Everyday Exceptionalist 19: David Palomo

David Palomo is a pro freestyle high-liner from The Canary Islands.

David consistently pushes boundaries and encourages people to confront their fears because he understands how fear is an obstacle to incredible opportunities.

Who his can-do attitude and incredible skills up on the line, David is an inspiration and we are proud to call him an exceptionalist.

YouTube:

Insta: @sakalomo

When did you fall in love with what you do and how did you get started?

So I first started high-lining when I was 21 and it started like a side hobby when there weren't any waves. And soon it became one of the most important things in my life.

As I started to get better, I started to enjoy it more and it was like a cycle without an end.I first started in the park, then very shortly after, I started doing some high-line because I started joining the Slackline Canarias crew, who helped me grow and gave me the opportunity of spending a long time on the line.

Then I moved to Lanzarote ( another island) and I started practising on my own. This was a time when I grew a lot as a person and as an athlete.

David Palomo doing tricks on highline

What was your earliest childhood ambition?

I've always been a dreamer. One of my first sports (that i loved) was skateboarding and I used to dream of becoming a pro and having my own brand. I was so bad at it that I don't think i could have ever made it, even if I spent way more hours. But it's funny how I dedicated so many hours to something I was terrible at doing.

What drives you on?

Sometimes the dream of becoming one of the greatest of all time, sometimes the fear of being forgotten, sometimes just that by doing this, I can peace my mind and it's so amazing the feeling of being in the air that you just forget about everything else.

David Palomo doing tricks on the highline

Ambition or talent: which matters more to success?

My old coach used to always tell me "Hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard enough ̈ and I've always believed this till this day. So ambition will drive you and will allow you to overcome all those difficult things that come on the way. And talent will allow you to enjoy those moments of happiness more where you are flowing and unleashing your potential.

Talent won't take you anywhere without ambition, and I believe the road is way harder if you don't have any talent. So i guess the key is to be able to combine those two.

If there was one-piece advice you could give to people aspiring to do what you do, what would it be?

Have 0 respect for what's supposed to be too hard for you or impossible. Usually, the biggest barrier is the mental one you put, for yourself.

David Palomo doing tricks on the highline