Greg Long is a very interesting guy. He’s soft-spoken, stoic, and one of the most genuinely nice people you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting. He also surfs some of the biggest waves the planet has to offer. He’s got a certain confidence about him that can only come from a serious amount of introspection and limit testing.
He’s in no way the embodiment of the surfer stereotype–intelligent, thoughtful, and calculated, Greg spends his life preparing himself for those moments where he’s “riding down the face of the next greatest, biggest wave of your life… or the one that could end it.”
In all his years of chasing waves that could kill him, he’s learned to deal with fear a little differently than most.
“Fear, and all those negative connotations attached with it… it’s all a fabrication of your own mind,” he explained. “Because we alone create our own reality through our thoughts. We’re free to interpret any single situation that happens to us–any event–however we want to. So when something provokes these ideas of fear, reacting in a negative way is simply a choice.”
But for someone who simply hasn’t put in enough time dodging death, the ability to make that choice might a little harder to come by. Greg, though, is supremely confident in his abilities. That confidence doesn’t come from an arrogant place–it comes from an incredible amount of preparation.
“Within each of our respective lives, there are those variables that you can control and use to your advantage to help facilitate you on your way to accomplishing whatever goal you have,” he said. “I attribute solely to the fact that when those moments would present themselves, I was more prepared and ready than anyone else. Because from preparation comes confidence. And from that confident mindset–it doesn’t matter what you do in life–that’s where you’re going to find your greatest performances.”
