Sticking To It by Clarifying Your Vision

Worthy goals are often not easy ones. To accomplish something truly worthy of your effort, there are typically several requirements, like studying or training, careful planning, and just plain sticking to it. That last one may seem straightforward, but depending on the circumstances, it may not be.

Florence Chadwick was the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways. On August 8, 1950, she swam the 21 miles across the English Channel in 13 hours and 20 minutes, breaking the world record. A year later she did it again, this time in the other direction, becoming the first woman to accomplish the feat both ways, and leaving an even bigger imprint on world history.

A native of San Diego, she next turned her sights toward setting a record closer to home: to be the first woman to swim the 26 miles from Catalina Island to the California coastline. After 15 hours of swimming, a marine layer developed, and she could no longer see the coastline for the fog. She didn’t think she could make it, and said as much to her mother, who was in one of the boats traveling along with her. She kept at it for another hour and then, still not able to see the coastline, ended her effort and got into the boat. And once in the boat, she discovered she’d only had a mile to go.

Accomplishments like Florence Chadwick’s don’t happen without training faithfully, planning carefully, and sticking to it. The first two are without variables—you are in control of your training and your planning. The third is a little more dicey. Yes, you’ll need to stick with it, but—through what? Florence Chadwick had no way of knowing a marine layer would set in. Perhaps her coach could have helped her anticipate it as a possibility and to prepare her to persevere through it. But—what other variables might pop up? We can’t always anticipate everything. So the question is—how clear is your vision of your coastline? If it’s fixed not just in your eyes but also in your mind, you’re more likely to be able to stick with it and persevere when the fog sets in and unanticipated challenges arise.

After that failed effort in 1952, Chadwick wasn’t finished. Two months later, she tried again. The marine layer set in once again, and the fog erased her view of the coastline. She persevered through the fog, and accomplished her goal. Later, she reported that the difference between her failed attempt and her victory was her clarity of vision—she kept a mental image of the coastline in her mind.

This week, think about something you’ve wanted to accomplish, but haven’t. It may be a training issue or a planning issue. Or it may be a “sticking to it” issue, as you’ve been waylaid by some kind of fog. If so, revisit the vision of your coastline, be sure it’s clear, and do what you need to do to truly fix it in your mind. When you do, take a deep breath and notice what shifts, what additional clarity you receive, and what energy emerges to propel you forward.