing for it really hard and getting more and more frustrated and obsessed with landing it each time I failed. I nearly landed it about 30 times during that 7 hour session, but never stuck it to roll away. Each time that happened, I lost my shit, having the most embarrassing of adult temper tantrums in the general public in a busy downtown park surrounded by a LOT of bystanders. The frustration mounted to the point where I nearly snapped my deck in two; until I felt like such a loser because I couldn't land this damn trick when I knew I damn well could and should have already! There was that moment too when I took in the people walking by and the look of shock and disgust with my tantrums was in their faces, plain as day.
I sat down to catch my breath and calm down, feeling foolish, I realized that I was in control of my own frustration and that pushing myself to utter exhaustion wasn't helping. I took a short break, had a smoke and calmed my emotions. I went back at it but with a different mindset, encouraging myself instead of berating myself.
After several more failed attempts, I went a little further back away from the ledge and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and bringing myself to focus. I pumped with every aching muscle straining as I pushed forward at tremendous speed. The ledge grew before me. The kickflip's click was the only sound I heard as I left earth, everything else silent in my locked concentration. The board flipped up into the soles of my shoes and clung to me as we assaulted the ledge together. The Grind was long and chunky, producing a KGRHGRHGR noise that was music to my ears. The heelflip popped the board off the ledge spinning in reverse of the kickflip as I hovered above it for a split second and the universe stopped to watch. The landing was a perfectly unison clack of all 4 wheels on cement followed by the low growl of the wheels as I rolled away. I fuckin did it. I finally landed it and rolled away clean. The feeling it produced in me was pure ecstasy, I also felt so worn out and tired, yet so proud of myself at that moment.
It was one of the many, many moments in my life where I struggled to succeed, then realizing that I'm my own biggest critic and closed door, that I got over myself by getting out of my way, while never giving up and came out on top, rolling away in triumph.