The First Meet

Well, well, well.

Training pays off. In gold. Traveled to south Florida last week and came home with 5 gold medals and 2 new records.

New York is 56 days away and I'm right on target to bring home 5 more. I think I'll go for a swim.

Booyah!!

The Lifestyle

Thank you, Jillian Michaels.

It's been several months now and my body has changed significantly. Today, I grabbed a pair of jeans from the closet and slid them on. A little snug--I thought, "this isn't cool...", until I took them back off and looked at the tag. Size 8. They weren't my jeans. They were my girlfriend's.

Wow.

I'm past the point of no return now. My lifeSTYLE is completely different. My eating habits, sleep schedule, exercise regimen, attitude. I approach situations so much differently--with a balance of mind that I never possessed prior to this undertaking. I'm so grateful for little things now---I think I'm a full-on grown up.

I'm all signed up for the World Games, got my plane ticket, hotel and access badge--oh--I"m Athlete #3933. I'm excited, nervous, anxious, thrilled and downright happy to be back in the realm of the athletic and alive!

One more note---at the pool this morning, a triathlete (female, 6'2", 130 pounds) asked me if I competed in triathlons. I laughed and told her 'no', that I'm not much of a runner. She countered with, "Oh, well, you look athletic." Ok---THAT was the most amazing moment I've had in a while. That said, I'm going to train her on how to improve her stroke and she's going to help me with endurance. How's that for a win-win?

Movin'.

The Challenge

Wow.

Sometimes things just fall into place, don't they? I've read two books this week (Unlimited by Jillian Michaels and Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins), written 15 years apart and they essentially say the exact same thing: YOUR LIFE IS YOUR CHOICES. You choose to become a part of something spectacular or choose to sit on the sidelines. That's it. End game.

Both Michaels and Robbins practice what they preach, as does Dara Torres, my other model and pseudo-mentor. The message is simple: find out what people you admire do to acquire success and model yourself after them. Find out what you can about their habits, lifestyle, hard work and dedication and then just freaking do it.

This journey has been about so much more than taking first place in a swim meet. It has changed my life. I have learned so much about myself--and how truly unlimited we all are and how we place SO MANY limitations on ourselves every minute of every day. We must break free of those chains and learn, one step at a time, how to maximize our individual potential. Not everyone can be a nuclear physicist or discover the cure for cancer, but the potential for greatness resides inside every one of us.

Tap into it and find out how amazing you really are.