The Box

The 2009 swimming season is upon us. First workouts for the Denison swimmers begin tomorrow and, it safe to say, that all of us are excited to get started. It's a great time of the year ... energy and optimism are running high as everyone, coaches and athletes alike, considers the possibilities. Bodies and minds are fresh and all things seem possible. Who doesn't love this time of year? It's so easy and safe to think "outside the box" in September. Right now, just about anyone can be the next "great one."

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a vivid imagination ... in fact, it's an essential part of the walk towards greatness. One can't get by without it. Where would Sir Edmund Hillary have ended up if hadn't first dreamt of scaling Mt. Everest? The longest walks don't start with a single step ... rather, they start with the idea of going for a walk and the motivation to get started. Without a strong sense of direction and purpose, we're lost.

But while thinking outside the box is critical in establishing direction and fueling our efforts, the real test begins when we realize that the dreams have to be built inside the box--namely, in reality. And this is why the road is hard. The box is where we face our limitations (physical, emotional, and otherwise) and seize our opportunities. The box is where we are confronted with our real selves and our real predicament. It's there that we have to commit ourselves to working on the things that it will take to fulfill our goals ... our technique, our power, our diet, our attitude, our conditioning, and our work ethic. It's in the box that we learn to bleed and sweat.

Ironically, acknowledging and understanding these limits provide us with the context against which we can overcome them. It gives us something to push against without which we'd run the risk of floundering in the world of fantasy rather than being grounded in the task of building a new reality. If we're serious about achieving our goals then, at some point, we're obligated to come down from the mountain of our dreams and get on with the business of working towards our goals. This is the hard part and, ironically, where the real fun and satisfaction comes from.