I was going to call this week’s post “Let’s Focus on Following Through,” but then I did a search and realized that I used that for a title in April of 2022 when I was feeling nervous about my first Masters swim meet. (You can read that post if you click here.)
How funny that I thought about using that title today, because I’m psyching myself up for my second Masters swim meet tomorrow in Sioux Falls.
I’m not quite as nervous this time. I haven’t shed a single tear about it, but I did experience some normal signs of stress when I read through the list of events and checked out my competition on Thursday. Seeing everyone’s ages and times made my heart race and caused my stomach to do a few flip-flops.
I’m trying to think positively. I want to enjoy the day as I spend time with other adults who love to swim. But I have to admit that I did wish for a couple of minutes that I hadn’t signed up for the meet.
I entertained several of the negative thoughts that kept me waffling about whether to sign up until the very last day:
I could be in better shape.
I’m not sure if I can swim any faster than I did at the first meet.
Maybe I should just wait until next spring and make sure I train harder so I’m really ready.
Thankfully, I didn’t let myself ruminate on any of those thoughts for very long. Instead, I reminded myself of the reasons I finally signed up:
I love to swim.
I want to talk to other swimmers and find out how they stay motivated as they train.
I want to challenge myself and see if I’ve improved since April 2022.
I’m kind of proud of myself already, even if I don’t win a single race. I can see improvements in the way I catch my thoughts. That’s something I try to practice (and encourage others to do it, too) in my free private Facebook group: Catch Your Thoughts with Robyn Mulder.
Most of all, I want to show up for this swim meet because I want to honor my intentions. I haven’t always done that, but I’m trying to be more consistent in that area.
I don’t want to miss all of the exciting opportunities in this world just because I’m scared. I found a quote a while back by author Katherine Center:
You have to be brave with your life so that others can be brave with theirs.*
That’s the way I want to live my life. Brave. Hopeful. Honoring my intentions and commitments. That’s why I’m going to go swim my heart out tomorrow.
I’ll report back next week.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22 NIV)
Do you honor your intentions? How can focusing on God help you follow through when you say you’re going to do something?
*(Check out her quote in this video: https://katherinecenter.com/defining-a-movement/)
© 2023 Robyn Mulder