Last Saturday, Kelly Slater won the Pipeline Pro in Hawaii. This week he will turn 50.

30 years earlier, he had won the same event for the very first time.

Talk about a long career!

On Saturday, when I tuned in to watch the quarterfinals, I saw two highly skilled surfers waiting for the right wave and their chance to advance. Even though I was thousands of kilometers away and only observing them on screen, I could sense a huge calmness radiating from Kelly.

Every move he did seemed to be well calculated. Every opportunity the ocean offered him, he evaluated unexcitedly and decided whether it would bring him a step closer to his goal.

As one of the oldest competing elite athletes in the world, he certainly has a lot of experience to tap into.

On the other hand, his age could easily be his weak spot.

Maybe he had exactly this in mind when he founded his own apparel company in 2015, maybe it was him being a smart business man. Or something else.

What I admire about Kelly is not only his persistance and serenity. It is also his humility. In the interview after his recent win he stated: ‘I said just stay in the moment, just soak it up, even if he beats you, just love it all.’

THIS is the attitude I want to foster in life.

In myself and in others. This is what I signed up for.

Because I believe that when we live our life like this, we can make the difference that we wish for. In whatever endeavour we have in mind.

Thanks Kelly for being the role-model that you are and congrats on the win.

📸 Picture credits: WSL / Brent Bielmann