Jeff Provenzano - Red Bull Air Force Member, 20k Skydives, Human Flight Innovator
The path from art school, skateboarding, golf caddying & living in a tent with nothing to his name to becoming a renowned human flyer and performing stunts in movies like Godzilla & Ironman 3.
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“Instead of waiting for the genie to pop out and turn your lazy ass into a successful whatever it is you dream of becoming, try clearly defining your goals, create a realistic plan on how to get there and start grinding, today. There is no other way. Life is what you make of it. It’s not an Uber. There are no shortcuts. Determination will get you there.”
Jeff Provenzano, aka Jeffro, makes his living skydiving, BASE jumping and wingsuit flying as a member of the Red Bull Air Force. Jeff is a stuntman who has appeared in films including Ironman 3 and Godzilla and he is a champion competitor with over 20,000 jumps under his belt. He has trained elite military units in canopy flying and has been part of multiple world record-setting group jumps. He has insane energy and if you follow him on Instagram @jeffprovenzano, you’ll see that he trains as hard as any pro athlete in the NFL, NBA or other pro sport. In this interview, we talk about how he forged his own path from art school and skateboarding to becoming one of the foremost human flyers on the planet and what he had to give up to make it happen. I originally connected with Jeff because of something he posted on Instagram that is the embodiment of what it means to choose the hard way (you can see the original post on Instagram here):
“I want to share something with all of you. In case you were wondering, or maybe this just gives you insight on how my world works on a professional level. I receive many messages from you, my followers, showing positive support and encouragement and I appreciate that and love you. On the flip side I also receive messages like, “must be nice to get everything for free” or “how do I become a Red Bull athlete and just travel around like you?” Some people have never made a single Skydive and they want to do what I do. Seriously. I get messages like this all the time and I am blown away (also somewhat entertained) by how blind and lazy people are. It’s good to be a dreamer and I am one too, but if you want to know how I got to where I am today it is simple. The answer is so simple, but no one wants to hear it. First of all, if anyone knows anything about sponsorships and working relationships with companies you will know that nothing is free. It’s a real job. Second, if you are looking for the magic wand, well, there is no such thing as magic. The simple answer is you gotta do the work. You have to be the hardest worker. You have to want to work and be driven to work. By no means am I sitting around playing video games waiting for the phone to ring because I am a world class champion skydiver and I think I deserve this or that. No one wants to work with that person. Instead put the controller down and start doing something that will get you one step closer to your dreams (unless you want to be a pro gamer then that’s cool) So instead of waiting for the genie to pop out and turn your lazy ass into a successful whatever it is you dream of becoming, try clearly defining your goals, create a realistic plan on how to get there and start grinding, today. There is no other way. Be relentless and work your ass off to get there. Life is what you make of it. So dream big, make a plan and work on that plan every damn day! If that seems overwhelming, take it one step at a time like a marathon runner. Start with a clear understanding of what needs to happen to cross that finish line. It’s not an uber. There are no short cuts. Determination will get you there.” -Jeff Provenzano
Thanks so much to all of you who have given me a shout to let me know you’re digging the show. Very much appreciated ! If you enjoy this episode, please get a friend to listen to it, too, and take a second to rate the show and leave a review. You can find more about the show at www.choosethehardway.com and you can get in touch with feedback, questions or what have you on Twitter or Insta @hardwaypod, or send an email to choosethehardway@gmail.com.