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 .”
“ I ’ M WILLING TO PUT IT OUT THERE AND ... RISK QUITE A BIT OF IT FOR THE SAKE OF SUCCESS .” – Tony Hawk
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 2 1 / 2-revolution ( 900 degrees ) 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 assess 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 , he 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 , 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 hope it works .’ But I was definitely right there in every part of the process . I ’ ve held that very dearly because I wanted to represent skateboarding well , not just my own name .”
6 .
Don ’ t Give Up . Before connecting with Activision , Hawk was approached by a PC developer who ’ d created an engine for skateboarding . He teamed up with the developer , and they went around pitching the idea of creating a new skateboarding video game to a lot of console manufacturers and software developers , but no one bit . “ It was very discouraging ,” Hawk said . “ In fact , some were outright insulting .” After a year of hearing “ no ,” the developer got frustrated and gave up . “ I remember this distinctly . He told me , ‘ Look , I ’ ve got to go make a living . But I sense that because we were taking these meetings , your name is out there in the ether of video games , and so if someone were to do a game , they probably want to call you .’” Hawk was doubtful , but less than a year later , Activision called and said , “ We heard you want to do a game .” Hawk took a meeting with Activision , and after trying a game they were working on , he signed a deal on the spot . One year later , the Tony Hawk ’ s Pro Skater video game was released .
7 .
When Things Are Hard , Dig Deep . His passion has always been his primary driver . When he started , skating was beginning to die . There was no money to be made in the industry , so he was in it for the love of it . However , as success came , he made a lot of money fast and furiously , earning enough to buy a house when he was only 17 years old and a senior in high school . But when the industry crashed when he was only 24 years old , he thought his career was over . Not only was he considered old for a skater , but the industry also completely fell away . Because he loved it so much , he dug deep and figured out how to keep his dream alive .
“ I thought my career as an actual skateboarder was starting to fade , and I wanted to stay in the industry because I just loved it ,” Hawk said . “ I loved the culture ; I loved the business of it . I loved what it brought
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