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DO THIS To Master Your BREATH Today For SUCCESS!| Laird Hamilton & Lewis Howes

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Lewis HoweshostLaird Hamiltonguest

Aug 10, 20151h 9mWatch on YouTube

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Transcript

80 min read · 16,337 words

0:00 – 0:04
Intro
1. LHLewis Howes
  [upbeat music]
0:04 – 2:17
Why mastering your breath affects your body, energy, and even “spirit”
1. LHLewis Howes
  Welcome, everyone, back to the School of Greatness Podcast. Very excited. Laird Hamilton in his house.
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
3. LHLewis Howes
  It's good to see you, my man.
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  You're welcome.
5. LHLewis Howes
  Uh, very excited about this episode because of what you just put me through-
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  Okay
7. LHLewis Howes
  ... which was an intense workout, which was really just a breathing exercise.
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yes.
9. LHLewis Howes
  And I, before we get into your story, I read a quote somewhere, you probably know the quote, uh, the real quote. Something about if you master your breath, you have the strength of 10 tigers, or something like that. Is that the quote? Have you heard that before?
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  I'm not sure, but that sounds, uh, I, I-
11. LHLewis Howes
  There's some, like, Tao quote that's like, "Ma- learn to master your breath, you have the strength of 10 tigers."
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  It's true.
13. LHLewis Howes
  Crazy, right?
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  It's fr- it's real. It's, it's-
15. LHLewis Howes
  Why is breathing so important in our, not e- you know, a lot of entrepreneurs here-
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  In our existence
17. LHLewis Howes
  ... but in our existence, yes. In our lives.
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  I, I mean, y- y- you know, it, and, and I've been fortunate to be exposed to a couple different forms of breathing.
19. LHLewis Howes
  Uh-huh.
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  And of course, you know, when you're [clears throat] in the ocean-
21. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... or in the water, breath is an ever important thing.
23. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah, yeah.
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  Because your, you know, your relationship with drowning. But, uh, uh, you know, lately I've been kind of studying under this guy Wim Hof, who's does all this, uh, breath training. But w- the, the thing that you realize is that, that your spirit or your soul is connected to your breath.
25. LHLewis Howes
  Mm.
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  And that when, that when you, you know, like when a baby takes its first breath is when it, the spirit comes i- into the body.
27. LHLewis Howes
  Wow.
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  Just like when the breath stops, so does the spirit leave.
29. LHLewis Howes
  Wow.
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  So if you really wanna get into, like, a kind of a little bit, you know, deeper-
2:17 – 4:05
From unconscious breath training to disciplined practice
1. LHLewis Howes
  So have you been practicing breathing strategies or techniques or working on your breath for, since you've been s- uh, surfing and swimming in the ocean for your whole life, have you been doing that? Or is it more in the last year? You said you started to dive in and really practice it now.
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  Well, the, it's been the last year or, or last year or so that I've really focused on isolation of the breath. I've been exposed to some yoga breathing-
3. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm, yeah
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... and some types of yoga breathing over the years. Um, but I haven't been so, uh, disciplined and consistent with it like I have been the last year and a half or two. And, and so, y- you know, that's... But I, but I, I indirectly have been doing it anyway.
5. LHLewis Howes
  Sure.
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  Because first of all, when you swim-
7. LHLewis Howes
  You have to when you're swimming, yeah
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... swimming's a breathing rhythm.
9. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  Being in the water, you always have to hold your breath. Uh, you know, so you get, so you have a relationship with your breath if you do any kind of s- diving or free diving. I mean, you already have e- e- established a, a, a, a de- a, a-
11. LHLewis Howes
  Mm
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... a deeper relationship than-
13. LHLewis Howes
  Yes
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... the average person
15. LHLewis Howes
  ... normal people. Yeah, yeah.
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  Because normally people aren't, they're, they don't even think about breathing.
17. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  They're not even, you know, they're not even conscious of it.
19. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah. And if you wanna become a better swimmer or better in the water, whatever sport you're doing, you have to be- master your breath at some level.
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  Absolutely. I mean-
21. LHLewis Howes
  So you're, you're getting better just by practicing it.
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
23. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah, yeah.
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  It's, it's a byproduct of your, of you doing it without even being conscious of it. And, and, and then, you know, and then when you do some heavy, you know, circuits or, or, or other types of, of, you know, intense training-
25. LHLewis Howes
  Mm
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... you know you know what the breath is all about. I mean-
27. LHLewis Howes
  Right
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... usually the breath is what, what dictates the failure.
29. LHLewis Howes
  Mm.
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  At a certain point, when you're out of breath and you're behind, you know, you look at any endurance athlete or any e- fighter, you know, as soon as they start mouth breathing and [panting] they, like, they all, like, everybody will say they're, oh, they're finished.
4:05 – 5:42
What structured breathing unlocks: control, calm, and performance
1. LHLewis Howes
  So what have you learned about yourself in the last two years after essentially 40 years of breathing strategies and mastering your breath, now into actually diving into these new strategies? What's opened up for you? What's been available for your body, your mind, your relationships, your health, your businesses when mastering this new way of breathing?
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  Uh, I, I think it just, I think it, it definitely, uh, brings a certain amount of control-
3. LHLewis Howes
  Mm
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... over your, over your system that you didn't have. Yet you, you have a sensitivity to-
5. LHLewis Howes
  You have more control now in these last two years-
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  For sure
7. LHLewis Howes
  ... than you did for-
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  For sure
9. LHLewis Howes
  ... 40 prior years-
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  For sure
11. LHLewis Howes
  ... studying this?
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  For sure.
13. LHLewis Howes
  Wow.
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  For sure. Just, just because of the, well, the sequencing of breathing and the way, uh, the way the body reacts to it.
15. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm.
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  And, and, you know, y- when you get into, it's like any, uh, any form of training. You know, you, you, when you put stress on the system, then the system adapts.
17. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm.
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  That's just, that's how our sy- that's how it works. I mean, evolution-
19. LHLewis Howes
  Right
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... is because there's stress on a situation, so there's a, there's an adaptation, and then we evolve. And, and, and, uh, you know, so by sh- but when you start stressing the body through the breathing, then it adapts and becomes more efficient.
21. LHLewis Howes
  Mm.
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  And you start to get control of, you, you find that you can, you know, you can breathe yourself into real calmness.
23. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  You can find you can use the energy to bring your energy up and make you more, you know, more, uh, aggressive or more powerful. You can control your lactic acid, you know-
25. LHLewis Howes
  Mm
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... threshold. I mean, it just, it seems somewhat, uh, you know, boundless.
27. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  You know?
5:42 – 8:29
An hour of breathing as a workout: intensity without movement
1. LHLewis Howes
  It's crazy. I mean, I'll just reiterate what happened for those that, uh, obviously weren't here. There was probably 10 of us outside. I walked in. You guys were already doing the breathing.
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  Sure.
3. LHLewis Howes
  And then you, we, took us outside, uh, on your, your pool deck, and we started breathing. And within about 45 seconds, I thought I was gonna pass out. You're like, "Okay, you're gonna breathe in a certain way," and I'll have you demonstrate this for a second.
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  Sure.
5. LHLewis Howes
  You're gonna breathe in a certain way.
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
7. LHLewis Howes
  You don't wanna hyperventilate [laughs]
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
9. LHLewis Howes
  ... but close to it.
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
11. LHLewis Howes
  And I remember my whole body was, like, tingling. We're laying on our backs-
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
13. LHLewis Howes
  ... and my whole body was tingling. I was, I was like, "I might pass out if I push this."
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
15. LHLewis Howes
  Because I was dizzy.
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
17. LHLewis Howes
  I was lightheaded. I was like, it's early morning here.
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
19. LHLewis Howes
  I'm like, "Where am I?" Up in Malibu.
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  For sure.
21. LHLewis Howes
  And it was intense, and we did it for... I was like, "Yeah, okay. Maybe this is, like, a 10, 15-minute thing, warmup-
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah, yeah
23. LHLewis Howes
  ... for the real workout."
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
25. LHLewis Howes
  But we did it over an hour, it felt like-
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  For sure
27. LHLewis Howes
  ... of breathing.
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  For sure.
29. LHLewis Howes
  It was one of the most intense things I've ever done, one of the most intense workouts, and I've played, uh, you know, high-level sports in three different sports.
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  Absolutely.
8:29 – 9:49
Altitude-mask training and the idea of ‘simulating’ oxygen scarcity
1. LHLaird Hamilton
  And so then you have to get it. How do I get it? I gotta do it through the breathing. And so you can, if you're, if you're disciplined, I mean, we learned, 'cause we were doing these altitude mask trainings-
2. LHLewis Howes
  Yes
3. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... so we had these m- special-
4. LHLewis Howes
  Yes
5. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... masks.
6. LHLewis Howes
  Training masks, yep.
7. LHLaird Hamilton
  But they weren't, not the restriction masks, but an actual mask that simulates altitude.
8. LHLewis Howes
  Okay, sure.
9. LHLaird Hamilton
  And you put these resistors on it, and it's a, a process that they developed for Russian, uh, fighter jet pilots-
10. LHLewis Howes
  Okay
11. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... before they had pressurized cabins. They'd send these guys up, and they'd fly up to, you know-
12. LHLewis Howes
  Wow
13. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... 15,000 feet, and all of a sudden they'd just burrow in.
14. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
15. LHLaird Hamilton
  And they're like, "Well, what's wrong?" Well, they're not acclimated to the altitude.
16. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
17. LHLaird Hamilton
  So how do we acclimate them? How do we acclimate thousands of them in a short period of time? And so they ha- developed this mask system with these restrictors. And, uh, and what you do is you wear an, uh, an oximeter that tells your, tells you where your blood levels are.
18. LHLewis Howes
  Mm.
19. LHLaird Hamilton
  So, uh, you, you, you can see where the blood level is, and you're, you're supposed to get your blood level down to, like, 70% oxygen. And you stay there for three minutes, and then you come back out. It takes three minutes to get there, and you do that six times, and then you do that once a day, and then within a couple months-
20. LHLewis Howes
  You build up to it, and yeah
21. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... right to 20,000 feet, and you're like-
22. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
23. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... "No problem."
24. LHLewis Howes
  You're fine.
25. LHLaird Hamilton
  But you realize that we can implement that same thing just by controlling your breathing and by restricting it, and you don't even need, you don't even need this thing.
26. LHLewis Howes
  Right.
27. LHLaird Hamilton
  But it takes the discipline, and it takes the time.
28. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah, it took, you know-
29. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
30. LHLewis Howes
  ... we did an hour of it.
9:49 – 12:14
Breathwork as ‘mechanical meditation’ and why it forces presence
1. LHLewis Howes
  The interesting thing was I was doing it, and I realized that I wasn't focused on anything else in my life. I wasn't, uh, you know, it came up in a couple moments. I was like, "Oh, what about that thing that I was stressed about yesterday and about this relationship issue I have and about my business?" But then it's like you're going through so much in your body, you have to be in the moment present of your breath-
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  In the moment, in the moment
3. LHLewis Howes
  ... that you can't stress about something else, which was so fascinating. I was like, wow, just in an hour of meditation, essentially.
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  Meditation. It's, and it's actually, uh-
5. LHLewis Howes
  It was crazy
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... and, and, and, and that's the whole thing with w- you know, when, when, uh, a lot of Wim's training, the Iceman's training has to do with ... A- and this is, you know, because I've been exposed to different forms of-
7. LHLewis Howes
  Uh-huh
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... meditation, this is a mechanical meditation system-
9. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... where you, you can actually implement a, a, a, a process to d- to meditate, not-
11. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... not an ethereal process.
13. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  Not something where you have to kind of, you know, where, where you get to a swami and he tells you to go to this thing.
15. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  And, you know, and from, from my scientific, practical mindset, where I come from, uh, it doesn't work.
17. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  You go, I just, I can't get there.
19. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  It's like, and I, well, you know, transcendental, and I'm all, "Okay, yeah, that's great." But when you tell me, "Breathe this many times, exhale, hold," d- you know, d- you know, "Breathe again, exhale, hold, you're gonna feel this."
21. LHLewis Howes
  You're in an athlete's mentality.
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  You're gonna feel this.
23. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  Athlete.
25. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah, that's, I'm coming from, you know, I'm coming from math.
27. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  I'm coming from practical, like-
29. LHLewis Howes
  Yes
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... you know, this does that, that does this. Uh, you know, I need that.
12:14 – 13:58
Circle breath, hyperventilation vs. efficient rhythm, and common sensations
1. LHLewis Howes
  So if you can, let's maybe do, like, 15 to 20 seconds of, uh- What someone could practice at home in a safe environment-
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
3. LHLewis Howes
  ... because you were pushing us pretty hard.
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
5. LHLewis Howes
  Maybe you weren't, but for me as a-
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
7. LHLewis Howes
  ... newbie, I was like, "Oh, this is the real deal."
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah. Well, you need to go into it slowly.
9. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  I mean, you know, you can go online and get a course from Wim.
11. LHLewis Howes
  Uh-huh.
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  Like, he has an incredible online program. You know, basically, the, the foundation of it really has to do with a, with a, an, a ... I call it a circle breath. And I don't even ... You know, I, I'm an amateur.
13. LHLewis Howes
  Mm.
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  But I know s- I know that the, that, you know, I look at it as a circle breath in the sense of that the in and the out are similar.
15. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  And then it's really, um, i- it's a rhythm, and it's almost like hyperventilation, but not that, 'cause hyperventilation takes a lot of energy and you're short-breathing. And so you build the-
17. LHLewis Howes
  So what does hyperventilation look like, if you can just-
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  Hy- hyperventilation-
19. LHLewis Howes
  If you can just-
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... is more like [panting] like that, where you start to, where you'll get ... You were not really getting ... You're kinda, you can get a CO2 buildup-
21. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... which happens, which make you, you know ... I mean, you can pass out doing any kind of breathing.
23. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  You know, or lack thereof.
25. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  But, um, this breathing is more like [exhaling] . Like if you think about pumping something up.
27. LHLewis Howes
  Mm.
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  Like how you'd pump a raft up or how you, or you blow-
29. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... a balloon up. You know-
13:58 – 16:01
Why oxygenation can increase reps: pushups, breath holds, and efficiency
1. LHLewis Howes
  So what's the purpose of oxygen- oxygenating your body? What's that purpose? What's that do for the body once it's complete?
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  Well, I mean, ultimately, it, it, it definitely will allow you to work harder, you know, so that if you implement ... Like, like for example, you can do, you know, uh, W- in, in Wim's program, you do these pushups, and you do them just with normal breathing.
3. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm.
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  And then he has you sit there, and then you oxygenate your system, and you exhale and hold your breath and do pushups. And you do more pushups on an exhale breath hold than you did while you were breathing.
5. LHLewis Howes
  Breathing. Wait, so you could do more pushups completely letting go and then holding it, not taking a breath in, and pushing. You can do more pushups than-
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  More pushups
7. LHLewis Howes
  ... if you were breathing.
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yes.
9. LHLewis Howes
  How is that even possible? Doesn't your muscles-
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  Because when you-
11. LHLewis Howes
  ... need the oxygen?
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  They, they do, but, but the fact is, is that you've saturated your system with a volume of oxygen that, that you normally don't get when you just normal breathe and do an activity, and that's really what it's about, right? It's about you, you understanding th- that, that the oxygen that you store in your system is greater than the one you're getting.
13. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  And, and th- th- to get more, because also you have to remember it takes energy to breathe.
15. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah. [laughs]
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  So when you add an activity with breathing, then now it takes energy just to do the breathing. And because our breathing isn't, uh, very efficient, we're not absorbing enough w- when you compound that with the amount of energy it takes to do the activity, right?
17. LHLewis Howes
  Right.
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  So, yeah, the, the breathing energy, uh, the energy it takes to do the activity, and then you're, and then you're, and then you're behind.
19. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  And that's why you ... I mean, uh, ultimately, the muscles don't fail because they're failing. They're just not getting the oxygen they need.
21. LHLewis Howes
  The oxygen. I mean, we were like, th- those of us who had shirts on, and, you know, were dripping in sweat-
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  Absolutely
23. LHLewis Howes
  ... just breathing.
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  Absolutely.
25. LHLewis Howes
  And it's not even that hot out right now. [laughs]
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  I know that. No, I know. It's al- it's counterintuitive.
27. LHLewis Howes
  It's crazy.
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  You look and you're like, oh, yeah, a- and, and again, you know, to have the discipline to be able to do it and implement-
29. LHLewis Howes
  Mm
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... an, an hour of breathing-
16:01 – 23:47
Coaching approach, community over competition, and ‘victory through attrition’
1. LHLaird Hamilton
  I think that's part of it, is to teach you that, that ... A- and, and, you know, at a certain point, you know, it, you either have to be exposed to people that are doing it or you have to be at a maturity level to handle it.
2. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm.
3. LHLaird Hamilton
  Because, you know, in our normal mindset, "Aah, ugh," you know-
4. LHLewis Howes
  Right, right, right
5. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... we just gotta grind away at stuff. And, and it's because that's an actually an easier way to approach things.
6. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
7. LHLaird Hamilton
  It's easier just to go, "I'm gonna get on my bike and I'm gonna ride for, you know, two hours straight."
8. LHLewis Howes
  I'm gonna ride. Yeah, yeah.
9. LHLaird Hamilton
  Or, "I'm gonna go in here, and I've got these weights, and I'm just gonna bang these weights," or, "I'm gonna sprint back and forth across this field." A- it's another thing to go, "Okay, I'm gonna go lay down."
10. LHLewis Howes
  It's more disciplined to do what we did.
11. LHLaird Hamilton
  Exactly, which is the irony of it, right? Is it, it, it almost takes more discipline to do nothing than it does to do something.
12. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
13. LHLaird Hamilton
  But that's the iron- but that's kind of the irony-
14. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
15. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... of the story, in a way.
16. LHLewis Howes
  It's interesting, because I was so grateful that you were facilitating it for us, because it was my first time. I don't know if there were other guys' first time there today.
17. LHLaird Hamilton
  Uh, there, yeah, a couple of the t- a couple of the boys.
18. LHLewis Howes
  Couple guys.
19. LHLaird Hamilton
  I think they may have done it once or something.
20. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah, yeah.
21. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
22. LHLewis Howes
  Anyway, it's interesting 'cause I was just, uh, so ... I was like, you know, do we ... You made it so comfortable for us.
23. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
24. LHLewis Howes
  At least for me.
25. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah, yeah.
26. LHLewis Howes
  You were like, "You know, it's okay. You don't have to do the same pace as everyone else."
27. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah, yeah.
28. LHLewis Howes
  "If you need to breathe-
29. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
30. LHLewis Howes
  ... you can take a break."
23:47 – 28:10
Why he pursued big waves: environment, thrill-seeking, and being an outsider
1. LHLewis Howes
  So what got you into big wave, uh, surfing in the first place? What got you inspired by that sport?
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  Well, environment.
3. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah. You grew up in Hawaii, right?
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  I mean, I was, I was in Hawaii. I was where-
5. LHLewis Howes
  Oahu or, uh-
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  I was on the North Shore of Oahu-
7. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... when I was real, when I was very young-
9. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... and, uh, and exposed to, uh, you know, and exposed to the biggest waves in the world.
11. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  And then exposed to the greatest big wave surfers in the world.
13. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm.
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  And, and then, and then having a natural, uh, kind of thing about a thrill, little, like daredevil.
15. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  Little thrill-seeker. Like, I just had a thing. And you know, it's a certain, you, you just have, it's like a mechanism that they-
17. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... I think there's some science behind, you know, the certain guys are born with, like, miss, I think they're just missing something.
19. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  Like, the, the thing about, like-
21. LHLewis Howes
  A loose screw?
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... probably not, you know-
23. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... when, where that line is of not to do or... Uh, but there's, uh, and, and it's a, and I think it, I think there's a, a certain- There's a certain amount of us that it was important that we had that because we needed to be able to, uh, do, do that. I, I, like I said yesterday in, uh, in the conversation, uh, that you... there needs to be an expendability, uh, aspect to a certain group in-
25. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... in, in the, in the, in, in, in, in, you know, in our species.
27. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  We have to have that.
29. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  That's part of what we needed in order to survive. Like, a- against something-
28:10 – 32:50
Adversity growing up: poverty, identity, and earning respect over time
1. LHLewis Howes
  Sure. What was the biggest adversity f- like you had to go through growing up or in your young adult life?
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  I mean, listen, w- uh, 'cause, 'cause, you know, we all can have a thousand reasons why we're, you know, poor me and look what happened.
3. LHLewis Howes
  Uh-huh.
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  And, and I wouldn't change one thing, but, you know, we were poor p- poor-
5. LHLewis Howes
  Mm
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... for sure. Very poor. And I, and, uh, people, you know... I, it's interesting, I've had a conversation with some people that are like, you know, some- somebody from another country says, "Oh, you know, I wasn't raised, uh, you know, I was raised in a third world country," and this and that. And I'm like, "Yeah, but did you have an outhouse?"
7. LHLewis Howes
  Hmm.
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  I had to explain to him what an outhouse was. I go, "Do you ever have cold showers? Like, do you have a tin roof on your house, open tin roof with screen windows?" Like, I mean-
9. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... like this is how... A- and, and, and-
11. LHLewis Howes
  Liv- living off the land, essentially.
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah. Well, no-
13. LHLewis Howes
  'Cause in Hawaii, there's lots of fruits
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... yeah, yeah. But you live off, but you have that... I mean, the local, the Hawaiians, they lived off the land well.
15. LHLewis Howes
  Yes.
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  So I became... I got, you know, and that, and I ate the way they ate.
17. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  And I worked with them, and that, that had, I think that, that also h- led to, to cultivating my strength.
19. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  You know what I mean? I, I think that I, 'cause I was with the, the local people, that, the way they lived and, and, and, you know, I always used to say, "I'm looking white, but I'm thinking brown," you know?
21. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  So, and, uh, but, but, you know, the, those things, I mean, I, I know that the ra- the... being a haole was a, that was a-
23. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... that was probably the overriding blanket-
25. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... of the whole thing. I mean, you know, okay, money, whatever, Hawaii-
27. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah. A haole is a white person in Hawaii.
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah. That's right.
29. LHLewis Howes
  I lived in, on the big i- on, on Oahu for two months.
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  Exactly. Exactly.
32:50 – 34:40
Contrarian nature, the ‘frontier,’ and how Hawaii shaped who he became
1. LHLewis Howes
  Right. Yeah, exactly. It's a whole culture there, yeah. If you would've grown up in the Or- uh, Orange County-
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  [laughs]
3. LHLewis Howes
  Where would you-
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  Which is what people think
5. LHLewis Howes
  ... right. Would they think you grew up there?
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  Which people, when they... Well no, they, people would think, they, when they look at me, I mean, 'cause I'm from Southern California-
7. LHLewis Howes
  Of course, with the blonde hair
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... they think, they think that I, you know, that I was the captain of the football team and-
9. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah, yeah
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... that I-
11. LHLewis Howes
  Water polo and this, that-
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  Oh yeah, and had all the, I had the, you know, I was homecoming king with the homecoming queen and all that stuff and I'm like [laughs] obviously you don't know me.
13. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah, yeah.
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  But, um, and I wouldn't be who I am.
15. LHLewis Howes
  You wouldn't be who you are?
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  I wouldn't be.
17. LHLewis Howes
  Okay.
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  No. I would be, I mean, I don't know what I would be. I, I think I still have some certain things that are, that are innate to my personality. Um, you know, which I probably c- there's a real good chance I could be incarcerated, um, even-
19. LHLewis Howes
  Sure
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... where I grew up had I not-
21. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... took a couple of the rights when I could've gone left-
23. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... kinda thing.
25. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  Um, just 'cause my nature of my defiance and my, you know, not, not, not, uh, I mean, well my friend calls me a contrarian.
27. LHLewis Howes
  Mm.
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  But I just, you know, I'd, I'm, uh, what are they? What thr- I always throa- uh, I always quote Thoreau which is, you know, "Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty and the obedient shall be slaves."
29. LHLewis Howes
  Mm.
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  So I'm, I'm you know-
34:40 – 39:00
Getting into ‘the zone’: preparation, clean relationships, and surfing as the now
1. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah, yeah. I like it. Now I'm curious, um, I'm fascinated with the zone and getting in the zone, and you're-
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
3. LHLewis Howes
  ... you know, from the moment I met you-
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
5. LHLewis Howes
  ... a few hours ago, right when you're breathing, I walked in on you-
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
7. LHLewis Howes
  ... breathing intensely and then walking up and-
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
9. LHLewis Howes
  ... I was like, "Okay, this guy's in the zone already," right when I met you.
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah, yeah.
11. LHLewis Howes
  One, how do you prepare to get into the zone when you're jumping off a 200-foot cliff or you're in a-
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
13. LHLewis Howes
  ... in a, in a big wave or whatever you're doing, these breathing, uh, strategies or workout, anything you're doing, the pool stuff. How do you prepare to get into the zone? Because you can't just, "I'm gonna go surf a big wave today," and jump on the board and just take it lightly I would assume-
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
15. LHLewis Howes
  ... 'cause your life is at hand.
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
17. LHLewis Howes
  So what do you do to prepare for that?
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  Well, uh, I mean a big, I, I, a big part of it, you know, I mean I've been doing this so long that I have the ability to kinda just go and do it.
19. LHLewis Howes
  Access it, yeah.
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  It's kind of this, it's river-
21. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... it's just right below the surface.
23. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  It's just sitting there like the whole time.
25. LHLewis Howes
  Any moment, yeah.
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  It can just rear its head. Um, you know, which is good and bad.
27. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  It's sometimes it's not something that, you know, you, you, you know, 'cause you have the capacity to just do things in a way that you have to govern that because that's the kinda stuff that doesn't go over well in a, you know, in a densely populated area.
29. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah. [laughs]
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  [laughs] But, uh, but there, but a lot of it has to do with the preparation, you know? I'd, I'd say the, the real, the real art of, of, of the preparation for being in the zone is your preparation.
39:00 – 46:53
Pride, quitting alcohol, and the scariest moments—including being lost at sea
1. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah, yeah. What would you say is one of the things that you've done in your life that you're most proud of, that maybe not that many people know about you?
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  [laughs] Oh, my gosh. Well, I, I mean, I'm, the most proud of? I, I'm, I'm the most proud of my family.
3. LHLewis Howes
  Hmm.
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  So, uh, you know, i- I mean, that's, that's, you know, I'm the most proud of, of, uh, of my relationship, you know, my relationship with my wife, with, with Gabby, my, my girlfriend, my lover, and, you know, my children. And, and, and, you know, that, and the, and then the selfish side of it, I'm, I'm, you know, I'm, uh... First of all, I'm most proud of the fact that I'm still here.
5. LHLewis Howes
  Hmm.
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  That I've survived.
7. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  And I'm, like, still breathing. 'Cause people, "Hey, how you doing?" I'm like, "Well, air's still coming in and out of the hole right now."
9. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  Pretty, pretty fantastic.
11. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  So, so that's a big part of it, I did, that I've had the, you know, the fortune to be, to survive, and the blessing to s- survive, and, and, and, uh, that I'm still here. That's a, that's a big thing. And then if you wanna get into, you know, what am I the most proud of, of something like, of my discipline, like I quit drinking like nine years ago.
13. LHLewis Howes
  Hmm.
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  And, uh, a- and it was a, a thing more out of, out of my discipline than it was out of, uh, you know, out of like... And, and there was nothing good coming from it.
15. LHLewis Howes
  Right.
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  And I was just ha- I got to a point where, you know, I was tired of telling myself. And I, you know, and I, all, like, my favorite was red wine, and I could drink a couple bottles every night, and I could wait-
17. LHLewis Howes
  Couple bottles?
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  Oh, yeah.
19. LHLewis Howes
  Not glasses, bottles.
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah. Well, bottle's only three glasses.
21. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs] Okay.
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  Let's get that straight.
23. LHLewis Howes
  Okay.
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  But, but, you know, I could have five or six, whatever glasses a night.
25. LHLewis Howes
  Sure, sure.
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  And then do that every night, and wake up at 5:00 in the morning and train for five hours and-
27. LHLewis Howes
  Wow
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... ride giant waves and run around and do all this stuff, too, so I could, it was easy for me to-
29. LHLewis Howes
  Justify it, yeah.
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  Oh, it was easy for me to justify it. And then at a certain point I got tired of, uh, uh, lying to myself.
46:53 – 53:25
Still riding big waves, evolving goals, and why ‘storms’ matter
1. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah. Now, do you still do the big, extreme waves and the big, uh, extreme-
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  I do.
3. LHLewis Howes
  You do?
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  I do.
5. LHLewis Howes
  Is it as big as it used to be?
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  What's as big as it'll give me.
7. LHLewis Howes
  Right. [laughs] As big as it gives you? Yeah. But is it as big as it used to be 20 years ago?
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  I mean, as big as it'll be. It, it's as big as the ocean will give me.
9. LHLewis Howes
  Oh, really?
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah. It's, it's not-
11. LHLewis Howes
  You go as big as you can go.
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  It is-
13. LHLewis Howes
  Still?
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  It's not, yeah.
15. LHLewis Howes
  And does it, does it worry you now with a family and doing these extreme activities still, or?
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  I mean, it worries me, 'cause it always has worried me. So it doesn't, you know, I don't think it's, I don't think that the ... I mean, the intensity of the, of the, of the fear, um, when it is as much as it can be, I don't think can increase.
17. LHLewis Howes
  Hmm, right. It's scary. [laughs]
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  I, I, I don't think that at a certain point, uh, uh, there's only so much fear that you can, you know, that you can really muster.
19. LHLewis Howes
  Right.
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  And, and at the end, it's, I don't think it, it ... I mean, you know, I mean, I, that's a, a commonly asked question is, you know, do you do it different because you have daughters and a family. And I'm, and, and, you know, and, and I continue to answer it in, in the same way I have from the beginning, which is, you know, I really want them to know me for who I am. And I'm a big wave rider. That's one of the things that I do. And I wanna know, I want them to see what that, how that makes me.
21. LHLewis Howes
  Hmm.
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  That when I'm done doing that, what do I look like? Before I do it, what do I look like? What, you know, what does that, how, what's that effect-
23. LHLewis Howes
  Hmm. What-
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... on, on Dad?
25. LHLewis Howes
  What's it make you feel? Who do you become when you-
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  Well, I-
27. LHLewis Howes
  ... do all that?
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  You know, I have an energy, uh, that, that comes into me that's, you know, that it's from there.
29. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm.
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  That the ocean gives me, that, you know, it's that extra, it's that, you know, that superhuman-
53:25 – 1:05:38
Gratitude, relationship principles, daily rituals, and three ‘truths’
1. LHLewis Howes
  Um, well, I v- I wanna finish with a couple questions.
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  Okay.
3. LHLewis Howes
  Uh, 'cause this has been awesome, so thank you-
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
5. LHLewis Howes
  ... so far for sharing everything. One of the things I wanna ask is, what are you most grateful for recently?
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  Oh. Well, I'm mo- I mean, I'm most grateful, grateful for my family.
7. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm.
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  For sure.
9. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  I mean, it's, it's-
11. LHLewis Howes
  Not just 'cause Gabby's listening? [laughs]
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  No.
13. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  Not just 'cause Gabby's listening.
15. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs]
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  But, but yeah, just, uh, love, you know?
17. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  I think I'm most grateful for loving and being loved. Uh, being loved is, I mean, by your friends, you know. Of course, first by your family.
19. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm.
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  Um, you know, and, and, and, uh, a- a- and that, and that, and that I've been able to, to do, uh, the things that I love so much and, and, and make a life of it.
21. LHLewis Howes
  Mm.
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  I think that that's been, you know, that's been something that's been, uh, uh, that's just been an amazing... It, it continues to be an amazing blessing to-
23. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... to, to, you know, um, I always quote the jerk, you know, again, uh, find your special purpose. But, you know, uh, that's what I want my daughters to do, find their special purpose. But to be able to find your s- you know, find s- find your special purpose and, and, and, and, and then do it.
25. LHLewis Howes
  Mm.
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  Find it young-
27. LHLewis Howes
  Mm-hmm
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... and then have a, and then have a life of doing it. And when I look at my, what I've been able to do in my life, I mean, I've lived lives, many lives.
29. LHLewis Howes
  [laughs] Yeah.
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  And, and, and I, and I, and, uh, a- and, and I see, you know, I s- I, I'm around some of the wealthiest people in the world.
1:05:38 – 1:06:50
Projects and businesses: boards, training systems, and a foiling documentary
1. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah. That's cool.
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  And then I have a, another thing called XPT, which is Extreme Pool Training, which you didn't get to experience, but-
3. LHLewis Howes
  Hopefully, hopefully I can come back again sometime
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... um, but you, but you got to experience the land part of it, which is-
5. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... that, that land stuff we implement into the water.
7. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  And but it's be- it's, you know, it, it's, it's something a little bit different.
9. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah.
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  And then, uh, and then that's the, you know, that's, that's the, those are the, the, the main-
11. LHLewis Howes
  Main things you're working on.
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah, and I, and I also have a, uh, we're in the process of shooting a documentary about foiling.
13. LHLewis Howes
  Ah. Okay.
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  So, um-
15. LHLewis Howes
  Mm
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... there's a, a lady by the name of Rory Kennedy, who's one of the Kennedys that is, uh-
17. LHLewis Howes
  Wow
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... but she's also a famous, uh, documentarian-
19. LHLewis Howes
  Okay
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... director, and so we're, we're, we're, we're doing a film about hydrofoil surfing and, and, and the pursuit of trying to ride the biggest, furthest, fastest waves in the world.
21. LHLewis Howes
  Wow.
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  And so that's our, that's another one of our, our kind of our, our, our thrust and-
23. LHLewis Howes
  That's cool
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... and, uh, well, it's just, you know, it's-
25. LHLewis Howes
  Lots of fun things.
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  Absolutely.
27. LHLewis Howes
  That's awesome.
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  It's, uh, you know, it's, I think it's, it's, it's only natural to just keep-
29. LHLewis Howes
  Yeah
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  ... keep evolving and, you know, it's, these are things I'm excited about, stuff I do or, you know, that I, I do, um, I do naturally, and so it's, it's just-
1:06:50 – 1:09:08
Closing acknowledgement and Laird’s definition of greatness
1. LHLewis Howes
  Uh, final question before I ask, I always, uh, finish with an acknowledgement-
2. LHLaird Hamilton
  Okay
3. LHLewis Howes
  ... of my, my guest.
4. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yes.
5. LHLewis Howes
  So I wanna acknowledge you for-
6. LHLaird Hamilton
  Oh, all right
7. LHLewis Howes
  ... I've only experienced you for a couple hours now-
8. LHLaird Hamilton
  For sure
9. LHLewis Howes
  ... but from everything I know about you-
10. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
11. LHLewis Howes
  ... things I've heard about you-
12. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
13. LHLewis Howes
  ... research, I wanna acknowledge you for your consistency. You've been so consistent over your whole career, of your whole life-
14. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
15. LHLewis Howes
  ... of being true to who you are, so I'm acknowledging you secondly for your truth-
16. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yes
17. LHLewis Howes
  ... and being unapologetically you all the time.
18. LHLaird Hamilton
  [laughs]
19. LHLewis Howes
  From everything I've seen-
20. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yes
21. LHLewis Howes
  ... and, and our experience together.
22. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah.
23. LHLewis Howes
  And also the third thing I wanna acknowledge is your courage.
24. LHLaird Hamilton
  Awesome.
25. LHLewis Howes
  Your consistent courage-
26. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yes
27. LHLewis Howes
  ... to be able to sustain this over the years and- How you serve so many people, you know, just the level of service and care-
28. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah
29. LHLewis Howes
  ... and grace that you have as a-
30. LHLaird Hamilton
  Yeah