I almost didn’t go swimming today.

Something that really stuck with me from Grant Kollet’s MGMT 490 class (Freshman Business Seminar) was the substantial amount of decisions we make each day, and how the vast majority of them are made underneath our consciousness. Here’s a breakdown of one set of decisions I had today.

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Decision #1

As much as I told myself that I would use Spring Break to get back in swimming shape, I’ve only gone twice so far this break. Even on my drive to the IMA, I was having second thoughts and feelings of laziness started to creep in.

This whole break I have been the epitome of lazy- sleeping in until after noon, extensively using my Netflix Instant Watch, and playing Halo obsessively. Exercise used to be a daily habit for me when I as younger- now I have trouble motivating myself to get three good sessions a week.

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Decision #2 

If the hardest part was getting myself in the pool, the second hardest part was doing my usual workout of 3000 yards. Halfway through, I was ready to throw in the towel and get out early. My shoulders were annoyed by my pull set, my hip was protesting from my breastroke kicks, and every yard that I swam seemed to be struggle. Add that to the most crowded IMA pool that I’ve swam in, and it was tough to keep swimming.

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Decision #3

In my previous workout I summoned the guts to give the 400 IM a try. For those of you who aren’t familiar with swimming, the 400 IM is one of the most brutal events one can swim. It combines 100 yards (2 laps/4 lengths) of each stroke together for a muscle-draining test of willpower and endurance. After finishing it and gasping for victorious oxygen, I thought about how awesome my workouts would be if I had a 400 IM every single workout. Here is my response:

As I was nearing the end of my practice today I knew I still had to do my 400 IM, which I had “conveniently” saved for the end. My first one from the previous practice had knocked me out, and I had swam it in the beginning of practice when I had the most strength. But today, I would be swimming my 400 IM at the end. I had already tired my arms from pull, and my sprint stroke set had left me ready to call it a day.

But I had to stay true to my promise.

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Decision #4

A minute later I find myself charging forward on my first leg of fly. Despite trying my best to pace myself, my love for butterfly leads me to going out too fast and already feeling tired after the first 100.

Backstroke was tough, but all things considered it was a walk in the park compared to what I faced next. Breastroke was difficult, and I could feel my body questioning my brain’s sanity in continuing.

Coming into my turn for the final freestyle leg, I came so close to stopping out of exhaustion. But my final decision of this post was to keep going.

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It was a tremendous effort to get myself through Decisions #1-3, but to top things off with Decision #4 is what makes me feel accomplished. And that got me thinking about other decisions.

At what other points will I be deciding “to go swimming”? At what other points will I be deciding “do my full workout”? At what other points will I be “choosing to do my 400 IM”?

At what other points will I be deciding “finish my 400 IM”?

Something I’ve noticed in the everyone “successful” around me is that they have the drive to make that final decision and finish. They have the willpower not only to get in the pool and begin the 400 IM, but to complete it.

Sure, we can declare our overly ambitious goals all day (which we know won’t all be realized), but saying we’ll do the 400 IM is only the beginning. Things don’t matter until you swim that final stroke and complete the 400 IM. To be realistic, we won’t always be able to make that final push, but the people who achieve success are those who are have more fight than the circumstances they face. Notice I didn’t say more fight than their competition, but more fight than what is necessary to “get by”. They stubbornly trudge on, blinders around their vision and their sights set on the prize.

As much as I wanted to strangle the part of me that thought of doing the 400 IM, I emerged from the pool on a swimmer’s high of triumph. In the moment, it’s difficult to have the foresight to act in a way you’ll be proud of in the future.

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To be honest, I didn’t know I would be relating decisions and goals when I began writing this post. Heck, I didn’t even know I would write this post. Despite resting and eating globs of ice cream, I still feel the lingering effects of the 400 IM. But while my body is exhausted my brain is exuberant with the triumph that I chose to keep swimming.

It’s funny to think about my competitive swimming days, when a 400 IM and 200 Fly were no big deal. Then look at me now, so proud of my 400 IM that I decided to base a whole blog post out of it. Oh how times change.

FM Takeaway: When you find yourself swimming a 400 IM and part of you wants to give up, think about the decisions you’ve already made to make it this far. Remember that the beginning is only the beginning, and that you still have the journey ahead. When you look back on this time in the future, know that at this moment you will make the decision you’ll be proud of and one you won’t regret.