9 lessons from 100 days of ocean swims

1. Accountability to others provides the right kind of tension to keep showing up (even when it’s 4 degrees, raining sideways and frankly, you’d rather sit inside with a hot coffee).
2. At some point you’ll feel like giving up because, who even cares anyway?
3. When you zoom out you might realise that the days you do feel like giving up are less than 5% of the time (though in the moment, feel like 100%)
4. Outcomes like hitting 100 days become arbitrary and less important as you begin to love the practice.
5. Exercise can be calming and energising, rather than frantic and depleting. This undoubtedly extends to work and life, too.
6. Time seems to slow down when you’re undistracted in nature. A 20 minute swim can feel like an eternity.
7. The only difference between the 100th day and the 43rd is the story you tell yourself (and others)
8. You’ll never regret a swim
9. Finding an Octopus teacher is harder than you might think

Originally published at https://noodlescratchers.com on December 9, 2020.