A Former Swimmer Afraid of Swimming? #rawtruth

Last week I moved toward something that terrified me. 

I'm talking full blown body shakes, tight chest + shortness of breath. 

Water. Swimming in open water. 

The irony right? 

It wasn't so much the water ~ or the swimming part...

It was the not-knowing. 

Not-knowing what was below me. 

Not-knowing what would cross my path. 

Not-knowing what it would feel like to be out in all that openness. 

The not-knowing.

My brain has been there before - when I faced real trauma.

 My brain reacted, and then my body followed. Trying to protect me. 

Fight.

This is stupid.

Flight.

F THIS. I'm turning around.

Freeze.

Cement filled my veins... at least it felt like it.

All of the above. 

And. I did it anyway. Because, as my 4 yo yelled to me from the dock: 

WE CAN DO HARD THINGS, MOM. 

YOU ARE CAPABLE.

And, this was a lake. Not a hospital room. 

My brother by my side, coaching me up.

My mama in the kayak with wise 4yo in tow.

Off we went. 

Stroke after stroke. 

Talking to myself. Grounding myself. 

Reminding myself to BREATHE.

I did it. 

We did it. 

As the week progressed, my body's reaction softened. 

This pic is after day four. Smiles and fist bumps. And of course ✌️✨👊

~ 
We can do hard things. We really can. 

And when we do hard things, it gives us confidence to keep doing hard things.

The key is getting started. 

~

What's one area of your life where fear is driving? 

What can you do to move toward the very thing you fear? 

I know it's hard.

But, when we keep avoiding it, we reinforce the message and tell our brains that it IS scary + dangerous. 

5-4-3-2-1 yourself into action. 
Work with a coach. 
Grab an accountability buddy. 
And do it. 
✨👊✨

~

Samantha Livingstone is an Olympic Gold Medalist, transformational speaker, empowerment coach and mama of four.  She empowers others to cultivate the courage, compassion and resilience needed to let go of perfection - so they can achieve their own gold medal moments AND live a life that is filled with freedom, balance and lasting joy.   A mama of heart warrior and mama of twins, Samantha and her husband, Rob, live in the Berkshires with their four girls.  

You can learn more about Samantha at www.samanthalivingstone.com.