We All Fail – The Most Successful Among Us Just Don’t Give Up!
It didn’t go at all as I expected… To be frank, I failed miserably.
For ten months, I trained my butt off swimming in the pool. Then the day came: May 3rd, 2017 – my first ever, open-water, outdoor swim.
My goal was to swim two laps, 1.2 miles in total, around the .6 mile course.
As soon as I jumped in the water, however, I instantly panicked. I barely survived one lap as the lifeguard followed me the entire way. It was embarrassing and deflating. The Ironman in Hawaii was only one month away and I could barely do half the distance required.
I thought about giving up. I thought about all the excuses I could make not to go through with it. I thought about staying comfortably at home, safe and content with setting and achieving only mediocre goals for myself.
The trouble was, I knew I wouldn’t be content with it.
So, two weeks later, I tried again. I had made some adjustments in the pool, and this time, I brought a friend with me (thanks, Howard!). It was still a struggle, but I gutted out 1 mile in the open water with the competition now only two weeks away.
And then, on June 3rd, 2017, I completed the 1.2 mile swim in the ocean as the first leg of the Hawaii Ironman 70.3 with my wife, Tresa, and my good friends, Oliver and Vasiliki Fossess, there to cheer me on! It was one of the proudest moments of my life.
So, here’s the moral of the story: Don’t give up! We all fail at times. Even with extensive training and a positive mindset, things don’t always go as expected. You can fall short and still…
Do. Not. Give. Up.
When I think back on this time in my life, I am most thankful that I got back in the pool after my first “freak out” swim. I am thankful that I doubled down on my goals, made some adjustments, and got some additional support.
Paraphrasing the words of Jim Carrey…
Whenever life gets you down, it’s tempting to make decisions based in fear digitized as practicality.
But the fact is, life is short. You will fail at times. So, why not take a shot at something that truly challenges you?! When you come to a crossroads in life, don’t be afraid to take a shot at something that pushes you, something that you love!
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