Bethany Hamilton

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"I've learned life is a lot like surfing. When you get caught in the impact zone, you need to get right back up, because you never know what's over the next wave... and if you have faith, anything is possible, anything at all". This quote explains life. When something hits you when you're least expecting it, or not even expecting it at all, for example losing your arm to 15 foot tiger shark, you need to keep going and pursue your dreams. Most people know Hamilton just for her shark attack, but there's so much more to know about her, she's brave and inspiring. Bethany Melani Hamilton-Dirks is a ladies professional surfer who lost her left arm to a tiger shark when she was 13 on Halloween morning, 2003. The most important thing in Bethany Hamilton's life was surfing. She's been doing it since she was 3 years old. And all of her family loved to do it. Ever since she was a kid, she always remembered being in the water, either with her family or her best friend Alana Blanchard. And you know what? She didn't let her could've been tragedy stop her from living her dream of being a pro-surfer. Her attack was an important event in her life. Once all of the interviews and TV shows came rolling in, the main question was "how are you going to get back in the water?" And her answer, "I don't need easy, I just need possible"("Bethany Hamilton." Bethany Hamilton (Biography Today) (2010): 1. Biography Reference Center. Web. 4 Feb. 2016.) I think what she's meaning to say is that yes, most people probably thought it was impossible to surf without one arm, but she didn't let that stop her. So in a way nothing really changed, she still surfs, and she still competes, so once those stitches were out, she was back on the board. A hero is someone who shows good character and inspires people to do the greater good.A hero should be inspirational for the right reasons, and should be brave, not just meaning they're brave enough to jump off a cliff. Bethany Hamilton fits the definitions of inspirational and brave, but for the right reasons. She doesn't use fame as a gateway to paparazzi and TV shows, she uses it to help others and charity work.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/19/the-unl ()

Motivation: The general desire or willingness of someone to do something. Now that's the dictionary definition of motivation. And Bethany Hamilton fits that perfectly. She motivates people to do there best and face what seems to be the impossible. She faced what most people probably couldn't, losing a limb and coping without a prosthetic and doing everyday normal things. That's a huge deal. There are approximately 2 million people in the U.S. with a missing limb(s), but we don't really see that very often. So when we do, we may question, or stare which could make the person upset or uncomfortable, but with Hamilton, she uses that and embraces her difference. "It's hard to go anywhere and not worry about people recognizing me. Your privacy is pretty much diminished. But I just have to believe that I am going to help people through this. The best thing about fame is that I can share my story and bring hope to other people."("Never Mind the Sharks: Surfing's In Her 'Soul'." Weekend Edition Sunday 10 Apr. 2011. Biography in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2016.) Bethany Hamilton is brave because of this. She walks through life with her head up and acts proud. She's not ashamed of what had happened in her life. Yes, I bet at first she was scared and shy, but she has outgrown that and not afraid to talk about her attack. 'the best thing about fame is that I can share my story with other people.' A large majority of people take fame for granite. The money, the publicity, the paparazzi, and the people. But Hamilton takes a different approach to fame. She uses it as tool to help other people. She has the opportunities to go across the world and talk about how she copes with her loss and inspires other people to do the same. A couple weeks after her loss, she went to Taiwan on a mission trip with her church to help the people that lost almost everything in a hurricane. To be able to do that after losing an arm is amazing and beyond brave. Getting back in the water after a shark attack is so confident and fearless. As soon as she could, she wanted to surf like nothing ever happened, and when she got in this is what she told herself; "This is the deal I made with myself," she later recalled: "I have to stand up and catch the first wave on my own." (Speed, Marie. "Getting back on the board: nothing could keep young Bethany Hamilton from pursuing her passion as a surfer--not even the fear of another shark attack." Success Feb. 2010: 36+.Biography in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2016.) To be able to get back into the water as soon as the stitches were out and not be afraid is insane. She was determine to get back on her board and catch her first wave. Of course, there were different arrangements that had to be made so she could actually get onto the board with one arm, but she didn't let that bother her. But the thought of sharks were definitely more frequent but again, she didn't let that stop her. This was one of her biggest fears, not being able to surf again. She wanted to prove to herself that she could get back to surfing on her own. Yet she did have her family and friends by her side when she caught her first wave! And on her 3rd try! Many famous celebrities are considered motivational for the amount of money they have or how many People magazine covers they've been on. But Hamilton is motivational because she tries and faces the impossible. That is motivation at it's finest.

There's many definitions for the word bravery, and there's a lot of synonyms for the word, but Hamilton is the best definition of bravery. Nothing more and nothing less. With one arm she can do whatever 'normal' people can do. What most people think would be the impossible, she turned that into a challenge. "Whatever your situation might be, set your mind to whatever you want to do and put a good attitude in it and I believe that you can succeed. You are not going to get anywhere just sitting on your but and moping around." (Verdisco, Samantha. "SHE'S AN INSPIRATION; Bethany Hamilton lost an arm in a shark attack when she was just 13. Did she let that keep her out of the water? No way!" Tampa Bay Times [St. Petersburg, FL] 14 May 2015: 13. Biography in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2016). Now I don't know from personal experience but I'm petty sure it's harder to do things without one arm. But Bethany set her mind to doing everyday normal things but with coping with one arm. When people tell themselves that they can't do something, then they won't be able to do it. Even if it seems impossible, the best way to determine that is to try it. And that's what Hamilton is saying, that nothing will happen if you sit around and not try anything. This is my all time favorite quote. And not just by Hamilton but in general. It has so much meaning and describes how life should be lived. "I've learned life is a lot like surfing. When you get caught in the impact zone, you need to get right back up, because you never know what's over the next wave... and if you have faith, anything is possible, anything at all." ("Bethany Hamilton | Soul Surfer, Professional Surfer, Role Model, Inspiration." Bethany Hamilton. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2016.) She is all about accomplishing things she didn't think she could. She just gets right back on the board. Everything doesn't always go the way you want it too, and when it doesn't go right, you can't give up. Have faith. And she's right, you don't know whats over the next wave or what will happen next, and when it does, don't ignore it, embrace it. When something unexpected happens, you're caught off guard. Just like when a big wave hits you, it's a spur of the moment kind of thing. But when these things do happen, you can't just sit there and avoid it, you need to face it. Yes, maybe you think you can't fight it or it's too "big" to face. But you're never going to find that out if you're sitting there moping. And Hamilton learned that the hard way. See with all these things that Hamilton can do and handle, is so much braver than you might think so. To be able to still compete and is now one of the best surfers of our time is beyond words. To be titled one of the best, and well known surfers of our time with one arm is crazy. So when you're thinking 'oh I can't do this' or 'it's way to hard' think of Bethany and what she accomplished with one missing limb.

So no, Hamilton is not an 'unsung' hero like a firefighter or policemen, now don't get me wrong, those are fantastic heros. And yes Hamilton is a person who is written a lot about but there's a reason. Because she inspires so many people to do there best and try what seems to be the impossible. She is inspirational and a brave person. Now why is she brave? She's brave because she fights the impossible, and faces her fears. She doesn't let the thought of sharks and getting wiped out by a monster wave stop her from living her dream of being a pro-surfer. And she is an inspiration because she travels places just to go talk and give speeches on her attack and sometimes not even that, she talks about so many things like charities, and missionary trips, I mean to go and give talks to hundreds and even thousands of people is both brave and inspiring. So I hope what you learned from this essay was that bravery isn't just being brave enough to jump off a cliff or wrestle a shark. That it's facing your fears and trying what you think you can't do. And being an inspiration isn't having millions of dollars and having access to famous celebrities. It's about inspiring people to do there best. now yes, Bethany had fame to help her out, but she used it to help people. So don't quit when something gets to hard for you, keep going until you accomplish it. "If I was like a person that just quit surfing after this, I wouldn't be a real surfer."

Works cited "Bethany Hamilton." Bethany Hamilton (Biography Today) (2010): 1. Biography Reference Center. Web. 4 Feb. 2016. "Bethany Hamilton | Soul Surfer, Professional Surfer, Role Model, Inspiration." Bethany Hamilton. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2016. "Never Mind the Sharks: Surfing's In Her 'Soul'." Weekend Edition Sunday 10 Apr. 2011. Biography in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2016. Speed, Marie. "Getting back on the board: nothing could keep young Bethany Hamilton from pursuing her passion as a surfer--not even the fear of another shark attack." Success Feb. 2010: 36+.Biography in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2016. Verdisco, Samantha. "SHE'S AN INSPIRATION; Bethany Hamilton lost an arm in a shark attack when she was just 13. Did she let that keep her out of the water? No way!" Tampa Bay Times [St. Petersburg, FL] 14 May 2015: 13. Biography in Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2016