As far as extreme sports go, highlining is high up there. This is especially true for free soloing a highline; one millimeter off, and you will plunge to your death. According to professional highline walker and BASE jumper Niklas Winter, the only way to master this skill and not die is to follow two pieces of advice.

Winter highlighted these suggestions during his TED talk, and if one is planning on walking a tightrope anytime soon, these will come in handy for sure.

How to Stay Alive Thousands of Feet Above the Ground

Well, according to Niklas Winter, it’s merely a balancing act. According to him, to succeed in this extreme sport, Winter asks himself the question, “How can I figuratively find the right balance between ambition and safety?”

Apparently, there are two most important things to be kept in mind. “First of all, you need to cut the progress into small pieces. Secondly, and probably even more important, you have to be modest about your ambitions. The ultimate challenge in free solo highlining is the ultimate challenge in trusting your own skills.”

Winter feels that the state of mind is an essential factor while walking on a highline- a fact that can either be a boon or a bane. He has specifically learned, through experience and practice, to regulate his own state of mind while highlining. “Ideally, I enter a meditative state, a flow state. I’m completely in the moment, I’m not thinking, just acting. It’s a feeling of complete peace of mind. I feel free.”

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Another factor that is really important, according to Winter, is to closely examine the motivations for doing something dangerous.

What Motivates Niklas Winter?

Extreme sports icons are always motivated to keep pushing themselves. For Winter, one of the motivations is the challenge that the sport gives him. “When I tried slacklining for the first time, I was instantly hooked. I liked the challenge of it.” Winter’s goal in attempting this extreme sport is not to become famous or break records. In fact, he has learned to respect the sport, because now he knows that the slightest change can be the difference between life and death.

One very important message that Winter had regarding motivation is that it should not be based on something temporary, for instance, doing it for the sake of experiencing an adrenaline rush. In Winter’s words, “Instead of always wanting more, rather appreciate what you always have.” 

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What do you think of Winter’s philosophy? Let us know in the comments.