Several years ago, I began participating in triathlons. On my first race, the wind was blowing extremely hard, which made the lake we were swimming in to be very choppy. Very few of us were prepared for the 4 to 7 foot wave faces that we had to swim through to complete our swim.
I trained for my swim without using my legs. I thought it would be wise to conserve my legs for the bike and the run. Under normal conditions, I was easily able to complete the 2.4 mile swim without the use of my legs.These were not normal conditions, and this swim was brutal. I had to kick all the time just to keep myself above the waves.
At the half-way point, I was exhausted. I began to breathe on every stroke which put me out of my normal rhythm. In my struggle, I failed to get my head high enough out of the water and instead of breathing air, I gulped a mouth full of water. Immediately, I began to choke and to gag. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t catch my breath and the more I struggled, the more I began to feel like I was about to perish in the lake. This was a real fight for my life. I didn’t panic, but I knew I was in serious trouble.
What Will Everybody Think?
As my peril worsened, I began to think negative thoughts. My self talk included statements like, "You are really stupid Andrew!", "I don’t know what made you think you could do this in the first place?" and "You are going to die out here."
As I imagined the headline, and the story in the paper about my death in the lake, I began to be afflicted with one prevailing thought: "What will everybody think?" This thought, literally began to consume me. It was all I could think about. I actually began to visualize the conversations my friends and even people who didn’t know me would have. They all said the same thing; "that sure was stupid way to die – what the heck was he doing that for anyway?"
Escaping Fear and Doubt
In the midst of this turmoil, which I am sure occurred over a matter of milliseconds, I heard a loud voice from within me say, "Andrew, you are about to die, and all you are worried about is,"What will people think?" Yes, they are going to think you are stupid, so quit worrying about what they are going to think and start kicking and fighting and doing whatever you have to do to survive. Remember your training as a Boy Scout, and use it now to save your life."
Immediately, I flipped over on my back and began to employ the elementary back stroke while I cleared my own airway. Within a few more seconds, I was in control and confidently finished the rest of the race.
Belief In Self
I could not rely on anybody else in the lake to save me. The other swimmers were engaged in their own battle, and most likely unaware of my struggle for survival. The training I received wasn’t any good until I began to implement it. I couldn’t look to anyone else to save me. I had to save myself.
After the race was over, I began to see some significant parallels with my struggle in the lake and the struggles we all face in life. Too many times, we worry about what other people are thinking. It sometimes paralyzes us and makes us unable to do what we need to do in order to grow and be successful.
As I thought about the two struggles, I realized that belief in self, is a crucial leadership quality. Nobody likes to follow a leader who indecisively moves along worrying about what the people will think. We want to follow leaders with a vision, who act with a certainty of who they are and what they want to do.
At times I have fooled myself into believing that if I believe in myself too strongly, people will think I am arrogant. Now, I realize that arrogance is actually a lack of self-confidence. People want to follow leaders who emanate self-confidence. Their belief in their own self-worth generates an energy that draws us in and helps us feel confident about becoming a part of their vision.
You Can Do It!
What do you think the world would be like, if all of us could believe in ourselves 100%, 100% of the time? What could we build together from that frame of mind.
I am certain that much of the crime we see, much of the blame we see, and even much of the suffering we see would be eliminated if we could just learn to believe in ourselves.
I know that sometimes life feels a lot like the turbulent lake I found myself in during my triathlon experience. In those moments, it feels easy to worry about what people will think. It also seems normal to call out for help and feel like a victim when nobody comes to our aid. If we really want the world to be a better place, if we want to be a "Victor" instead of a "Victim" then we need to to develop a healthy sense of belief in ourselves.
How much do you believe in yourself?
What has to happen for you to increase that belief to 100%?
What would your life be like if you did?
You and I are in charge of our own plan of excellence. We will never fully implement it, until we see ourselves as brilliant beings who are capable of doing anything we set our minds to do. Go for it!
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