I didn’t swim to get inducted to the Hall of Fame
I didn’t swim to swim in college.
I didn’t swim for awards.
I swam because I loved being in the pool.
I swam because it was fun.
I swam because it felt so good.
I continued to swim, because I had a place to belong.
I continued to swim because I had a dream of what I wanted to achieve.
I continued to swim because, thank goodness, there were cute boys in Speedos.
People often seek awards + college scholarships as external validation to justify doing something.
The external validation was not worth the early morning practices, the six day a week training sessions, the 50 weeks/year seasons.
The external validation is not the WHY I swam for 15 years.
What made swimming worth it…was all that swimming taught me.
Ultimately swimming taught me to:
- Work hard.
- Persevere in difficult times.
- Overcome obstacles.
- Fail.
- Believe in myself.
- Trust myself.
- Honor commitments to myself.
- Pursue my dreams.
- Achieve my dreams.
- Be part of a team.
The truth is … swimming is a huge part of what shaped me as a human being.
Swimming was my teacher.
Swimming was my training space.
Swimming prepared me for this thing we call LIFE.
The awards, titles and Hall of Fame Induction … those were nice bonuses, but never the reason WHY.
It started because it was fun.
I stayed because I belonged.
In the end … it helped shape who I am today.
smiling,
P.S. Could you use some help finding the thing that makes you, you? Check out my Trusting Yourself workshop, where you’ll learn a step-by-step process for cultivating self trust.