FEATURE STORY CONT .
“ I EMBRACE THE FAILURES BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THOSE ARE THE LEARNING PROCESS ,” HAWK SAID . “ THOSE ARE THE LESSONS YOU NEED TO LEARN TO GET TO THAT NEXT STAGE ."
— Tony Hawk
2 . SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE BETTER THAN YOU
As Hawk got a lot better , he was invited to be a part of the Bones Brigade , a premier skateboarding team . Hawk credits this group for helping him not just improve but really elevate his skills . “ I was lucky that Stacy Peralta — who was widely regarded as a legendary skater but [ was ] also the best curator of a skate team at the time — recognized me ,” Hawk said . “ His team was considered the best and the most diverse . When he recognized me , that gave me a boost of confidence I hadn ’ t had before because I was still struggling for acceptance . People called me a circus trick skater . It was like , ‘ Oh , he ’ s just a circus freak . He does these weird little board spins like he ’ s twirling a baton , and that ’ s not what skateboarding is about . Skateboarding is about power and style .’ He recognized something in me that gave me a boost of confidence . But being on that team definitely sent me to a new level of skating because of the expectation I put on myself . ‘ Like , you ’ re a Bones Brigade member . You better step it up and do something really special .’ Suddenly , I ’ m hanging out with Steve Caballero , Mike McGill , and Rodney Mullen . They were only a couple of years older than me , but it felt like a lifetime older than me . Because they were in magazines and I was still struggling , it definitely was trial by fire . I just had to do it . I had to step it up .”
3 . UNDERSTAND THAT FAILING IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE LEARNING PROCESS
At the 1999 X Games , Hawk became the first skater to complete the 900 , a 2½-revolution ( 900 degree ) aerial spin performed on a skateboard ramp . It took him 10 years of failing at it over and over before he could complete it successfully .
“ I embrace the failures because I feel like those are the learning process ,” Hawk said . “ Those are the lessons you need to learn to get to that next stage . The first time I ever tried the 900 was around 1987 when it was an idea . I kind of tested it , and it seemed impossible . I couldn ’ t get my body to spin that far . Years later , I finally figured out how to spin my body , but I didn ’ t know how to [ stick ] the landing . A few years later , I got bold and I tried to land and I broke my rib . Throughout that process , even though it was traumatic and discouraging , there was something to be learned from every stage . When I finally did it , there was an ‘ aha ’ moment . Like , ‘ Oh , there was that one thing I was missing .’ But I needed to go through that process to figure it out . I embrace that timeline as opposed to letting it just be discouraging and give up .”
4 . COMMIT TO SUCCESS
In learning difficult tricks , Hawk only visualized successfully executing them . He never doubted he could do it , even after failing repeatedly . “ Everything in my head says , ‘ Stay on , just hold onto it no matter what ,’” Hawk said . “ Sometimes , I don ’ t even get ahold of it , or I ’ m holding on , I ’ m doing everything that I think I should , and it just doesn ’ t happen . What I ’ m telling myself is to commit . That ’ s pretty much it . In various ways , I ’ m just saying commit to it . As soon as you doubt it , it doesn ’ t happen . Or if you picture yourself in the worst-case scenario , that ’ s what ’ s going to happen .”
5 . EMBRACE LEARNING AND BE WILLING TO TAKE RISKS
As a top athlete and top business pro , Hawk believes the psychological aspects of being willing to overcome hard things contributed greatly to his success .
“ There ’ s a lot to be said for having confidence , and the confidence that I ’ ve gained and built through my skating career lent itself to business quite a bit ,” Hawk said . “ Not being afraid to take risks is paramount to any success . I ’ m willing to put it out there and . . . risk quite a bit of it for the sake of success . I learned a lot along the way , and I was also very eager to learn about the business . It would ’ ve been simple for me to say , ‘ Yeah , I ’ ll put my name on that , and I
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