On Swimming and Professional Coaching...
My struggle with nature and with myself is about to begin… Behind me, my coach is giving the last tactics: “Take your bearing by looking at the hill; you won’t be able to see the buoys while you swim.” I have to jump in now. Since it’s my first race, I’m cautious: I climb down the ladder and ease into the water bit by bit. Well, I’m in now, and there’s no going back… in for a penny, in for a pound…
It’s very crowded around me; there are so many swimmers like me… I started later so they wouldn’t affect me, but even so, a few swimmers bumped into me for a while. Everyone is on their own here, everyone in their own race, at least until the race ends and the score appears on the screen. Although I swam slowly at first to save my energy, my open-water start was tougher than I expected. For one thing, there was no bearing left at all; I found myself searching for the buoys and lost my way for a while. Every time I lifted my head, I kept hearing the officials’ voices calling, “To the left, to the left!” Yes, I understood which way I needed to go, but despite doing everything I could, I couldn’t head in the right direction… At one point I even thought I was standing still and looked back.
I didn’t give up. I kept swimming in my own way. I felt relieved when I made the turn, and just as I was thinking I’d gotten through the hard part, swimming against the waves this time was very difficult. Normally I loosen up after a while and go on autopilot in the water, but that didn’t happen. Seeing other racers beside me gave me strength, and this time I even found my line. It turns out that when you’re on the right track, nobody interferes with your direction during a race… When I aimed at the finish, everything felt settled in my mind, and I had completed the 2-kilometer distance of the Heybeliada Open Water race, which I was entering for the first time.
Ever since professional coaching entered my life, there have been many moments when I’ve compared my swimming experiences to my coaching sessions. This kind of resemblance between two things that share some aspects is apparently called an “analogy.” It has become a tool I love to use in my sessions when the moment is right, and it has inspired me to advance and develop swimming and coaching together. In both, I get lost when I start, and I always come out with lessons learned. Both add great flavor to my life. And my experience in this latest Heybeliada race told me the following:
My start and my swim coach’s support: Don’t hesitate to ask for support until the very last moment.
The swimmers who bumped into me: Don’t take life’s obstacles personally; the only obstacle is you!
My not giving up: Even if you feel stuck in place, you’re doing what you can; keep moving forward…
The moment I saw the finish line: When your goal becomes visible, you reach it more easily.
Do you also have passions and pursuits with similar aspects?
If you’d like to share, please get in touch with me. In the meantime, I’d love to tell you what T!NK can do for you...
Would you like to talk about this topic as part of your own development journey?
AUTHOR
Azer Karabıyık
Career Transition Coach PCC, ACPC, ORSC
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