Sink or Swim? You decide…
Have you ever had a sink or swim moment? When you’re “underwater” and you’re fighting for your life? Why is it considered a defining moment in our lives? What makes it so special to document and forever remember those times? Maybe because those moments in your life made you into the person you are today. Maybe, if you’ve never experienced those types of “sink or swim” moments in your life, you wouldn’t be where you are today.
What defines a sink or swim moment? My definition is this: When you’re up shits creek and you’re fighting for your life to get out of the situation you’re in. It can be any defining situation, when you’re literally head over heels, up to your head in water, knee-deep in mud, and just stuck in the muck….
Why do those moments in life suck so bad? Why can’t we just bypass those times in our life when the “shit hits the fan” and be able to walk away from the situation? Be free from responsibility… Be free from any “danger”… Be free from fighting a battle that may not be yours to fight but you stuck around anyway… Maybe because you like a GOOD FIGHT!
Those times in your life when you’re pin to the ground or stuck in a corner define you; they made you; they formed your character and set your tenacity. They definitely made you a hell of a lot stronger person. The stuff you had to go through; literally walking through walls to make shit happen. You made that happen! You fought that battle! You WON the fight!
Times got rough and hard, maybe for a short period of time; maybe for a longer period of time having to suffer through the hardest part of it all; not knowing when it’s going to end. You stuck through it; you powered through these tough trying times; you NEVER gave up and you NEVER gave in. That’s the definition of a true leader. A person who can face adversity, during the most trying times and NEVER giving up and NEVER quitting.
People who looked up to you during these times wanted to see if you were going to BREAK under this extreme pressure. You might’ve bent a little but you took your shape; your true form; the person that you are today; those things that pushed you to your limits and MADE YOU. The test of time was the true measurements in this “flight or fight” situation.You hung in there and gave it ALL YOU HAD.
Leaders go through the most grueling challenges to prove their character and skills to the people that follow them. Even those that look up to you on a daily basis and see your challenges; thank the heavens they aren’t walking in your shoes. You have some big shoes to fill and it’s not a one size fits all type of shoe. You define the moments in your life by enduring these challenges and passing these tests. Even if you fail or fall, you continue to strive and not give up. Life is not all about winning every moment of your life, we have to be realistic about certain things and not set ridiculous expectations that we can’t meet.
When you get up in the morning to start your day, whatever comes your way, know that you have what it takes to “fight the good fight”. You have the skills, the strength, the tenacity, and the endurance to swim and not sink. When you hit a wall, CLIMB IT! When you fall into a pool of water that’s over your head, SWIM! When things are coming at you from the left and the right; trying to hold you down; trying to make you quit, DON’T STOP! Keep moving forward… Keep pushing through… Keep stretching yourself beyond your boundaries… Continue to challenge yourself no matter how hard the task is.
In the end, you will achieve GREATNESS, you will BE the BEST, and you will learn to SWIM…
