Making progress, one swim stroke at a time

People often ask me for advice on how to make progress in their career and in their life. My response is always very simple and if you follow it, then everything is possible. Be clear on where you are now and where you want to get to; take consistent actions to make incremental progress towards your goal.

I will explain by way of my own personal example in relation to open water swimming.

1. Understand where you are now. Coming out of Covid lockdown 1 in 2020, I could swim 20 metres before I had to stop and catch my breath. I could not comprehend how some of my friends could swim over 1km without stopping!!!
2. Set a clear picture of your goals, make them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time bound). Be realistic on your goal and your timeframe. People often over-estimate what they can achieve in the short-term and under-estimate what they can achieve in the long-term (- Bill Gates). I set my specific goal to be able to swim 1.5km freestyle by the end of September 2020.
3. Progress is achieved 1% at a time, 1 degree at a time, 1 swim-stroke at a time. To achieve my 1.5km goal I planned to consistently do 1 group swim training session and 1 personal swim training session each week. For each training session my goal was to swim a small bit further than my previous session, incremental improvement, one swim stroke at a time.
4. Consistent effort delivers results. Committing to and following through with consistent efforts delivers incremental improvements each training session. The benefit of incremental progress stacks up on top of each other.
5. Flow. Eventually you get into your flow state, where everything clicks, you are no longer over-thinking everything and it all seems more natural. This will only happen by putting in your required practice, consistently over time. Nobody else can do your swim strokes for you!

In truth my training schedule was interrupted by holidays, and my 1.5km swim in Lough Hyne in Sept 2020 was slow and exhausting, but I got there. This was a good learning for me in relation keeping training consistent!!

I have continued my swim journey in 2021 and 2022 with consistent swims each week (outside of winter!!). This year I was delighted to complete the Sandycove Island Challenge 1.6km, the Union Hall to Glandore swim 1.8km, the pier-to-pier Sherkin Island to Baltimore swim 1.9km, along with a 3km swim in the Dock Beach. I continue to enjoy my swim journey from 20m to 3km, making progress one swim stroke at a time. There is no end destination, it is a journey of continuous improvement.