Upon Further Review

As I was waiting in the lobby of the Residence Inn Jersey City to meet my swim buddy and wingman Suzanne, Bill Brown came in with a couple of Navy Seals. He directed them to grab the United States flags we would use to carry from the shores of New Jersey and ultimately to the 9/11 memorial.?He looked around, and I introduced myself as we had only spoken but not yet met.?The first thing Bill said to me was, “Grab the Flags!”?I saw Navy Seals carrying some flags, but there was a box left.?He looked at me again and said, “Grab the Flags and take them to the bus!”?I quickly grabbed the flags, carried them to the bus, and returned to get Suzanne.?That was the moment that the adrenaline started, and I knew I was in the game; it was “GO TIME!”

We arrived at Liberty State Park in a police escort. It reminded me of the trip I took on January 16, 2009, and the police escort from Palisades Medical Center to LaGuardia.?That was the last time I had a police escort, and the feelings started to build as they had the day after the US Airways 1549 crash-landed in the Hudson River.

Suzanne and I jumped into the line so we could register, and I could get my official “Seal Swim Bag.”??When I registered and received my bag, I looked at it, and the number I was assigned was “154.” ?I immediately thought, this is a great sign; I was on US Airways flight 1549, in-seat 15A, on January 15, 2009. ?The number 15 was with me again this day.?

After opening ceremonies and the Frogmen jumped to the state park with the US Flag, we were ready to go.?Coach Patty and I watched a video from previous swims; the seals and patriots walked into the Hudson River under the bridge to swim to the Statute of Liberty.?We had set our game plan and discussed it with Suzanne.?But as we were walking over the bridge, suddenly, Seals started to jump down over the edge of the bridge, about 13 feet down into the Hudson.?At first, I thought, OK, I’m prepared for this as Coach Patty, and I trained for many scenarios, including jumping off the barges.?I thought of Suzanne and her recently repaired right knee, but Suzanne is a warrior, and she was all in.?

She jumped in first, I immediately followed.?Before I jumped, I said a prayer of gratitude, made sure everything I had was locked and loaded, including the items I brought that represented the military branches, and did my tuck and roll into the Hudson.??

As I came up, I looked for Suzanne but did not find her immediately.?I looked for the sightings Scuba gave us and found the flag and the barge.?But as I was getting my bearings, something came into my head that I hadn’t thought about in many years.?

I heard myself repeating a mantra that I learned when I was head of security for Tony Robbins.

“Now I am the Voice, will lead not follow.?I will believe, not doubt; I will create, not destroy. I am a Force for Good.?I am a Force for God. I am a leader.?Defy the odds.?Set a new standard, STEP UP!”

I don’t know why I heard that in my head, but it was like when I was ready to exit US Airways 1549. I heard my mom tell me, “If you do the right thing, God will take care of you.” I believe that in the defining moments of our lives, all the training, and the important lessons we learn come to the forefront and give us the strength to do what we are resolved to do.

Over the fourteen years I had with my mentor Bill, he always told me to “have the humility to prepare, so you have the confidence to execute.” ?And as Kenneth van Barthold wrote, “Don’t prepare until you get it right, prepare until you can’t get it WRONG.”?

Once I resolved to go back into the Hudson River in April, it was done; even though many people doubted I could do it, I never did. I had the discipline to prepare with Coach Patty and Coach Cassie. We trained and prepared for many scenarios. ?Coach Patty may have had her doubts initially but quickly had the same resolve that I did, as did my team and my fellow swimmers at MSA Swimming.?

When I jumped in and could not find Suzanne, I knew I was prepared to make the swim.?But a new lesson came quickly.??You can have all the strategy and game planning in the world, but in real life, when you are faced with something you cannot control, the strategy goes out the window.?Simply put, life is not ideal. There are always dirty water and mud and crazy flocks of Canadian Geese to make it an endless misery.?

One thing I learned twelve years ago, and it played out during the past sixteen months, is this.

It’s easy to blame events, but if you keep blaming events, you never allow yourself the opportunity to grow.?The critical skill you need when your strategy blows up and you are resolved get the job done and leave on your terms is resourcefulness.??

And that is the skill I employed after I heard “Now I am the Voice” in my head. ?I prepared so I had the confidence I could execute.??I am a leader, I believe in the mission, and I am resourceful to create a new strategy.?I am with a group that has held me to the highest standard, and I had the best swim buddy and wingman anyone had, Suzanne.??It was time to step up.

About two hours and forty minutes later, Suzanne and I approached Battery Park in NYC to do that final climb up the ladder. ?At first, after Suzanne got out and we hugged, I thought that was the moment that I had redemption from the Hudson River in 2009.?But during a conversation last week, I quickly learned that was NOT the moment.?I got emotional when I realized what that moment was. I will be writing about that moment in my upcoming book “Turmoil to Triumph,” as that is the real lesson and secret on how to turn whatever turmoil you may have in your life into your personal TRIUMPH!?

With all the challenges 2020 presented, a strategy to turn that year of turmoil into 2021 being a year of triumph is to humble yourself, get around people who can help and support you.?Know there are mentors and role models that have swum the Swim before. Be strong and face your personal "turmoil" head-on, forgive those who may have caused you strife, and begin your Swim to triumph. ??Reach out to them and ask them to support and mentor you, and you will grow out of the turmoil you had in 2020 and on the road to a triumphant 2021,

I went into the waters of the Hudson River on January 15, and when I came out, I had a new purpose in my life.?I aim to help people become the best they can be. To overcome any turmoil, they have experienced in life and turn it into a triumph. To do something for someone who cannot ever repay me.

On August 7, 2021, I went back into the Hudson River, but much like that cold day in January, I wasn’t alone.?

?I swam with some of America's greatest, a group of Navy Seals to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and remember the Seal mission Extortion 1-7.?

It's one thing to swim on your own; it's another to swim with the Navy Seals.?

My mission is simple; help those who may be going through their own turmoil from the past year with a pathway to victory and triumph and understand that you didn't get this far only to go this far!

Treat the TURMOIL of 2020 as your year of preparation and 2021 as your year to TRIUMPH!

If you would like to support my mission to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and those who lost their lives during the Extortion 17 mission, please check out my page at Dave Sanderson Seal Swim.?Thank you for your consideration.

LEAD YOURSELF FIRST and CREATE YOUR FLIGHT PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE!

?Dave Sanderson is the President of his firm, Dave Sanderson Speaks International, based out of Charlotte, NC. On January 15, 2009, Dave was one of the last passengers off the plane that crashed into the Hudson River, best known as?The Miracle on the Hudson, considered the most successful ditching in aviation history. In addition, he has built a career as a motivational speaker, mentor, and author. Recently named one of the top 100 Leadership Speakers in Inc.com. Dave averages over 80 speeches a year for major corporations worldwide.

?