“You Can’t Eat Your Surfboard”: Nothing Naysayers Said Broke Surfing Legend Laird Hamilton’s Confidence in Himself, Reveals 2015 Interview

Know as the Waterman and rightly so, Laird Hamilton had successfully excelled at everything he pursued. While he had tried his hands on surfing or being a producer, model, or fitness and nutrition expert, he made his way back successfully to the shore. However, this does not go to say that the waves of life have always been kind to him. In fact, he was laughed at, bullied, and advised repeatedly to settle for much less.

Despite being an outstanding surfer, his teachers and others often pulled Laird back rendering him demotivated. However, amidst soiled banters and bullies, there rose a man who had self-belief and that is Laird Hamilton.  Moreover, he was demotivated by the surrounding people while growing up. In a 2015 interview, Laird opened up about how the naysayers tried to break his confidence.

Laird Hamilton rose as high as the waves

Laird Hamilton used all the surrounding negativity as his booster, rather than letting it slow his pace. Hamilton shared a powerful message through the story he narrated in the 2015 interview.

Hamilton said, “I had teachers say, you know, why I, a lot of Hawaiians and the Japanese and other people I grew up with were like, you know they used to say, hey you know boy, you can’t eat your surfboard because I’d go surfing every day and I just had to be like crazed about surfing.”

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He continued, “And they are like, you know, you can’t eat that thing. Like hey, you’re gonna need to work or you have to survive. And I was like, oh no, I think I can eat this thing.” 

Laird Hamilton’s unstoppable achievements 

Hamilton’s specialty lies in the fact that he never stopped. The renowned crossover board innovator introduced stand-up paddle boarding, tow-in-surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, and hydrofoil boarding. 

Laird Hamilton was constantly bugged and told that he cannot make a living out of his surfboards. However, Hamilton believed in himself and his skills to not let people’s negative words in his mind. He kept working hard until he earned the title of Waterman. 

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