I’d just been messaging a friend telling her I was struggling to find my mojo. It happens sometimes on the weekend…. it feels like everyone else on the planet is hanging out, relaxing and doing a whole bunch of non-work fun stuff. Anyhows, I had shit to do, and so I’d been checking in with a business bestie (who I knew was also hustling over the weekend) in the hope that we’d motivate each other to get moving.
But let’s get back to the phone call…
It wasn’t a number I recognised. But I had an inkling who it might be. And the moment I picked up the phone, I was yelling excitedly down the phone.
It was my good friend Chrissa. Yep, if you’ve been following me for a while you’d know that Chrissa is the crazy big wave surfer, adventurer, and all-round epic dude. Except he wasn’t calling me from his home in Cape Town. He was calling from a satellite phone in the middle of the freaking Atlantic.
Chris is almost halfway across the Atlantic. He set off on the 6th December from Morocco and is attempting the first ever, unassisted solo SUP across the Atlantic. In fact, I don’t even wanna say he’s attempting it… because dammit, he’s doing it!
After spending the first few minutes of the call laughing and yelling at each other Chrissssssaaaaaaa, Linzzzzzzz….. Holy shit…. I can’t believe I’m speaking to you…. Fruitlooooooooop, we got talking about his journey so far.
His first 3 weeks were beyond intense. He was insanely unlucky with the weather and so was almost immediately dealing with life-threatening conditions and high risk of shipwrecking. Chris and I have had our fair share of discussions about fear over the last few years, and I’ve always been super curious how he manages those emotions. But normally (haha, well normal for him), he’s surfing big waves, with other surfers, and jet ski’s and boats, and most importantly, land not too far away. But right now he’s literally floating in the middle of the ocean on his own.
Every time I tell someone about Chris’s journey, they say ‘yeah, I get it, he’s paddling on his own, but he has a support boat right ?’. Nope — no support boat. No safety crew nearby. No one handing over food or supplies. He’s carrying everything he needs on board. He’s sleeping in a tiny (he said he can’t fit both his shoulders flat when lying down) cabin on his specially build craft. He’s paddling 12–14 hours a day.
So why the hell is he doing it? ? Well, I guess if you know Chrissa, you know why. He’s one of those guys who lives for this kinda stuff.
But really the big impact he’s hoping to have? Raising a heap of cash for three really incredible charities. Signature of Hope Trust — A non-profit based in South Africa focused on early childhood development for communities dealing with hardship, The Lunchbox Fund — Feeding orphaned and at-risk children in townships & rural areas of South Africa & Operation Smile — Funding cleft lip or cleft palate operations for kids whose families can’t afford them. He’s also raising awareness of ocean conservation issues, marine plastics & sustainability as an ambassador the 2 Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town.
And the by-product of his epic adventure? Proving that when you put your mind to something, when you’re willing to do whatever it takes, and when you believe in yourself, you are capable of anything.
And I guess that’s what I wanted to share with you today — Some of his radically positive mindset. Chris is the only person I know who will always find the silver lining. He’s the guy who will always come up laughing — no matter how hectic the situation is. His drive & motivation are insatiable, regardless of what’s being thrown at him.
As I was asking him a zillion questions about his trip, here’s what I realised. He wasn’t denying how freaking hard it was, how scary it had been or how much work lies ahead …… but he was focusing on the stuff he’s feeling grateful for. He told me about all the pods of dolphins who’ve joined him along the way. The insane beauty of the night sky and the brightness of all the stars. The friendly turtles he’s encountered and the humbling moments he’s had watching the sun rise and set over the ocean every day.
I know I could get all geeky and give you a whole bunch of stats about his trip. But I know that so many other people have written those articles already. For me, the vision I get when I think of Chris, out there, alone, paddling across an entire ocean, is one of his goofy smile & his positive spirit. His ability to take on any challenge and throw himself 110% into it.
It’s so easy for us to fixate on the bad stuff. To get caught up in all the fear. To think we can’t make a difference. But Chris is proving that there’s another way. And maybe you’re not ready to paddle across an ocean, but perhaps there’s something you’re trying to do that is tough, something that is challenging every inch of you. Maybe fear is getting the better of you and you’ve stopped trusting life. Maybe you’ve forgotten to be grateful for what you do have rather than obsessing about what you don’t. Whatever it is, I hope you find a spark of magic in Chris’s story.
And so, as we said goodbye and I got off the phone, I felt humbled and inspired at the same time. Ready to put my excuses away, focus on the good stuff and get to work. Thanks Chrissa, you are one in a million.
PS. If you want to check out Chris’s crazy journey, you can track him live here and, once you’ve been suitably blown away by the sheer scale of what he’s doing, you can donate to the three charities here.