Some of you are going through a very difficult season in your life right now. It could be a challenging job, relationship, physical endeavor you are undertaking, financial crisis, or something related to your faith. Whatever it may be, you feel you are in over your head. Options seem limited. There is no light at the end of the tunnel and if there is, it is a train headed right towards you. You are thinking about tapping out. Bailing on your responsibilities has become a viable option.
There are some things in your life you probably need to quit, but some of you are just tired of the struggle. You just don’t think you can go on with this situation one more day.
Florence Chadwick
As a society I’m afraid we are raising a generation of quitters and have even systematized and celebrate it in certain instances. But before quitting, I want to tell you the story of Florence Chadwick.
Chadwick was a world-renowned long distance open water swimmer. She was the first woman to swim the Straits of Gibraltar, the Bosporus, and the Dardanelles. Most notably, Chadwick was the first woman to swim the famous English Channel in both directions. Impressively, both times were in world record times.
The Catalina Channel
The Catalina Islands are located 26 miles off the coast of Los Angeles, California. In 1952, Chadwick set out to swim this stretch of water. As is standard practice in these instances, Chadwick was accompanied by a number of boats whose job it was to look out for sharks, provide food and other supplies, and be there in the event exhaustion or any other medical issues. One of those in Chadwick’s party was her mother.
A Heavy Fog
Things seemed to be going fine 15 hours into the swim when a thick fog bank settled in over the Catalina Channel. Chadwick became disoriented and began telling her mom she did not think she could finish the swim. Her mom attempted to encourage her but after another mile, Chadwick asked to be pulled from the water.
After getting settled in the boat, Chadwick soon learned she had quit just one mile from shore. The thick fog had prevented her from seeing her goal was easily within her grasp and soon to be achieved.
The Lesson
I sympathize with Chadwick. We are all susceptible to falling into “a fog” from time to time. This could be the result of a bad conversation, an unexpected failure, a technological mishap, a health scare, missed expectations, or a family issue. Each of these can cause us to have a “foggy day.”
Foggy days rob us of perspective and clarity. We can lose our sense of direction. They prevent us from seeing how close we are to achieving our goals and objectives. Foggy days distort reality and cause us fear, frustration, and uncertainty. Being in a fog can rob us of achieving our dreams. That is what happened to Florence Chadwick that day in 1952.
The Solution
Dr. Tim Elmore in his May 20, 2022 Leading The Next Generation Podcast stated that developing clear targets and goals are often the solution to successfully coming through seasons of fogginess. Tim adds these goals should be SMART – Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. SMART goals will provide the clarity and direction needed to guide you out of foggy times and safely to shore.
The Aftermath
So did Chadwick ever fulfill her desire of swimming the Catalina Channel? Two months after her initial failed effort, she attempted the swim again. Ironically, a fog bank settled in again at the same 15 hour mark. Chadwick surely could have thought “Oh no, here we go again. It’s just not meant to be.” She had to be tempted to give up. I know I would have. But this time she knew how close she was to shore, persevered, and finished swimming the Catalina Channel. In fact, she would go on to swim the Channel two more times, once in 1953 in record time.
So if you are thinking of quitting something you are involved in because it’s just become too hard, be careful and reconsider your decision. You may be on the precipice of not only achieving your goal, but doing so in record time.
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