Chris Kay's Motivational Monday: Jesse Billauer

jessi988
Sep 15, 2014
3 min read

In 1996, Jesse Billauer was 17 years old and on the path to become one of the worlds top surfers. He found himself in the water on his board as a daily ritual, surfing before and after school, and even sometimes on his lunch breaks. In other words, the ocean was his second home.

While surfing on March 25, 1996, a deceiving shore-break wave threw Jesse into the shallow waters at Zuma Beach head-first. In this instant, life changed for Jesse. He severed his spinal cord at the C6 level leaving him paraplegic.

So, right here, we pause.

We often here stories of this, an active person is out doing what they love and an event of such takes it all away from them in the blink of an eye. Most of us just read these stories from the outsider point-of-view, but take a moment to let this idea sink in. What is something that you could not imagine not being able to do in your life? Every time you are doing this activity, you feel free, you feel like life is perfect in every way, and you just cannot get enough of this one special thing. Now, in this exact moment, allow yourself to believe that you have just been told by a doctor that you can never ever do that one thing again…what do you feel?

For Jesse, it was a mixture of emotions, realizing that his condition was not only taking away the ability to walk and run, but to follow his dream and become a professional surfer. There are life-transforming events of this caliber that draw a line between those who live life to the fullest and those who simply exist. This event was proof that Jesse Billauer whole-heartedly, 100%, lives life to the fullest.

What is amazing and motivational about Jesse is that he did not allow the doctors words that he would 'never surf again' pierce his heart. He knew life would be different, of course, but his love for surfing was too strong to keep him from feeling the thrill of riding a wave again. Throughout the years, Billauer has taken the approach to living life as a paraplegic as the opportunity to learn how to accomplish his goals in a unique way. Along with sky-diving and swimming with Great White sharks, Jesse has defied the diagnosis of his doctors and has become a professional surfer -sponsored by Hurley, WaveJet, and Channel Islands amongst others. He has surfed some of the biggest waves in the world and was the first paraplegic surfer to ride the famously dangerous wave ‘Cloudbreak’ in Fiji. Honda even made a special car for Jesse so he can have the freedom of driving. On top of living a life full of abundant activity, Jesse has made a point to share his story with the world and is a professional motivational speaker for his foundation, Life Rolls On. He has appeared on many news network shows, in featured films, and has even had his own documentary made, Jesse’s Story.

So using Jesse’s way of life as an inspiration, there is no doubt that we have the ability to accomplish anything if we put our mind and heart into it. So many people allow others’ words to have a heavy weight on their destiny, but the truth is that it is important to go beyond any negative standard that is expected of the situation. Amazing people like Jesse Billauer are the type that prove it is possible to do the impossible!

Please visit Jesse Billauer's foundation website, Life Rolls On, to learn more about how Jesse is helping disabled surfers continue to follow their dreams and get back in the water!