Too Much Talent Is A Dangerous Thing
At Swim Smooth we are firm believers that anyone can become a strong swimmer, whether swimming comes easily to you or if it takes you a little longer to get there.
Of course it's only natural that if you are frustrated with your lack of swim speed then you may be wishing you were more talented. But have you considered that there is a certain virtue and satisfaction at having to really work at something to get results?
We need to recognise that whether you are talented or not, to reach your ultimate potential requires hard work and dedication. That's true of any pursuit whether it's swimming, acting or playing chess. One of the problems of being talented is that you may become better than those around you without much effort at all. So much so that you don't really value the achievement. Easy come, easy go.
As coaches we see this distinction in athletes all the time - oftentimes the most talented swimmers lack motivation. They don't value their time in the water and quit the sport when it all becomes a bit like hard work.
Meanwhile the less talented but dedicated athletes enjoy every improvement and embrace the hard work as part of the journey. They value the experience they are gaining as they go and the hard work actually becomes something to be enjoyed for its own sake. These are the people who never retire - they swim or bake or teach for life because they get great satisfaction from it, it actually gets in their soul, part of who they are. They self actualise.
There is a certain mindset that develops with consistent hard work - a mental skill if you like, something that will never leave you. Have you noticed that the people who are always talking about how hard they are training are actually the ones struggling with the effort of it all? It's the quiet athletes who just get on with the work that you've got to watch. They are the ones that have developed that mental skill for consistent hard work, truly reach their potential and achieve the ultimate results.
We know which athlete we'd rather be.
Swim Smooth!
Of course it's only natural that if you are frustrated with your lack of swim speed then you may be wishing you were more talented. But have you considered that there is a certain virtue and satisfaction at having to really work at something to get results?
We need to recognise that whether you are talented or not, to reach your ultimate potential requires hard work and dedication. That's true of any pursuit whether it's swimming, acting or playing chess. One of the problems of being talented is that you may become better than those around you without much effort at all. So much so that you don't really value the achievement. Easy come, easy go.
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| One of our favourite sporting quotes. |
As coaches we see this distinction in athletes all the time - oftentimes the most talented swimmers lack motivation. They don't value their time in the water and quit the sport when it all becomes a bit like hard work.
Meanwhile the less talented but dedicated athletes enjoy every improvement and embrace the hard work as part of the journey. They value the experience they are gaining as they go and the hard work actually becomes something to be enjoyed for its own sake. These are the people who never retire - they swim or bake or teach for life because they get great satisfaction from it, it actually gets in their soul, part of who they are. They self actualise.
There is a certain mindset that develops with consistent hard work - a mental skill if you like, something that will never leave you. Have you noticed that the people who are always talking about how hard they are training are actually the ones struggling with the effort of it all? It's the quiet athletes who just get on with the work that you've got to watch. They are the ones that have developed that mental skill for consistent hard work, truly reach their potential and achieve the ultimate results.
We know which athlete we'd rather be.
Swim Smooth!