‘There’s something about being in that ugly, dark place where nothing will ease the pain you feel other than quitting. You can’t quit – you’d rather die than give in. You struggle, you push and you fight with every last once of courage in your body until you finish the journey. The prize had nothing to do with crossing the finish line. The reward was the fact that you kept moving forward when you didn’t have anything left inside – the greatest lesson in life.’
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We sometimes focus so much on the ‘prize’, whatever that might be, that we forget the journey it took to get us there. When I look back on these different challenges, I typically don’t think about climbing out of the water on the other shore – I reminiscence about the difficulties and struggle it took to get there.
Like anything in life, nothing is achieved without the blood, sweat and tears it took us to get there. The motivation to continue pushing on is something not everyone is willing to give, but it is necessary. Sometimes we get so accustomed to being in our comfort zone that we forget, or never did, subject ourselves to rough, demanding surroundings.
I wish everyone could be right beside me during these events; not only because of the camaraderie, but to witness the pain and struggle we go through to accomplish these swims. Jump in with me, and feel what it is like to swim for hours in water which gives you an ice cream headache upon each entry. I like to think of it as pain in its pure, unaltered form. The number one reason trainees do not complete ‘Hell Week’ to become a Navy S.E.A.L? Frequent exposure in the cold, southern California coastline. Oh, wait, that’s what marathon swimmers call home for hours each and every day.
Pain is in your mind. Overcoming pain in life can sometimes feel insurmountable, but know that anything can be accomplished when you just believe it is possible. I sometimes hear from others about their dream, but then it is immediately followed up with a negative conclusion as to why that would not be possible. Why would you do that to yourself? I believe you know that answer.
What you learn through struggle is that, more and more, you see life in a different way – a way in that the big things you would fret over just don’t seem so tough anymore. Historical figures that changed the world never sat around and thought ‘what if’ – they simply went out and made it happen. Sometimes they failed, but when they succeeded, it was because they were beat down to their knees but kept pushing forward; never giving up in the face of defeat.
Don’t worry about the pain and struggle – you’ll make it through. I promise.
You want something, go out and get it. You are the only one holding you back.