Ov
er the weekend I finally did something that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. It was something that took some special planning, some special skill and a time commitment. Yet, I was able to plan ahead this year and actually accomplish it. I even did it alone. Me and 460 other swimmers! (that’s Olympic Gold Medalist Rowdy Gaines in the picture!)
I swam Lucky’s Lake Swim!
In the open water swimming world, Lucky’s Lake is a world famous swim, across the lake and back on Lake Cane in Central Florida. The lake is one of the cleanest in our area, due to the love and attention it’s gotten through the years. This past weekend commemorated the 25th anniversary of the lake swim, which literally happens every day of the year. The hard core winter swimmers use wet suits during the winter months, and during the summer, triathletes from all over the state swim daily and the weekends.
I’ve been hearing about it for years. I’m finally committed to living my dreams in every aspect of my life, so I’ve decided I am now an open water swimmer! YES it scares the ba-gee-bees out of me, but I want to live full out and do exciting things!
Why? Because in a world of millions of coaches who are promising the world to their clients, I don’t want to be one of them. I want to be the REAL DEAL. If I’m creating FASCINATING orators, people, executives and athletes, I HAVE to be one of them!
My clients are the MOST interesting people I’ve ever met! Some of them come from horrible situations and are remaking themselves through writing books to share the good word that ANYONE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH anything if you make it out alive! One client even survived DEATH! He literally died and came back to life because a doctor just happened to be where he had his heart attack!
I have another client who is going for a world record in an extreme sport. This particular individual holds down a full time job and is actually disabled! Another client is going for another world record in a long distance sport.
When I wake up every morning, I’m completely blown away by the quality of people in the world who are doing OUTRAGEOUS things! They’re pushing themselves to achieve, to learn, to grow, to stretch, and to accomplish. Some of them are my clients, others are not, but I am now gravitating towards greatness and I can tell you, if you’re not pursuing greatness, you’re being LEFT BEHIND!
BIG wake up call.. for me, and hopefully for YOU!
Then I have to confront myself and ask:
So how come I used to sit on the couch watching movies?
How come I was so complacent to think that the best was behind me?
How could I allow myself to get overweight and not push my body to the limits?
My excuses are probably like all of us. I went through a divorce, I had bad habits, I was not able to think or be clear. I let my bad habits outweigh the good ones, and the result? A half assed career!
I am now committed to living each and every day full out, completely super charged, full of life and love and zest for living!
But what about the millions of obstacles that come up? The injuries, the mundane things of life that have to get done, the things that I’m responsible for, the people I need to take care of, the money that may or may not have arrived that I need from clients or sales, etc, etc.
I’ve learned that obstacles are NECESSARY and IMPORTANT and if you come to celebrate them, instead of FIGHT THEM, you’ll get around them quicker! Plus, if you only have 1 hour of the day where you can learn something or push yourself, it makes you think BIGGER and challenges you to be STRONGER.
My conclusion is that if you’re NOT pursuing to be the most FACINATING person that you know, that you’ll never meet the most amazing people in the world! You’ll miss out on SO many blessings and opportunities to express yourself and your talents in the world!
And if you seriously are NOT able to do anything outrageous, then PLEASE, learn to express yourself and to become a delightful conversationalist. If you absolutely can NOT motivate yourself to doing great things, then please cheer on the ones who are! One of the most interesting people I met at Lucky’s Lake swim was an older beautiful woman who asked me to FEEL her curly gray hair because she let it go natural and it was so beautiful! She was dressed up in a beautiful and colorful wet suit, looking every part of the swimmer and was so electric in her personality, it didn’t even matter that she wasn’t there to swim. Just to support and cheer on those who were swimming!
Now that was fascinating to me. And probably to the others who she spoke with and encouraged!
Today is the first day of the REST of your life. Today could be the ONE day that you make a decision that absolutely CHANGES it ALL.. forever and ever!
What are you waiting for? The water is JUST FINE!
Get SWIMMING!!!