What You Can Learn From Diana Nyad

If anyone has good reason to give up on their dream, it is US marathon swimmer Diana Nyad.

This week, the 64-year-old set a new world record by swimming 180 kilometres from Cuba to Florida. A two-day, two-night swim starting at Havana and on through the treacherous, shark- and jellyfish-infested Florida Straits. 

And she did it without the aid of a shark cage.

Even more inspiring, the swim was her fifth attempt in 35 years. Her first was when she was 28.

On previous attempts, jellyfish stings, an asthma attack, fierce currents and storms got the better of her.

What made the difference this time?

According to her friend and chief handler Bonnie Stoll, "Diana did her homework."

After each failed attempt, Diana would learn from the attempt, make adjustments, improvise, and consult experts. 

To break the cycle of jellyfish stings, she found an expert on box jellyfish to help her contain the threat. 

To ward off sharks, she used a team of shark divers who carried special zappers. 

She discovered which wetsuits served her well in saltwater and which nutritional gels and drinks best fueled her journey. 

She was also quick to back her own judgment. When her custom made prosthetic mask started to cut her mouth and tongue and make it hard for her to breathe, she discarded it.

Diana Nyad has not only set a new record for distance swimming, she has become a new reference point that anyone can succeed at any age, if they want it enough. 

If Diana can do it, so can you, if you learn from her experiences and model her strategies.

Here are five lessons that can empower the way you live.

5 Lessons from Diana Nyad's 110-mile Swim

1. Never give up.
2. Surround yourself with experts who know more than you do, and tap on their wisdom.
3. Trust your judgment. If you try a certain solution and the outcome doesn't serve you, let it go and move on.
4. Plan to succeed.
5. Be flexible. If Plan A doesn't work, try Plan B. If Plan B doesn't work, try Plan C.

As Diana famously said after emerging from the surf at the end of her epic swim, "You are never too old to chase your dreams."

OVER TO YOU 

Do you have a story to share of how you overcame the odds and accomplished something that means a lot to you?

What is one thing you can do today that can help you reach a dream that has been in your heart but which has not yet come to fruition?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please share by posting in the Comments box below!

Finding my inner warrior

One of the things I find hard to do is speak up for what I believe in.

Even if it's for a worthy cause, there's still that initial apprehension and anxiety over what to say and how it will be received by the other person. Will they get my point of view? Will they think I'm being difficult? (The people pleaser in me cringes at the thought of displeasing anyone.)

Yesterday, I found my voice, and spoke to my daughter's drum teacher about a song choice she'd made for my daughter's upcoming public performance.

Now I do enjoy some of the latest music by Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Ed Sheeren and Pink. I even know - and like - Little Mix's new song Wings. It's girl power in a wholesome way.

But I draw the line at ear-blasting raunchy music and lyrics that proudly purvey values in conflict with my Christian faith.

The last time, I objected to my daughter playing Highway to Hell.

This time, thanks to my daughter informing me of the lyrics of Bruno Mars' Locked Out of Heaven, I told the teacher I did not think that was an appropriate song choice.

Her straight-out unfiltered response, "Not again!"

Like I was being a difficult mum or something.

I told her very politely that I could see how as a drummer, her focus would be on the beat and rhythm of the song, but when my daughter plays it publicly, people are going to notice mostly the lyrics. And lyrics like these are definitely not on.

...But swimming in your water* is something spiritual
Ooh!
I'm born again every time you spend the night
Ooh!
'Cause your sex takes me to paradise
Yeah, your sex takes me to paradise
And it shows, yeah, yeah, yeah
'Cause you make me feel like I've been locked out of heaven
For too long, for too long
Yeah, you make me feel like I've been locked out of heaven
For too long, for too long

... You bring me to my knees, you make me testify
You can make a sinner change his ways
Open up your gates 'cause I can't wait to see the light
And right there is where I wanna stay

I didn't say this to her, as I don't know where she stands in matters of faith, but the way the lyrics attribute to the singer's lover the divine characteristics of God through the joy of intercourse, is offensive. It makes a mockery of the God who sent His only Son to die for my sins. I will not stand quietly by while my 11-year-old plays such rubbish in a public place which includes other families with impressionable young children. What kind of values would we be endorsing?

My daughter had a song ready to propose to the teacher - Wings by Little Mix. So the teacher worked out the beat for her, and that's what she'll practise. Even if she doesn't make it in time for the end-of-term performance, that's okay. We've both made our message clear and we hope something positive and valuable has been learned by everyone in the process.