I recently had an epiphany. Many may consider it a minor feat, yet for me it feels like a big accomplishment. I did something I didnt think I could do and I changed my own image of myself. I also learned something that can be applied to most everything in life.
I have never thought of myself as a swimmer. Sure, I took lessons when I was a kid just like everyone else, but I struggled with it. I did not find it easy. I thought everyone else was a better swimmer than me and I did not think I could do it. So I didnt swim. For years and years I just didnt even try.
But this summer I was inspired. I wanted to swim. Not just swim, I wanted to become a good swimmer. Being a Mommy is definitely inspirational and my inspiration to swim came from my two-year-old daughter. My beautiful little daughter inspired me. I took her to a mommy-tot class and she loved it. Every time she was in the pool she loved it. She seems to be natural at it, just the opposite of what I was. Her lessons have been over for weeks yet still every single day at 8:00 in the morning, she puts on her swimsuit and she is ready to go to the pool.
My family always enjoyed boating and water-skiing, but my lack of skill in swimming never seemed to be a problem, after all I could always grab the life jacket! But watching my daughter swim and feeling the joy she felt, I realized that my family was going to be a swimming family and as the Mom, I needed to catch up!
So, I decided I would start to improve my swimming skills by swimming laps. I asked the swim instructor when the lap lanes were mostly empty so I didnt interrupt any of the triathletes or the regulars and I just decided to do it.
At first I was tentative, I didnt know how I would do. After all, it had been 30 years or more since I did any serious swimming and even then I was never comfortable. So I started with a kickboard and I went across the pool a few times. But that got real boring, real fast. So I tried to swim and breathe and swim and breathe. I remembered how, I realized that I just needed to practice. The first time I made it all the way across without stopping I was elated. But the breathing was the scary part. So I concentrated on breathing and as I got better I realized that the trick with breathing in the water is not the Inhale but rather the Exhale-the releasing of all of the air in your lungs to make room to bring in more air. You have to release the resistance of the last breath in order to get the next breath. Soon I was able to breathe easily in the pool. Now I can swim lap after lap without any problems.
As I came home and told my husband (my best friend) every single, minute detail of my newfound passion, I excitedly declared, If I can breathe, I can do Anything! Wow, what a concept! And how true it really is based on everything that I have learned in life! We really are limitless beings, so of course, if we are breathing we are capable of just about anything!
So swimming gave me a great metaphor for lifeIf you can breathe, You can do anything! One of my favorite, late, great, mentors W. Clement Stone said, Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, It can achieve. Hes rightIf you can believe it (and you are breathing!) you can achieve it. It may take some work or practice and you may need to release some resistance but If you can Breathe, You can do Anything! |
