I stood at the crest of my cousin’s street staring at the 45-degree inclined road I was about to skateboard down. Now, I had never skateboarded before, nor did I know how to, but something inside me told me I should do it. I belong to the daredevil community: a group of people willing to take risks in order to succeed in life.

I joined the daredevil community when I learned how to ride a bike. It wasn’t long after I removed my training wheels that my neighborhood companions and I were sneaking off to do BMX stunts in the woods. Since then, my daredevil tendencies escalated and drove me to perform more extreme feats. For my 12th birthday I received a unicycle and a pogo stick. It didn’t take long for me to knock out my teeth after attempting a 360-degree spin off my porch on my pogo stick or collect scrapes over every square inch of my body from falling off my unicycle. I began snowboarding when I was 10 years old and quickly began shredding rails and flying over jumps. I’ve caught countless snakes using merely my hands. I’ve jumped off 30-foot cliffs and 40-foot bridges. I’ve free-scaled every rock formation my eyes have landed upon. I feel no fear, and this lack of fear has led me to some of my life’s greatest accomplishments.

Being a daredevil, at least for me, contributes to a healthy state of mind. Daredevils are more inclined to take risks in their lives; and by taking risks, one can accomplish more in life and become a successful person. As a daredevil, I don’t conduct my life worrying about what could happen; instead, I live every day to the fullest and seize every opportunity I am given.