Yesterday morning I jumped in the lake for a quick dip, I then decided I’d go for an actual swim.
At first, I told myself I’d do 100 strokes in each direction. As I was approaching the last stoke, I thought, why not just keep going? A little over 500m up ahead was a floating dock with a bright yellow slide. So that became my new goal, my new target.
It reminded me of a powerful scene from the movie Gattaca about two brothers. One has been genetically modified before birth and physically superior and one seemingly average or inferior. They replay a ritual they used to do when they were younger. They would run into the ocean, and start swimming… to see who could go the farthest and outswim the other. It was always Vincent, the genetically “inferior” brother, who would win every time.
Once again, his brother Anton could no longer keep up and yelled ahead to Vincent to turn back. Struggling to get his words out amidst the crashing waves, he asked him how he did it.
“You want to know how I did it?” Vincent yelled back. “This is how I did it, Anton.
I never saved anything for the swim back.”
Related Read: Reflections on rising above failure and judgement
Never save anything for the “swim” back
To me, this idea is all about giving it your all, going full out, and not worrying if you’re going to get there, how you’re going to get there, and what you’ll have left at the end of it.
It could also be interpreted as a warning not to jump ahead to what doesn’t even exist yet. Sometimes it’s the fear of “what could be” or the anxiety of what doesn’t exist yet, that prevents people from taking the first step – or stroke – at all. There’s no point in spending energy on a future that does not yet exist.
The journey of finding success
It’s really about committing to the journey one step at a time, by being willing to take the risk and trusting you will figure it all out as you go. There have been numerous times where I have tip-toed and dipped in with only one foot where I should of diving in headfirst. I’ve come to realize it’s a form of self-sabotage. It never serves me.
The truth is, whenever we’re trying something new, whether it be embarking on a new project or goal of any sort, we’re never going to know exactly what it’s going to look like before we do it.
And moreover, we’re never going to know how we’re going to get there, and what we’re going to come up against in the process.
We’re not guaranteed to make it, nor to succeed and there is no guarantee that it will look or feel as we’d hoped or envisioned it to be.
If this global pandemic has taught me anything, it’s that life as we know it can change in a heartbeat. Life can be messy and you need to live in the moment.
Here are some more of my thoughts to hopefully inspire you this week:
- Take a risk and play all out.
- Embrace (and enjoy!) the journey.
- Don’t save anything for the way back.
- Don’t be held back because you are unaware of what every step of the process will look like.
- Don’t worry about whether you will get there, how you will get there, or what it will look like when you do.
- Don’t allow fear of an outcome or a potential future that doesn’t yet exist to hold you back.
- I dare you to get your “brave on” this week and go for a “swim”… don’t save anything for the way back.
Author Biography
An authority on brave leadership and founder of The BRAV Institute, Carol has been educating, empowering, and entertaining audiences internationally for almost a decade. She is committed to getting you out of your comfort zone and into your B.R.A.V.E. Zone ~ where you get into action long before you feel ready.
She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance, an MA in Communication, two postgraduate certificates in coaching and mentoring, and has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies, International Associations, and thousands of female leaders and entrepreneurs to get their brave on. Whether it be asking for a raise or promotion, nailing a presentation, or climbing Africa’s highest peak, her clients attribute her insights and inspiration to achieving what they never thought possible.
Carol is a published author, been featured in numerous magazines and podcasts, and is a returning guest expert on Rogers TV in Canada. She’s lived and worked in 16 countries including Ashrams in India and vans in New Zealand, rocked dreadlocks in Thailand and shaved her head for breast cancer, she certainly walks her talk. When she’s not travelling or speaking on stage, you can find her volunteering as a bereavement facilitator, training for her next triathlon, or practicing her serious carpool karaoke game!
Connect with Carol at http://carolschulte.com/
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I love your swimming analogy, I now have a movie to watch this summer too. Thank you for sharing your fabulous wisdom with our community.
Leigh, it really is such a good movie! I highly recommend it…
Happy to hear you liked the analogy – I needed a reminder to go all out, also!