Diana Nyad – Never Ever Give Up – Find A Way

A couple of days ago, I watched in amazement how

Diana Nyad, the 64 year old extreme endurance swimmer, reached the Florida shores.

She had been swimming non stop for almost 53 hours and over 103 miles, to do what was throug humanly impossible:

To swim the entire distance between Cuba and Key West without shark cage, fins or other supportive devices.

Can you imagine swimming in the middle of the night, in complete darkness, surrounded by sharks and deadly jelly fish?

Can you imagine the power of will that it must have taken her to push herself and her body farther than anybody else in this sport?

Can you imagine the commitment to her goal and the determination to do whatever it takes that she needed to achieve such an amazing accomplishment?

And, maybe the most impressive: Can you imagine what it must have taken her to try this adventure not only once, but a total of five times, until she succeeded?

Yes, she had to endure temporary defeat four times, and make a decision if she wanted to continue to go out and try again.

So many times she got hurt and injured.

She struggled with asthma and a torn shoulder.

She had to adjust her style and learn a stroke that would help her swim with her pain more easily.

She had to invent and wear a face mask that would help protect her against jelly fish stings to her mouth, even though she could hardly breathe and swallowed lots of ocean water as a result.

And the reason why she did it and put herself through this ordeal?

Because she just couldn’t find it in her to give up.

Her mantra was “find a way”, and her message to the world was three fold:

She swam all the way across the ocean, to be witnessed and heard saying that? To inspire others to finally get going and follow their own dreams?

How many times have you dreamed of making more money, being in better shape, have better relationships with your family or friends?

How many times have you thought that you missed the boat and it is too late to get started now?

How many times have you set yourself a goal, only to give up as soon as he thermostat changed just a little bit?

How many times have you tried to do it alone, even though your goal could only be reached by team effort?

Isn’t it time to reconnect with your dream, your big picture, your “reason why”?

Isn’t it time to step up and own the fact that you are here for a reason and that you have the ability to form your personal story, even the not so good parts, into a testimony for strength and relevance?

Isn’t it time to stop believing that there is value in playing small and not reaching out to others, even if they need us?

If now is not the time – when will it be?

You were designed for greatness. What you do with it, is truly your choice.

Diana Nyad never forgot her dream. She tried her adventure first when she was in her 20s, and finally reached her goal at the age of 64. She didn’t ask for “easy”, for short cuts, or for the law of attraction to bring her proof of what she can do. Instead, she owned her strengths and weaknesses and did whatever she could to be prepared. And while she was in the ocean, ling, all she focused on was “find a way, find a way.”

Let her inspire you. What if today was the day to make the final decision to change?

Find a way, and a team to support you.

And most importantly: Never, never, never give up! Find a way!