Don’t Be Like Your Heroes

The following is a personal essay. Agree? Don't? Feel free to leave a comment at the end, that's what this is all about.

Growing up, heroes play a special role in many people's lives. Be it sports figures, family members or just someone you hear about in the news, looking up to someone and their accomplishments is a powerful motivator to strive for excellence in your future life. Especially for those of us involved with (read: obsessed with!) snowboarding, skateboarding or some other action-sport, the way the media is set up we are practically groomed to pick one or two favourite athletes and then try to emulate them, be it fashion-wise, riding wise or otherwise. 

So what's the problem? Well, I've recently come to the conclusion that if you simply strive to be like said heroes, well, you've basically never going to achieve anything great. Why is that? Because one of the key definitions of greatness – at least to me – is the idea of pioneering. Being there first. Doing something amazing that no one else has thought of. And how can you ever do that if you're sole aim is to emulate someone else, no matter how awesome they are?

Looking at my own life, I've recently realized that I falsely convinced myself that if I can only do X – because that's what I've been told I was supposed to do, by others or myself – then I will finally be accomplishing something special. But what happens when I do accomplish that goal? Nothing of course. Because someone has already been there and done that, and the whole point of greatness for me is, like I said, pioneering new ideas, activities and accomplishments never before seen.
 

On my way to realizing my true path to happiness after one of the most amazing day I have
had the pleasure of spending with friends in the Whistler Backcountry – Cam Hunter Photo

And let me be clear here – when I refer to "success" or "greatness", I am not talking about adoration and accolades from others, although that can be rewarding in it's own right, rather I am talking about a sense of self-satisfaction and happiness with one's self. Something I value above almost anything else and have been searching for my whole life.

Using the snowboard world as an example – that's what I am most familiar with and has shaped my life the most thus far – I can look back and picture 16 year old me, sitting in history class and staring at snowboard magazines filled with pictures of my heroes shredding huge slopes, exploring the backcountry on snowmobiles and travelling the world far and wide. So what did I do? Move out west, buy a sled and camera and head to the infamous Whistler Backcountry. And what did I find there? Well, mostly, a sense of following in others footsteps, something that kept me interested for a few years for sure but ultimately left me feeling empty and unfulfilled. 

But how could I be feeling this way? I was accomplishing all my goals, had put myself in the position I thought I was supposed to be in and had achieved some level of success. Yes, but I wasn't doing anything new, never mind ground-breaking, and it was only upon further reflection that I realized it was not the accomplishments of my heroes that I so looked up to, it was the spirit in which they were done. Sure, the pillow lines and big open bowls Shin, Dano and the rest of the crew from back in the day were riding were rad, but it was the simple fact that they were the first ever to take snowmobiles into the backcountry for the purpose of snowboarding that really got me turned on. By the time I got there, that exploration spirit had all but been replaced by a sense of "this is what you do and this is how you do it" – which completely defeated the whole purpose for me. 

Take a second and think about the characters in the snowboard industry who are hailed as innovators. Are they following in others footsteps or setting their own path? Terje being, well, Terje. Travis Rice and his next-level film productions. Jeremy Jones' epic six-year project that has taken him to some of the most remote places on earth. JP Walker expanding the definition of what urban riding can be. They are all doing things that have never been done before and that – not the specifics – is what I consider the greatest take-away.

Sure, some people are more than happy to toe the line, be it in an office or the backcountry, but that will never satisfy the true explorers in the world. If you strive to be great, to accomplish great things that will leave an impact on the world, then you must not fall into this trap. By all means, look up to others and take motivation from them. But then set your own goals and always strive to go one step beyond.