I have a number of small and medium-sized goals at any given moment, and usually a couple of big goals, too. In the past 3 years I finished two big goals in open-water swimming: swimming the English Channel and swimming 20 Bridges (around Manhattan). Last month, after a year of training, I attempted and failed to complete the third of the three swims that constitute the Triple Crown of open water swimming. I attempted and did not succeed swimming across the Catalina Channel in California.
I started the swim strong, but I did not finish (DNF), tapping out at 7 miles due to an unexpected physical issue. It was my first DNF. I was shocked and full of disappointment. Friends (swimmers and non-swimmers alike) and family were supportive, but the sad feeling is hard to shake.
A phrase often used for an incomplete swim is “delayed success”. I am viewing this DNF, this delayed success, as a motivator for me to improve my swims and also my jewelry business.
This swim taught me about limits: I know that we all have limits, and if we want, we also have the ability to find ways to push beyond our limits (one way is practice, for instance). I know I have limits like everyone else, but it's another thing to be confronted with them. The confrontation with limits that I had in California is starting to shift from a negative feeling to feeling more like the spark of something new, a new direction. I'm using that new feeling to energize myself to find a way to expand beyond that limit I experienced.
That spirit of wanting to try again, to find another way to succeed, is resilience. It's a great quality to have, and one I hope to foster more of.
So what does this have to do with my jewelry business? A lot.
I've mostly been focusing on swimming recently, and my jewelers bench has been quietly waiting for me. Just like getting back into the water after my DNF is a little daunting, so is returning to my creativity mindset. But as soon as I dip a toe in the water, I feel my confidence come back like an old friend. The same thing will happen as soon as I sit down at my bench and pick up a hammer.
So, I have some thinking and planning to do, for jewelry and for swimming. And lots of ideas bubbling up about new directions for me in all the things I do.
I have immense gratitude for the support I receive, from friends, family, my swim mates, and you, my customers. That support means much more than I can say, and helps fuel my fire as I head off into new ventures.
I hope you'll follow along with me on the journey ahead.
As I work on designing new jewelry and my return to the water, I am offering a 40% discount for my online jewelry until the end of August - use the code Splash40 at checkout.
