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July 4, 1952 Florence Chadwick, who had previously swum the English Channel, now attempted the twenty-one-mile swim from the southern California mainland to Catalina Island. The water was a freezing 48 degrees. The fog was thick and visibility almost nil.

Finally, only half a mile from her destination, she became discouraged and quit.  The next day reporters clamored around her asking why she had quit – had it been the cold water or the distance.  It proved to be neither.  She responded, “I was licked by the fog.”  She then recalled a similar experience while swimming the English Channel.  Evidently the fog was likewise engulfing. She was exhausted.  As she was about to reach out for her father’s hand in the nearby fishing kayak, he pointed to the shore.  She raised her head out of the water just long enough to see the land ahead.

With that new vision, she pressed on and became the first woman to conquer the English Channel.

This story (shared by Sterling W. Sill) teaches a magnificent principle: with increased vision can come increased motivation.

Brian Tracy said, “A clear vision, backed by definite plans, gives you a tremendous feeling of confidence and personal power.”

So what’s the lesson?

Know where you’re going and what you have to do get there.  Have a clear vision.  Cut the garbage that distracts from what you’re really chasing.  Use your small successes to fuel and propel you to greater success.

 

 

I was a really bad swimmer.

In fact, at one point I was the third worst swimmer in the state of Utah.

The 50 yard freestyle is the shortest race in swimming, it’s the race you swim when you’re the best of the best or not capable of swimming anything further. I was the latter of the two.

One day standing behind the starting blocks amping myself up for the 50 Free, climbed up and the whistle blew.

I dove in the water and began to swim my heart out.

At the 25 yard mark I did my flip turn to sprint the final 25 yards. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my competition in the lane next to me; he was just a yard or two in front of me.

For the first time in my swimming career I actually believed  that I could actually beat that guy. So you know what I did? I swam harder.

25 yards later I looked at my time to see if I had in fact beaten him.

We tied.

What would have happened if I had believed I could beat that guy from the very beginning?

What if I had just made the decision to beat him 25 yards earlier?

I would have won.

All along I believed I was swimming my hardest, but the reality is, I wasn’t.

That day I began an amazing journey, and 18 months later I was in the top 5 in the state and set a new school record.

The only thing holding me back was me.

Heart. Mindset. Focus. Effort.

They can’t be measured, but they determine everything.

Decide. Then act like it.