Inspired by sport — the metaphors for life that just keep leaping out at me

Everywhere I go at the moment I seem to see stories about sporting challenges that show such amazing parallels with life that they really can’t be ignored.

One such story that I’m reading about at the moment is that of Diana Nyad — she talks about it in her book “Find a Way: One Untamed and Courageous Life” — In the book she’s 62 and on her third attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida — one of the most notoriously difficult open water swims there is. Her first attempt at this was 34 years previously. Her second attempt was six months prior to the one I’m currently reading about and then there’s this one — third time lucky you hope as you read her account of swimming through a swarm of jellyfish that delivers a potentially fatal attack on her an one of her team mates.

She’s been stung, parts of her body feel paralysed, yet she refuses to give up. After all the months and years of training it’s not something she’s prepared to give up so easily. And we all do it in sport — we become flexible enough to deal with whatever’s being thrown at us. You train for it. If nature’s gonna throw a swarm of jellyfish at you then you have a tool in your mental backpack that will help you deal with it. If someone’s going to make the final mile of an 8 mile run slightly (ahem) longer than the mile they say it is you go back to counting your breaths or your strides. We train for the unknown and we learn how to deal with mental and physical pain and discomfort — it just comes with the territory.

Diana Nyad talks about using a “titanium helmet” to protect herself from doubts and negativity — her own as much as anyone elses — as she says that once you’ve opened the door to them it’s very difficult to not open the floodgates. Another tool she uses is singing — she has virtually a whole Spotify playlist in her head to get her through — and it keeps her at the right stroke rate as well as focusing on something other than the interminable swim towards the horizon.

A few things stuck me when I was reading Nyad’s story:

Firstly, how little we plan flexibility into our everyday lives. How tied we are to achieving a particular outcome in a particular way and how unprepared we are when the (normally fairly obvious) risks become realised. You could say it’s all about knowing your enemy — much easier when it’s a physical threat. When it’s less than that we tend to be much less diligent in protecting ourselves.

Secondly, and particularly pertinent at this time of year, big goals can seem pretty damn scary when you first start to work on them but if you start in an area you’re familiar with but that’s still a bit outside your comfort zone you’ll be much better placed to achieve it. Diana Nyad had already attempted a big swim so new her body could handle it with the right preparation. The Cuba-Florida swim was the next level challenge.

Thirdly — it is much easier to believe that something, seemingly impossible, is possible when someone else you can identify has gone before you. Look for those people and understand their stories. It’s such a powerful tool to have in that backpack.

And finally — goal planning in a way that works for you. I’m a whole chapter into the book, she’s already been stung by jellyfish and nowhere has it talked about the miles she would need to do. Merely the stroke rate, here singing playlist and her ticking off of day and night to mark the time. She sets tangible, visible, no room for interpretation kinds of goals that she herself can measure. Her team know and understand the mileage and navigation. She doesn’t need to know that. Know what milestones you can keep in whatever goals you’re working on that are helpful. If you try to keep to time slots in a calendar and it just ends up stressing you out then do something different.

Your life, and whatever goal you’re working on, is about you being you and doing you your way. Find what inspires you. Find what keeps you going and motivates you. And don’t let anyone else with their opinions or shoulds or coulds or musts get in your way. You’ve done it on the sports field or out on a windy day when running was hard but you still kept going and didn’t take the easy route. You can do it in any area of your life you choose. ❤

Like what you’ve read — you can find more fun musings, challenges and support in my Facebook Group — The Miss-fits: Fitness, Fun & Adventure for Bold Women