Three lessons learned from my 10K swim

Swimming was never my thing. A few months of practice in my childhood helped me stay afloat. Only during my graduation year, I taught myself freestyle enough to do a few continuous laps, but that's about it.

Years later, after coming to the US, I got inspired by the true ocean swimmers going for miles in the cold Santa Cruz waters. With all the things, it took me another eight years to get ready and do 2 miles Alcatraz swim . And the last weekend, I did something that makes me proud - 6.2 miles/ 10 km Bridge to Bridge swim around San Francisco from Golden Gate Bridge to Bay Bridge.

Here I am sharing a few tips I learned while preparing for this swim. They are universal enough to apply to your initiatives, especially if you step out into the unknown and feel unconfident. I use these learnings while building my business now.

Have the "why" answer ready.

The best time to dream for me is a vacation or the holiday season when I'm cozy and relaxed. This is when I have the energy to process great ideas.?

I was relaxing on my couch around Thanksgiving time in November 2021 and caught an idea to do this B2B swim. I got excited for the moment; it's the longest swim event in the Bay Area; how cool would it be to complete it? Well, it seemed far beyond my abilities, but I had 11 months - enough time to prepare for anything...?

It sounds great until it gets real. Waking up early on Sundays to practice swimming in the cold Bay water for a few miles - is not always fun. I need to be committed. And committed means I should have a solid answer to the question, "Why am I doing this?" Because in those moments of doubt, the brain offers you numerous compelling reasons - "why not." You fight not only fatigue and the cold water but also your brain whispering, "that's enough; go home and relax."

In my case, the answer was simple - I either get ready and complete the swim or... Well, my wife wouldn't accept the other options until our kids graduate from college! ???

But if you commit to pursuing a less lethal dream, it's easy to get derailed when your daily challenges kick in. The strong reason "why" - this is what keeps you going.?

Turn fear into confidence.

I believe that if some idea hits your mind and you seriously consider it at least for a moment - then you can make it happen. Most likely, it will be quickly buried under all the pragmatic reasons why it's not possible, not feasible, or doesn't make sense. But impossible ideas wouldn't even come to your mind, so if you had an idea that looked exciting for a second and you captured this brief moment of enlightenment, there is a good chance you will succeed in implementing it. At least, this is how I generate my ideas, and it works for me most of the time.?

However, this does not mean that implementing the idea will be easy. Quite the opposite, it is often challenging and scary. When unsure what it takes to succeed, I start from the closest end, build a plan, set checkpoints, and take action.?

At first, the path to the goal is foggy. You can't see all the way through; you don't know the risks, the resources, and the skills you are missing - so it all looks scary. But while you push forward, there is a magic moment when the fear turns into confidence. Suddenly all the doubts fade away, and you realize that you CAN and WILL succeed. Strive for this moment!??

This happened during one of my weekly practices. It was an especially cold, windy day, and the water was choppy like never before. I couldn't believe people swim in such conditions.?

The coach encouraged us to relax and keep going no matter what, "You may hit the wave and swallow water instead of taking a breath - that happens, don't worry; take another try. You may feel that you are not making progress; a buoy is not coming closer - it's not true; you do make progress, keep going."?

While I was listening to instructions, someone had already reached the first buoy - a quarter mile away. I jumped in too. At first, I couldn't do freestyle; waves were coming at me, hitting my face and blocking sight. I couldn't breathe and didn't see the buoy - it was a tough moment. But after the first buoy, I turned, so waves started coming from the side, making things easier. But still, I was thrown up and down, kept missing breaths, and swallowed water. And as the coach said - the second buoy was about half a mile away and was not coming closer. I could barely see it through the foggy goggles and choppy water.?

Again, what's good about open-water swimming, you don't have many options, so I kept going. Suddenly I realized - I could do it! I was crushing through these waves; they could not stop or derail me. I started feeling like a mighty battleship cutting through the stormy waters. I finished a one-mile lap, the second one, and then a half more until I felt very confident and began enjoying these rough waters.?

Transform yourself.

I enjoy the sense of accomplishment - getting medals, receiving recognition, winning games, and then bragging about it. Who does not? But there is a more profound consequence of taking on and succeeding in a project like this - it changes who you are. Starting from a small idea and continuing in baby steps, these efforts change your daily routines, your body, your mindset, your acquaintances, and your entire environment. It changes the way how you perceive yourself and how others see you. It shifts the vector of your life, taking your further and further away from where you started and accelerating you onto a new path.?

And it's not just about sports or recreational activities. It's true about work, business, or new areas of study. And if you enjoy it, every new step in this direction will be more exciting and make you happier. You will learn more, build skills, obtain tools, and create a support network of people who will push you forward to new accomplishments.?

The first steps might be painful; you push through them with adrenaline and commitment. Then you build new routines, get used to them, and things become easier and more fun. And finally, the pain goes away; you enjoy every moment and look for new challenges.?

After months of preparation, I knew I was ready when the swim day came! The event that had scared me for months was more exciting and pleasant than I could ever imagine. I didn't worry about the cold water, waves, and sharks. Instead, I admired the beauty of the bay, the city, and the bridges. And I pushed harder, built up my pace, and finished earlier, exceeding my wildest expectations.

Looking back, I can see that the actual accomplishment is just a natural result of becoming a guy who can do it. It's a little checkpoint that confirms that the change has happened. Yet it created a lasting memory and a source of strength for future accomplishments.

The same is true for your career or your business - you set a goal and put effort into becoming someone who can achieve it. It's not about a particular checkpoint - getting a title, a position, a salary, or building a specific business and winning a customer. It is about being a person who can do it and so deserves a title, a position, or can build a business and win this customer. Transform yourself while enjoying every moment of it!?