Chris Bertish has a string of notable world firsts under his belt. He won the Mavericks Big Wave International surfing event in the biggest and heaviest waves ever recorded in the history of the sport. He also recently became the first person ever to cross any ocean on a SUP board, paddling 7500km’s solo, unsupported and unassisted for 93 days, across the Atlantic Ocean from Morocco to Antigua. Being an inspirational speaker requires him to travel all over the world, inspiring audiences to believe that they too can achieve great things. His mission is to raise money for charities like the Lunchbox Fund through his expeditions.
My Definition Of Success Is | Inspiring & helping others, while squeezing the most out of life. One day and one goal at a time. I try and live life by this everyday and in everything I do.
I Am Driven By | Testing myself mentally & physically, pushing the limits of what’s possible & living with the courage to follow my passions, by believing in myself, my path, while in turn, inspiring others to believe they can too, if they truly set there mind to it…as Nothing’s Impossible unless you believe it to be.
My other Highlights |
- Being the first to paddle in at Jaws in 2000, which was considered, Impossible
- Winning the XXL Award for the biggest wave paddled into in 2000/2001
- Winning the Mavericks Big Wave Invitational in the biggest paddle in surf in the history of the sport in 2010
- Third in the world on the Big Wave World Tour 2010/2011, after only surfing 3/5 events
- Longest open ocean, solo, unsupported, solo SUP paddle – 330km/7 days-West coast 2013
- Runner up- Adventurer of the year Awards @ the Global Stand Up paddle awards May 13
- Project Code Red- Source to Sea- run/SUP Cycle 330km/4 days/8hours sleep -Aug 13
- English Cannel World SUP record the following day
- 12-hour non-stop, open Ocean SUP Guinness Word Record-130.1km/12 hours- March 14
- Nightjar People’s Choice- Adventurer of the Year award 2014 -May 2014
- Making my late father proud, who was a waterman and legend.
- And the best is still to come..:)
The Difference Between good And Great | A strong enough drive, hunger, desire and will/ want to succeed, so they want it so badly it’s like the need to breathe. Dogged determination, commitment, an unwavering belief in yourself and an ability to see past any obstacle that arises no matter how big it may seem at the time…. and most importantly of all, to never, ever, ever, ever give up!
If you don’t give up you can never fail. As, there’s no such thing as failure in life, only a failure to try.
My Key Strength | Dogged determination, a toughened resilience, a never give up, never give in attitude, coupled with an unwavering belief & trust in myself, my decision & my ability to achieve any goals that I set for myself. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.
Developing Self-Belief | Self-belief is not something you can teach; you have to earn it, from within yourself.
Characteristics That Have Led To My Success | Belief, Courage, determination, perseverance, strong work ethic, huge commitment, incredible focus, and never give up attitude
What It Take To Achieve Greatness | Immense discipline, hard work & dedication & precision like focus
Principles I Live By | Honesty, Trust, Humility, giving, selflessness, caring, passionate, driven, loyal.
How I Use My Mind | I believe your mental state equals your self belief…Know thyself, believe in yourself and know your own limitations, boarders and boundaries and then how far you can push them…and then regularly test and push these further, to learn, grow, evolve and get stronger. Its 80% mental, as once this fails you, your physical state & everything you’ve done means nothing.
Lessons I’ve Learnt |
- There’s no such thing as a mistake unless you make it twice
- There’s no such thing as failure, only a failure to try
- When you lose, don’t lose the lesson
- Plan for the worst and hope for the best
- When you panic, don’t panic.
- Never ever, ever give up
- Delete the two words, Cant and Impossible out of your life
- Dream it, see it, believe it, achieve it
- By facing your fears, it makes you stronger
Dealing With Doubt | 14 years ago I deleted the two words “Can’t” & Impossible out of my vocabulary and my life and since then the world has been a very different place, as there cannot be negativity or doubt, if these words don’t exist then suddenly everything is possible
My Dreams And Ambitions | Ha-ha, have you got another full page for me to fill this out, I have projects and plans mapped out right through till past January 2020.
Advice On Building Wealth | Ensure you are enjoying the journey, otherwise you wasting your time, because all the money and wealth in the world wont bring you happiness and give you priceless memories.
The Legacy I’d Like To Leave | One that inspires others to believe in themselves, to live with the courage to follow their passions and achieve their goals and dreams.
I would like to leave an inspiring legacy inspiring others to believe in themselves, there potential and believe that they too take achieve anything if they truly believe it and constantly work towards this goal daily.
*Photo’s with thanks and credit to: Craig Kolesky/Nikon/Lexar
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