When you look at your life, what are you working for? What do you do with your life that truly makes you happy? Professional athlete Jeff Shapiro spends his time chasing the ultimate rush as a professional pilot, rock climber, base jumper, falconer, and virtually everything else you could possibly dream of doing while sitting behind your computer. He is the kind of presence that you see while doom scrolling Instagram, dreaming of the same life. But he believes that you can do it just the same as him, as long as you can adjust your mindset from what society tells you you need and can get your hands on a Citizen Promaster.
When the Dalai Lama was asked what surprised him most about humanity, he said, “Man surprised me most about humanity. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then, he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present, the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die and then dies having never really lived.” We got a chance to sit down with Jeff and ask him why he leads the unconventional life…why he left the 9-5…and how we can follow in his footsteps. Also, do we need to dress like Indiana Jones if we’re spiriting off for adventure? Asking for a friend.
Living a different life
We all come up with the same kind of teaching. Work hard in school, go to college, get a degree, and then find a partner, get married, have 2.5 kids and a Golden Retriever. Don’t forget the car note and the 401K for retirement planning. Then, that is it, by the time you are 25 years old, your whole life is planned out. There isn’t anything wrong with you if that is the life you want to lead, but what if you want more?
“I’m not judging it, and I’m not saying I don’t understand it. But the idea that we need those things is just another perspective,” Shapiro says. “I think security is an illusion. Everything can change in a matter of seconds, no matter who you are. You can live the safest life possible and never do anything that involves risk or risk mitigation and still get cancer. Or get hit by a drunk driver, or whatever.” Shapiro goes on to talk about risk and the regret that runs parallel to it. “I’ve never met anyone who was dying who wished they had more things or wished they had worked more. They all want more time. Time is precious. It is free, but it is priceless.”
Discovering yourself
“Once you become enlightened to a few things, what matters and what doesn’t, and this is super personal, I am not standing on a soapbox. I am not preaching to anybody, everybody has their own path. When you find that for yourself, what is important to you and what isn’t important to you, and those become the guiding lights on your journey, if you listen to them you’re going to do good. If you ignore them and stick to paths driven by societal norms or another person’s beliefs, you can find yourself in a place where you’re not happy.”
Of course, we had to ask what the first step was to figure this life out for ourselves, and he wouldn’t disappoint, pointing to passion. “Let all the noise and the internal dialogue go quiet for a bit. Figure out the things that really interest you, it is very personal. It may be reading books. It may be frisbee golf. It may be jumping off cliffs headfirst with a wingsuit. Whatever that is, finding that it is a real thing, there is value in it, and being willing to explore it even if it is just learning more about it.” He goes on to warn against trivializing it by saying you’re too busy with your 9-5 or too tired on the weekend. “Do the things that make you happy, find value in those things above all else, and realize that is going to shine through in the way you affect other people. And the importance of that is really obvious if you focus on it.”
Advantages of the Promaster on the journey
No matter what your sport, professional athletes get hit with sponsorships and ambassador offers all the time. But what makes them sign on? For Jeff, we asked why he chose the Citizen Promaster. Of course, it is the 35th anniversary this year and that means it stands up to other watches in the field. But that can’t be all of it. What made Jeff Shapiro say yes to Citizen, and why is the Promaster his watch of choice when he is risking his life in the pursuit of adrenaline-fueled passion?
“For me, Citizen and Promaster stood out as a group of people that cared a lot about what we have been talking about. Exploration and pushing limits. When I think about my the perception in my own mind about that line it speaks to me as a group of people who are interested in new places, new people, new culture, and their own personal limits. All of that makes me feel like I am part of a group that cares more about experience than things. The second part is reliability. I have worn other watches that have a lot of training metrics and GPS, as well as all the bells and whistles, and they are great for what they are. But in the end, what I found for myself, and I think people might agree with me, simplicity is king.” He goes on to talk about the cumbersome nature of keeping the bells and whistles charged and the extra carrying space he needed. But with the Promaster, it is different. ” With the eco-drive technology, I can literally leave it inside, and the inside light will charge it. It is always super precise, it has every feature I need.”
For some of us, adventure is the call we feel every day when we are headed to work. We look at the horizon and stop to think about what is on the other side. We experience a pull to sprint towards the unknown while others stay in their comfort. And…we push it down deep in an effort to lead the safe, secure life society tells us we’re supposed to want. For Jeff Shapiro and others like him, all you need is a Citizen Promaster and the mindset to break free from that life, and you too can chase the freedom of exploration. Or…you can jump off a cliff headfirst with a wingsuit, whatever passion you have.
