In the 90s, when I was going to school in Margaret River, T-shirts everywhere were emblazoned with the slogan "Fortune favours the brave." a constant reminder to take risks and embrace the unknown.
At the time horses were my life, but the call of the ocean was irresistible. Surfing was a completely different world—unpredictable and challenging. I fell down, nearly drowned more times than I can remember, and whilst I struggled to master the big down south swells, each attempt strengthened my resolve to figure it out. That slogan was omnipresent in my mind and it always made me feel that bravery isn’t about fearlessness; it’s about taking the leap despite the fear.
As a kid, it made me brave when riding, giving me the courage to handle challenges and push through uncertainty. It’s about doing it with fear so you can learn to do it without fear. It’s about paddling out when others are watching from the car park.
I now look back and am so grateful I stepped outside my comfort zone and had a crack. It taught me so much.
The surfing phase didn’t stick though, and I moved on to other things before eventually circling back to horses. Now, whenever I’m walking a big course, leaving the start box for a cross-country round, or swinging a leg over a hot, unpredictable young horse, not knowing how it will go, I always say to myself, "Fortune favours the brave." And it does.
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