How is your mental sunshine lately?
If it’s been a little cloudy, today’s mental sunshine could be just what you need to bring the sun back out.
This week’s blog is all about challenging yourself.
Yes, I am aware that at this time of year even getting out of bed for work can feel like a challenge.
But that’s not what I mean!
I mean doing something to really challenge yourself.
I spent last weekend in Scotland.
Ice swimming in Loch Morlich.
It was cold
Really cold
-10 at night.
The snow was frozen on the ground;
The water temp was 2.7 degrees
My challenge was a 1K swim in skins
No wetsuit, no gloves & no boots
Just me, my trunks, swim hat and goggles
In that second right before I got into the water, I did question myself.
“Do I want to do this?”
“Am I capable of doing this?”
“Shall I just go back to the warmth?”
You might ask yourself at this point why I didn’t just go back to bed!
Going for a swim in a freezing loch sounds completely bonkers, I am aware!
But this was my big challenge
My longest coldest swim
Ever
I just got my head and shoulders into the water and started to swim.
This was my big challenge…
I didn’t quite make the 1K as my fingers told me to get out before they fell off…
I did however do an impressive 800 Meters (and got a badge to prove it)
And I was so happy
I’d never done a swim like this before at such a low temperature.
Now you don’t need to go swimming in a freezing loch to challenge yourself (but I would highly recommend it)
You could do something you’re not entirely sure you can complete.
Something you’ve never done before.
Something that scares you a bit.
Something that pushes you
Something you might fail at.
Even if you do fail at it, I bet you can get further than you’d imagined.
I bet you still feel pretty darn proud of yourself for trying!
P.S. I did have a brilliant support team to keep an eye on me in the water and to help me recover from the post-swim shivers.