#461 find a way

I am fascinated with the story about Diana Nyad, the 64-year old who swam the 110 miles of the Straits of Florida this week.  I cannot even fathom having the desire to do such a feat, let alone the ability to pull it off, but I love how steadfast she was in her quest.

Nyad first dreamed of doing the swim at age 8 and attempted it for the first time at age 29.  She failed then, and three other times over the course of three decades.  Most people would have given up long before she did, but she said that her mantra this year was "find a way." And so, on the fifth attempt, she found a way to swim for 6 minutes shy of 53 hours and made it from Cuba to Florida.  Can you imagine doing anything for 53 hours straight, let alone swimming in the ocean?

Nyad, deservedly, is the focus of attention, but she did not do it alone.  Accompanying her on the journey was a team of 35 people.  They worked to mark her course, feed her in the water, clear her path of the stinging jellyfish and serve as a lookout against sharks.  They provided support in the truest sense of the word.

What is your dream, and how do you "find a way" to help you achieve it?  Most of your musings won't be as ambitious as Nyad's nor the obstacles as serious, but many will demure and let the barriers stop them.  Maybe you can take two lessons from this endurance swimmer:  1) Persist.  Learn lessons from your failures and try again.  2)  Don't do it alone.  Even the greats have a support team.  Make it part of your goal to assemble yours.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Sources:  Never, ever give up: Diana Nyad completes historic Cuba-to-Florida swim by Matt Sloane, Jason Hannah and Dana Ford, CNN 9/3/13
Nyad credits maturity for record-breaking swim by Jennifer Kay AP in Telegraph Herald, 9/4/13