Skateboarding and Life: The Power of Persistence
Life will knock you down—repeatedly. But if there’s one lesson skateboarding teaches better than anything else, it’s how to get back up. I wasn’t the best skateboarder growing up, but I always admired the persistence required to land a trick. Skateboarding, just like life, is all about repetition, resilience, and the willingness to keep trying even when you fail over and over again.
Recently, I was watching a video of Nyjah Huston, one of the greatest competitive skateboarders in the world. He was attempting an insane trick down a massive set of stairs. Over and over, he slammed into the ground, took hit after hit, but he never gave up. He kept going, adjusting, learning, and pushing through the pain. After what seemed like an endless number of attempts, he finally landed it. The crowd erupted, but you could see it in his face—he wasn’t satisfied for long. He was already thinking about the next challenge.
That’s life. You go after something, you get knocked down, and it hurts. Maybe you fail your first business. Maybe you lose a big deal. Maybe you struggle to fix a broken relationship. But if you stop trying, you never land the trick.
One of the biggest things I’ve learned in business is that success isn’t about avoiding failure—it’s about showing up every day and putting in the reps. It’s about making the calls, doing the work, and not quitting when things get tough. The process is frustrating, exhausting, and sometimes even painful, but that’s where the growth happens.
Think about your own life. What’s the ‘trick’ you’re trying to land? Maybe it’s turning your business around. Maybe it’s repairing a relationship. Maybe it’s finally committing to a goal you’ve been pushing off. The truth is, you won’t land it on the first try. You’re going to fall, probably a lot. But the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is simple—the ones who succeed keep getting back up.
So put in the reps. Make the calls. Keep trying. Because eventually, the trick will land, and when it does, you’ll be ready for the next challenge. That’s the game. That’s life. That’s skateboarding.
