On October 31, 2003, Bethany Hamilton was lying on her board at Tunnels Beach on Kauai, Hawaii, when a 14 foot tiger shark bit off her left arm. She was a young surfer with big dreams. In a few seconds, the dream seemed gone.
Back in the water
She lost a lot of blood but survived the attack. Just 26 days later, on November 26, she was back on a surfboard. She had to learn how to paddle, balance and duck under waves all over again with one arm.
In January 2004 she entered her first competition. She kept entering. She kept getting better.
Keep going
Bethany went on to win national and professional events and was named best comeback athlete at the 2004 ESPY Awards. In 2008 she took second at the world junior championships. Her story became the book and film Soul Surfer, and later a documentary called Unstoppable.
She has spoken for years about her faith being what held her up in the hardest days.
What stays with me
She did not wait until she felt ready. She went back in the water while it was still scary, and she found that fear gets smaller when you walk toward it.
What is your water right now? Go back in. Slowly is fine.
Source: read more about the facts here.
Keep reading
- More motivation
- Faith and hope
- Good news stories Before the attack
Bethany Hamilton was born on February 8, 1990, in Lihue, on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. She grew up in a surfing family with two older brothers and was homeschooled. She started competing at age eight. By thirteen she was a serious young surfer. The attack came on October 31, 2003, at Tunnels Beach. The water was not new to her. Surfing was already a big part of her life.
After the comeback
She entered her first major contest in January 2004. That same year she received an ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete, and her book Soul Surfer was published. In 2005 she won a national title at the NSSA National Championships. She went on to compete as a professional. The 2011 film Soul Surfer told her story, and a documentary, Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable, came out in 2018. She also speaks about faith and getting through hard times.
>What this story says to me
What impresses me is not only the comeback. It is the faith and the decision to keep going. Fear is natural. Getting back in anyway is where the strength shows up.
Her story reminds me that setbacks can be turned into something that helps others.
Where it meets your life
Most of us have something that scared us off. A failure, an injury, a hard season. You do not have to jump back in all at once.
Take a small step toward it and see how it feels.
One thing to do today
Spend ten minutes today on the thing you have been avoiding out of fear. Just ten.
Courage grows by use.
Fear and faith together
Going back to something that scared you is not about having no fear. It is about deciding that fear does not get the final say. Many people say the first step back is the hardest, and the second is a little easier.
Faith plays a big part for many. It gives you something steadier than your own feelings to stand on.
Your own comeback
Think of one area where you stepped back after a hard blow. A job, a friendship, a health goal, a dream. Ask yourself what a small, safe step toward it might look like.
You do not have to be fearless. You only have to move.
Help someone else back
Look around for someone who is stuck after a setback. A short message saying I believe in you can be the push they need. Often, helping someone else get up helps you stand taller too.
Words from Positive Phil
Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets.
