Swimming Goals: What Observing My Daughter Taught Me About Business Growth
Starting Out
She was only six years old and missing her two front teeth when my daughter decided she wanted to join a competitive swim team. We had been soaking in the rays at a local pool when she observed a lone swimmer doing laps in a single lane separate from the mayhem of children’s happy shrieks and grand splashes. She cocked her head to one side, then determinedly jumped into the water and tried to imitate the smooth, methodic strokes of the gentleman. Her arms flailed and her head bobbed, and before I realized what she was trying to do, I jumped into the water to rescue her from what I thought was obvious drowning.
After a Google search, we found a local team and signed her up. I was convinced she would blow everyone away by her sheer natural talent—only to realize after the first practice that she was definitely the youngest, and probably one of the weakest, swimmers on the team. High schoolers a few lanes away towered over the diving block, their dark goggles complementing their fierce determination and focus. But my daughter was undeterred; she kept showing up to practice ready to go.
I remember having such high hopes at her first swim meet; certainly her desire and drive would equate to eyebrow-raises from other coaches and whispers about the newcomer. But, when it was her event, I felt deflated watching her choppy stroke and awkward head position. My husband sighed as he turned toward me. “We’ve got a lot to work on.”
By the end of the season, the coaches sent out an email listing qualifying times for the state meet. I looked at the times for the 10-and-under girls and let out a low whistle.
She wasn’t even close.
Consistency
Never one to be discouraged, my daughter kept attending practices and meets consistently. She was having fun with her teammates, learning new strokes and traveling to events. Little by little, with every meet, I noticed her strokes becoming just a little more efficient and her times getting just a little faster. All she had to do was keep showing up.
Fast-forward five years, and an eager 11-year-old tells me to check the list of qualifying times for states that her coach emailed me earlier. She raises her eyebrows when I show her, because she knows she still is not quite there … but she’s not far off. A quick head nod, and she briskly walks to line up for her next event. It dawns on me just then: She is counting on her times to consistently improve, just as they have been the past five years, and she is calculating how long it will be before she can reasonably expect to qualify for states. It may very well be within the next year.
Another year of experience and muscle growth, and she’ll get there.
Growth Will Come
I can’t help but marvel at how the development of her swimming career is analogous to my own freelance ventures. We both can chuckle at the early stages, full of clumsy mistakes and unrefined executions but also a raw determination to keep at it. Now, we’ve hit the stage where those high and lofty goals are actually in sight and even attainable. Instead of dreaming wild dreams, we can calculate more concrete steps to reach the next level. The work becomes more intense, but we’re here for it.
And, of course, we share the one common denominator: We keep showing up.
Growth comes with consistent effort. The temptation to throw up our hands in frustration or overwhelm will be there. Perhaps we may feel like prematurely giving up—that it’s no use to persevere. But we keep showing up.
Where do you find yourself in your business dreams and goals? If you’re starting out, don’t allow discouragement to set in before you allow time, effort, and the Holy Spirit to take over. Lean in to his nudges, and keep showing up.
Kimberly Lynch is a former teacher who ventured into the world of copywriting and freelance writing. A New Englander at heart, she earned her B.A. from Colby College and her M.A. from Middlebury College. She enjoys a strong cup of coffee in the morning, a leisurely run in the late afternoon, and a good book in the evening. Kimberly is also the fundraising chair and board member for Phoenix Project, a local domestic violence agency. She resides in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and seven children. Visit her online at her website, PassingThroughMountains.com, and on Instagram and Facebook.