Despite quickly becoming one of Australia's most-loved sports stars, Harry Garside is still determined to put himself outside of his comfort zone in a bid to learn more about both himself and the world.
The Australian boxer has been partaking what he calls an "uncomfortable challenge" once a month since the start of 2019, and his latest task revealed a lot to him.
READ MORE: Garside Planned On 'Wearing A Dress' To Opening Ceremony To 'Break Stereotypes'
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Garside recently decided to disguise himself as a car window washer, hoping to experience the feeling of asking people for money at traffic lights.
The Olympic bronze medallist recorded his experience and it makes for pretty powerful viewing.
"The inspiration behind this is that I've formed a relationship with someone I see daily who is a window washer," Garside says in a video posted on his Instagram page.
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"I just want to see how uncomfortable it is asking people for money.
"All the money I get will go to someone who needs it more, but it's more so to see how it feels.
"I've disguised myself as best I can. I'm going to go for an hour, two hours. It's currently raining in Sydney, it's pretty cold, but this is what they put up with so what a good day to do it."
In the following clip, Garside can seen standing on the side of the road, approaching drivers and offering to clean their windows in exchange for cash.
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After finishing up for the day, he recorded himself discussing the emotions that he went through.
"I felt so naked out there. I felt so desperate. It felt very de-humanising," he says.
"Only three people took me up on the offer in the whole hour, but I could just see guilt in peoples' eyes when they said 'no'.
"In some peoples' eyes, not everyones, I could see a bit of judgment – I don't know if I'm reading into that too much.
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"A lot of the people that I see doing it are there every single day. They're just as committed to what they're doing as any other working person. It gave me a lot of empathy for them.
"As I said, I felt pretty desperate, felt pretty naked. If you ever see anyone washing windows, 50 cents or a dollar to us means nothing, but it could mean everything to them.
"If you feel like you're someone who judges them then maybe just think about why you judge them. Maybe try and reframe it in your head because I felt pretty naked and desperate."
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For a 24-year-old to go out of his way and do something like this is not only very mature but also super impressive.
Fans were quick to flock to the comments section to heap praise on the inspiring young man.
One bloke said: "You seriously are so much more than just a fighter. Such a hectic role model for the next generation bro. Please keep inspiring and being a good person no matter how s**t other people in the world can be."
While another added: "You’re an absolute legend. Empathy is one of the highest superpowers we all have... Keep fighting the good fight."
As a third commented: "You could easily take the easy road now that success and fame is bestowing you. However, you’d prefer to explore the world and investigate another person’s experience. Selfless, courageous and compassion are some of many words that describe your actions. So glad you're showing so many others what an inspiring existence looks like."
Hats off to Garside for willing to be so vulnerable and using his platform to highlight issues that others perhaps wouldn't normally be subject to.
Professional athletes are praised for the things they do within their respective sporting codes, but Garside is clearly making as big of an impact outside the ring than he is inside it.
Max Sherry