Five things I learned on my journey to swim 333 laps by Labor Day

On July 3rd I embarked on a personal journey to swim 333 laps before the pool closed, around Labor Day. As a mid-life professional with a young daughter, career, and family to manage, I felt like I was underwater, struggling to keep up with all the changes, challenges, and expectations. By being intentional about my personal "WHY" and setting a quantifiable goal and tracking my progress, I learned some valuable lessons that spilled over into other areas of my life.

Here are five things I learned on my journey to 333 laps:

1. Momentum is more important than consistency. Instead of focusing on doing something every day, I built momentum by having a measurable goal and understanding my WHY. This helped me get back in the water and leverage the gains of my early momentum when setbacks like work travel or sick kids happened.
2. Success is not linear, but momentum is. Charting my progress showed me that success is not always a straight line. By the end, I was swimming more laps, less frequently, and incredibly eager to hit my goal. But at the beginning, I was consistent with 22 days of daily, short swims. This linear start helped me build momentum that helped me get back in the pool.
3. Sticking to your aspirations is easier when you have a quantifiable goal. When I hit a few weeks of not making it into the pool due to the flu, I was able to get back in because I knew how far I was from hitting 333 laps. It felt attainable, and kept me going.
4. Your WHY will carry you through the inevitable setbacks. I was swimming every day to improve my health, so I can be there for my daughter for decades, so I can instill having an active lifestyle, and my goal was 333 laps. Knowing my WHY helped me push through the tough days or get back in the pool after I missed my daily swim mornings.
5. No one can swim your laps for you. This practice reminded me that no one can hold me accountable like myself. In the pool, it's usually just me, sometimes my daughter joins me, and it's up to me to push myself to dive in even when it's cold or I don't feel like it. We set the tone for ourselves, and no one can swim our laps or reach our personal goals for us.

Swimming has helped me release tight shoulders, improve my cardio health, and build endurance. But the most meaningful gains were in my mind and how I dug deep to achieve what I set out to do. I hope this encourages you to set measurable goals, build momentum, expect set backs, and keep going!

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