Contributed by Matt Bromley, accomplished big-wave surfer, well known for his films Risky Business and Risky Ripples.

Every storm has a big wave to ride. I can’t emphasize this enough.

As a professional big-wave surfer, I chase storms around the world. I surf some of the scariest and largest waves on the planet. I’ve been out in storms with swell heights the size of a seven-story building, waves reaching almost 25 meters high. When the storms come and the waves get big, I feel my purpose come alive.

It is, however, terrifying.

Here’s the thing: In real life, there are no superheroes. Everyone gets scared, everyone doubts themselves at times and even the most badass big-wave surfers have to grapple with fear. But the magic happens in how we approach this fear.

Hear more from Matt Bromley when he speaks to Dave Will on the EO 360 podcast.

I’m naturally a very conservative person and I used to experience fear in all circles of life. I was risk-averse and when things felt uncomfortable I’d move away from them. It wasn’t until I was 17 that I smashed head-on into a big storm and I had no choice but to face it.