Lessons from a sea swim – goal seting and motivation

Towards the end of September I have been able to really put in some great miles in the water. Being by the sea and having the time to swim has been glorious and I have loved every minute of swimming outside. For me swimming is pure meditation. As the season starts to shift to Autumn and the water temperature begins to drop it becomes harder and harder to keep that habit going. The impermanence of great swim conditions is part of the beauty of open water swimming and I always have a strong pull to keep that September swimming feeling going, even though I know it can’t last. The water temperature gets too cold and the choice is to either squeeze into a wetsuit or you stay in your skin and don’t stay in as long. I will always choose the latter.

Having said that, this last weekend I was determined to do three last long swims, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I had a clear vision of what I wanted to achieve. There was a feeling of this being my last opportunity to swim those distances this year and I didn’t want to waste them. Being child free and staying by the sea for the weekend there was nothing to stop me. I checked the tide times and knew it would be an early rise each day to catch the high tide. Day 1, great swim, warm water, feeling good. Day 2 however was a different story. 7am I arrive at the beach and the wind is on shore causing the sea to be very choppy. Getting in was tough and every stroke I felt like I wanted to just turn into shore and run back but then I kept thinking of the end of the day and how disappointed I would feel if I gave up halfway. Mathew was with me too and the thought of him finishing and me not was certainly a situation I did not want to be in! So, on I swam and the mile was done. Pretty shattered and almost feeling sea sick from the choppy sea, but completed none the less. Then Day 3, I awoke having had a terrible night’s sleep, I was exhausted. I was hopeful the sea would have calmed down overnight but it was still frisky and the thought of another rough swim was really tough. I really did not want to swim. It was overcast and a little cooler too. It took every bit of will power and thoughts of gratitude at being able to swim to get me in the water. I squeezed on my hat and goggles and before I had a chance to talk myself out of it I was in. Instead of fighting the rolling waves this time I tried to roll with them. It almost became quite fun as I frollicked about, bashing my way through the waves. At one point I even caught myself smiling under the water at the sheer joy of in that moment being so animal like rather than human. Then it was over and the feeling of completing all three swims was fantastic. Yes, it was hard but being back on land wrapped in a warm towel and drinking a hot drink made it all so sweet.

It got me thinking about goal setting in general and how easy it would have been not to do those swims. I could have just showed up to the weekend with thoughts along the lines of “I think I’ll have a dip if the weather is good”. If that was the case I probably wouldn’t even gone half as far or maybe not even swam at all on the last day and all of that too would have been fine. But when you do have a vision it really does help with achieving your goals, compared to having no vision at all and simply hoping for the best.

The mental strength I learn through my exercise, I then take into my everyday life. I start thinking about a clear vision for my professional and personal life and what those goals look like. These thoughts are not rocket science but I do think we sometimes need a gentle reminder about having a goal setting mentality so that life doesn’t race by in a blur of if only…….. Remembering that not every day is going to be a perfect day for you to achieve your goal. There will be many days where achieving your goal takes some grit and determination as you battle the elements and the mental chatter that tries to sway you otherwise but I believe that it is in those moments where the greatness lies and your true self shines through.

Lessons in Goal Setting + Motivation

1. Have a clear vision of what you want to achieve. See it in your head and if you are not visual then write that vision down.

2. Set goals that are realistic to you and your ability. Get to know yourself, because it’s a fine line between overstretching yourself and not doing enough.

3. Show up even on the rubbish days. You can’t just turn to life on the bright, sparkly days. You show up to them all.

4. Don’t wait for the perfect conditions to start achieving your goals, start today.

5. The hardest part of any exercise regime is simply getting out the door. So get your kit ready the night before, have everything in order so you can easily follow through with your plan.

6. Don’t take anything for granted – swim/run/race/flow/ be in this day as if it is your last.

 

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