Milestone Birthdays-
I am one that believes in creating your own destiny in life. In fact, I would suggest that I think it is the most important thing in anyone’s life. What else is there? That doesn’t mean you get everything you want, or that you want everything you get. It is, however, difficult to have any lasting results in any category of your life, if you don’t work for it, become knowledgable about everything around that subject and hard charging in that direction. This includes relationships, your health, your career, your hobbies, sports, everything.
It is easy to fall into the trap of “being a wonderful person who cares more about others, than yourself.” This sounds like the kind of person you want to be around, that would make the world a better place, but it is a mirage. People who don’t take care of themselves, don’t last long, become broken both physically and mentally. “You can’t give away what you don’t have” is the best way to look at it.
My birthday’s don’t normally mean much to me in terms of me putting myself on a timeline in comparison to myself or others, but, every once in a while that number sticks out to me and I want to do that.
When I was 20, and my mother had died, I chose drop of engineering school to kayak full time, as I wanted to be a world champion kayaker way more than an engineer. I saw 20 as an age that I need to get my act together before it was “too late”.
At 30, I decided that physically, I needed to commit to being the “top dog” on the water by training harder than anyone, as I had the USOC telling me I was past my prime. I didn’t believe it, but if I didn’t train like I was in my prime, I certainly wouldn’t be there. I remember 30 being the moment I decided that age wasn’t going to something that affected me, it was going to be what I did. I also missed the USA Team for slalom the year after I was the top American K1 in the Olympics. In 1994 at 30, I had a “Let’s Go! Aggressive attitude” my hair style and demeanor may have given it away. I did win my first world championships, however at the end of my 20’s.
At 40, I decided it was time to “get a career” and prove I could win in my 40’s, which was to start Jackson Kayak. It was bored just being an athlete and had lots of mental energy that I wanted to apply to something in the kayaking world. My new brand provided plenty of fun challenges. I also won two more World Championships at age 41 and then 43, and silver at 45.
At 50, I had two main goals, to be in awesome physical shape, and to begin my fishing career. I was making fishing kayaks at Jackson Kayak but wasn’t competing in fishing. I had always wanted to be a professional fisherman since I was 10 years old, but hadn’t taken any action on it. I also wanted this to be a life lesson for my kids, that you could apply what you learn as a professional whitewater kayaker, to any sport you had an aptitude for and be financially and athletically successful. I worked hard at it and became a fully sponsored pro bass fisherman on the FLW Tour. While I never won a major Pro FLW event out of my bass boat, I did get second out of the 165 of the best anglers out there (40,000 in the league, 165 make the pro tour) in the season finale on Lake Champlain and on the live coverage, they kept the camera on me for almost 3 of the 5 hours non-stop as I delivered a play by play. I also learned that neither my wife or kids were enjoying my touring that much and decided not to continue after 6 years. I no longer am sponsored by the big brands, but I continue with my kayak fishing and love it.
DCIM106GOPRO
Apex begins:
Sunday I turn 60. I have a laundry list of things that resemble the old “Presidential Physical Fitness Tests”, career goals, etc. that will find their spot on that timeline and either make me proud of where I am at, or spur additional focus. Luckily for me I don’t procrastinate often or think everything will be fine if I slack off. I know that you are either growing or dying, and the only way to maintain, is to try to push forward. Anyone trying to maintain is dying slowly, and the only way to see that is to measure where you are from one decade to another. When I turned 50 I was on the Nile River and my time from the Hairy Lemon to the top of Nile Special eddy was 6:47 which nobody else ever got in a playboat. I worked every day for that month to improve that time, which represented my speed and fitness in a kayak. I weighed 160 and had a series of things I could do off water, that I have carried as benchmarks since my teens and 20’s. I will jump on a scale this morning after my run or Peloton bike (it is my not fair weather leg workout and today it is raining) and will be between 159-160.5. If I were over 163 I would be carrying more fat than I should, which represents too much eating and drinking for the amount of exercise I do. Such a simple concept and 100% the only thing anyone needs to know about being at the exact desired weight. Eat less/exercise more, lose weight. Eat more or exercise less, gain weight. Choose your weight and then adjust eating/drinking and exercise until the scale starts moving in the right direction and continue until you reach your goal. I recognized that I was gaining weight back around Christmas, and had to fix it so that I didn’t end up putting my “you are now 60” weight on the scale that I didn’t want. With that said, I intend to eat and drink a lot this weekend and I hope by Monday I can weigh in at 165, but be back to 160 by Wednesday. That is my total fluctuation that I see around major binges where it is “all you can eat” for days at a time and the kegerator is flowing. I don’t have any photos of my 60’s yet, as it is two days before my birthday. Here is from this morning. I’ll go paddle with Mason Hargrove, Joe Ball, Dane, and others today in the hole and get some good training in. Maybe 36 holes of disc golf, and finish up some work. However, I am having a light work day today through Sunday as so many friends are around.
Other key, “turning 60” things. I lost my business at age 56 that I started at age 40. My financial independence plan failed, and my direct impact on the kayaking market as the leader of the biggest brand in the world went with it, and I am “old” by 30 something standards. Luckily for me, I am mentally and physically in peak shape and motivated to continue my work in the industry as a leader and started a new brand, Apex Watercraft. At age 60 my work here really begins, almost the same as it did at age 40 with JK. Literally this week a shipment of carbon fiber boats are on the way to me as this season is the first whitewater season where I have lightweight carbon boats for paddlers. I had a few boats last year, but they weren’t ready until the end of the season. Apex becomes a real kayak company as I turn 60. This is pretty cool. Having done this already with JK, I know the amount of time, energy, and work that goes into growing from a few people, to a major brand. When I look at that and step back, I smile and think, “OK, this is going to be fun.”. That is the test of tests for me. I also have another business I am part of that I haven’t talked about in a public way, that I am not describing in detail here, as the time will be right for it to be public facing. It is something worthy of my time and energy and will be a legacy project for myself and others, and yes, it includes whitewater kayaking as part of it. I expect to create more jobs, wealth, and overall impact in my 60’s decade than in all other decades combined. Anytime I project into the future, there is the risk of that future not happening and looking like a failure. I am OK with that risk, as I prefer to have that as another motivating factor. Other goals for my 60’s- Make the USA Team in Wausau, WI in August of this year and compete in the World Championships again on Team USA next year. Win the National Kayak Fishing Championships in April, next month. Sell 3 times more carbon boats in 2024 than in 2023 and be the largest maker of carbon whitewater and fishing kayaks in the world, and then grow from there. Stay healthy and strong, ready for anything at anytime. And finish my year at 60 on the Zambezi and be the fastest one up and out of the gorge each day. (Anyone who has been there knows that climb, :)). There are tons of challenges I have that affect those around me. Starting from scratch again with a new business with no financial resources of my own isn’t easy and I am saddled with a ton of debt and little income. Apex isn’t feeding my family, and my other business isn’t yet either. The financial challenge of eating and paying bills could easily throw me off course, but luckily Kristine gave me the idea of teaching clinics and hosting them here at the “Rock Island Ranch”. Perfect. Very timely. At 60 I may have the worst personal balance sheet I have had since my 20’s, but it is during these periods that the entrepreneurs who succeed push forward and don’t fold their cards even though it looks dire. “You can’t give away what you don’t have.” It takes just as much energy and effort to live a bad life as it does a good one, you just have to decide what kind of life you want to spend your energy on. My wife, kids, employees, friends are all very supportive of my projects and my projects have, and will support many of them. It is 8:00am and I want to get in a workout before things heat up here. Life is good, I am happy with where I am at in 90% of the ways as I approach my 60th. The other 10% that needs work is getting my attention. I am excited to see what 70 brings. I wonder.
See you on the River,
🙂
EJ