So last night went for a swim… stayed in my lane.. focused on my stroke and let my mind go.
Just felt the bubbles blowing from my mouth… ran through all the gratitudes of my past and the present
Then at one point there was just silence of the mind and the water and I were one… there was no “i” just the flow.
At the end of my exercise… I checked out my time..
2.08 min per 100yards. I was surprised. Another 12 seconds shaved off my time !
Let’s take this story back a couple of years. I had decided to do the Ironman race, not having known how to swim… I took faithful lessons Sydne Didier , had a great supportive coach Jon Blanchard and amazing friends who pushed me to do better each swim, bike or run
Now even upto the Ironman race day I was still at least a 3 min 10seconds per 100 yards… it was enough for me to move onto the next round..
I struggled over the years to get better with my technique and pushed the envelope . I got to a speedy 2min 48seconds lol..
But I didn’t give up…
This year I planned on not doing races and focusing on maintenance of health in all disciplines and having more fun while exercising..
I took the thinking out of the equation
4 weeks ago got a 2 min 28 !! And last week a 2min 20seconds.. I figured that was pretty good from where I started.. and then last night.. it got a whole lot better… and I was not even tired at the end..
The lesson here is about showing up. It is about doing the best we can, WITHOUT attachment to the outcome. Doing our dharma (our natural purpose), faithfully and willfully.
Discipline, consistency breeds results. Success is the ability to going through failures without loss of enthusiasm. The amount of times I have failed swimming are too numerous to count.. heck I couldn’t even go a 25 yard length without stopping when I began this adventure.. then one day I did 170 laps.. unbroken.. !! And then go out and do open water swimming no less.. and enter a a major race..
Am I fast compared to other athletes? No.. but am I faster then I ever was? Yes. For sure.
There will ALWAYS be someone who is faster, wealthier, more good looking, stronger etc than us… that’s just the odds.. but can we better than we were the day before….absolutely 💯
The joy and center point sets in when we do not judge ourselves… we keep moving forward… one step, one stroke, one pedal at a time… the journey is not about the destination but the ah ah moments that come our way on the path and our abilities to navigate and adapt on that course.
Will I break the 2 min mark? 🤔 yes. Will I do it today? Maybe. Will I do it tomorrow? For sure.. because tomorrow always brings the magic of possibility.. and with it the guarantee of improvement
Stay the path for the journey of a 1000 Miles does not just begin with one step, it begins with letting go of a 1000 fears to take that step, and move with love.
……………
I love you
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