I got word that you are having some difficult times with the training that swimming requires. I know what you’re thinking because I have thought it myself. Every swimmer goes through that. We ask ourselves questions like, “Why am I doing this?” when things aren’t fun.

It’s a good question. Do you know the answer? There aren’t any magic words that I can say that will make you leap from your bed every morning for the rest of your life exclaiming, “Today, I will swim!” because there are going to be days when you don’t feel like getting out of bed. There are going to be days when you would rather be hanging out doing normal stuff with friends than swimming practice. I will tell you that by identifying what you like about swimming, why you are swimming, and focusing on that during those tough days will make getting through it a LOT easier.

Motivation is an interesting thing. I believe that it comes from within. Either you are a motivated person that is willing to get the job done, no matter what, or you aren’t. The motivated people are successful, people that change the world. The others walk away from a task when the going gets tough and drift from one thing to another or one place to another. The “motivation” that we get from others is more like a reminder really of something that we know deep down inside to be true. It’s often described as something that just feels right.

It can be confusing because jumping in a cold pool at 5:30 a.m. doesn’t always feel “right”. Standing on the blocks and racing feels incredible. Going a personal best time feels incredible. Why? You have accomplished something that you worked hard to achieve. It isn’t something that you can buy or have someone do for you, or give you. In some way you have earned yourself self respect and confidence. You need to realize that you need to get through one to achieve the other. I guess that in some ways swimming teaches you a lot of valuable lessons about life that you probably won’t even realize until you are much older. Words that are just words to others your age like commitment, dedication, goals, hard work, dreams, ambition, and motivation take on new meaning when you have actually experienced what they actually are.

Of course it is your life and the decisions that you make are yours. Are you motivated? It’s a big choice because it’s not just about making it to another swim practice. It’s about making a life decision. Do you know what commitment is? Are you one day going to change the world? It’s easy not to. But when you get to the top all of those practices and aches and pains along the way seem worth it. As a matter of fact, you reflect on those struggles with fond memories.

Good luck.

Your friend in swimming,
Gary Hall Jr.