Back in 2011, I discovered an awesome website called Growing Bolder. I stumbled upon the Growing Bolder segment on Banana George while doing some research for the Gliding Soles, Lessons from a Life on Water book I was writing at the time. “It’s not about age, it’s about attitude,” was the Growing Bolder tagline. “It’s an attitude. A mission. A passion. A team of people who believe in the power of hope, inspiration and possibility.” The site was filled with one inspiring story after another featuring people living passionate lives. Marc Middleton, the founder and CEO, left his job as a reporter in 2006 to form Bolder Media Group. He was tired of constantly reporting news that was physically, emotionally, and mentally draining day after day.
Intrigued, energized, and inspired by all the stories, I connected with Bill Shafer, the Executive Vice President and introduced myself. Like Marc, Bill also left his job as a reporter and shared the same mission and vision of creating positive, uplifting content. I boldly invited Bill and his crew to come to the World Barefoot Center. We ended up having a great time together and Growing Bolder produced two segments which were shown on PBS stations:
I loved the mission and vision of Growing Bolder so much that I told Bill, “I want to come and work for Growing Bolder.”
And now I’m the lucky one. I recently joined the Growing Bolder Blogging team. I get to share inspirational stories, thoughts, and ramblings with a passionate group of Growing Bolder Elite Bloggers. Of course, it was only fitting that I introduced Judy Myers, The Barefoot Competitor, in my first blog post. Four years ago, Judy was pivotal in helping me to unwrap my passion for barefoot water skiing again. I want to pay it forward in encouraging others to pursue their passions, no matter the age.
If you’re at a point in your life where you’ve become stuck in the “same old, same old” routine, I invite you to come over to Growing Bolder and hang out with some truly amazing people, because as Jim Rohn says, “You’re the average of the five people you hang out with.” Get a daily dose of passion on the Growing Bolder Facebook page. Adopt the Growing Bolder lifestyle. You don’t have to settle for growing older. Grow bolder instead.
Comments
One response to “The Growing Bolder Lifestyle”
I started barefoot waterskiing in my mother’s stomach. When I was growing up, we did not have cell phones, we did not have laptops, and when we went away for a weekend to barefoot waterski,usually in Mexico, you took off your watch and never looked at it again, until you HAD to go home laaate Sunday evening. I was raised in the barefoot community with Peter Fleck and Doug Jordan and a lot of other family friends. I saw so many barefoot tricks before the age of 8, that by the time I was 2 years old, it was only natural for me to want to ski on my feet. By the time I was 4 years old, I was put on my father’s (Art Marino) lap when he was on the boom barefooting, and I just went along for the ride. When I was 4 1/2, my family was part of inventing the most popular way to learn barefoot waterskiing today…sitting in the handle like a swing. Which is the BEST way to teach children, or anyone for that matter. When I was younger, I was called “The Malayna”, due to my adventurous style of wanting to barefoot water ski at such a young age. Now, I am a little more reserved (which I am trying to get out of). By the time I was 6 years old,I competed in barefoot water ski competitions, but did not really get into it as much I could have. At age 11, I took about a 3 year hiatus from barefooting, and took up wakeskating (which is a great way to get out of the barefoot wetsuit! haha). When I was 14, I asked my dad what it was like to go backwards barefoot, and he suggested to just try it. It took me about 3 summers to master backwards barefooting, but it is what got me back into the sport that I love so much today. I have been water skiing for 20 years now, and I am very grateful to my parents and everyone else who raised me in such a wonderful fun exciting sport. My most waterski days have been down at our place in Mexico, and my father has been teaching water skiing down at our place for almost 30 years. I have been very lucky and blessed to have such a great outlook on life, as I am a very humble and respectful human being, but barefoot waterskiing has a huge impact on who I am today. I am telling my story today for someone who needs a little push to get out there and try something new. Everyone has a story, but why not make your story a little more exciting! I will always barefoot waterski and I try every season to learn something new and if I don’t get it this year, I will keep trying. I love to run, hike and do any outside sport I can, but nothing beats a weekend down in Mexico, barefoot waterskiing. Live your life your way, but remember to push yourself whenever you get the chance.Have a great day! and Hit me up on instagram @travelcruisin4life or email me: skibarefoot90@gmail.com.