Just keep swimming

Do you remember the 2003 film Finding Nemo?  It tells the story of a clownfish called Marlin, along with a blue tang fish called Dory, who searched for his missing son Nemo.  With lots of adventures and obstacles along the way, they are eventually successful in finding Nemo.  But at one point, Marlin got down in the dumps and thought he would never find Nemo.  To stop Marlin giving up, Dory’s advice was to “just keep swimming” and to persevere in their search. 

This got me thinking about situations in life where we have to “just keep swimming” even though we may feel like giving up.  In some instances, it may be a necessity to keep going such as continuing to take medication even though the side effects may not be the nicest.  In other instances, we have made a promise to do something and by dropping out, we will be letting other people down or letting ourselves down. 

At the end of last year, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and made a pledge to walk 200 rambles in 2022.  After each ramble, I post a photo from my ramble on my Facebook timeline so my followers can keep track of my progress.  I’m now at ramble 160 but I’m having to dig deep to continue my rambles especially on cold damp days.  If I stop now, some of my ardent followers will be chasing me up as they will be missing my photographs.  So how do we “just keep swimming” in challenging circumstances even though we may feel like giving up?

Ask for help

Just like the “Who wants to be a millionaire?” TV show, you can always “phone a friend” or family member to ask for help.  An encouraging word may be all that you need to keep going.  Equally friends and family may be able to help you practically with your challenge eg a friend could accompany me on one of my rambles. 

Look for other solutions

There is often more than “one way to skin a cat” so there may be other ways to complete the task.  Think outside the box and don’t be afraid to brainstorm with friends and family.  They may have a completely different perspective to the problem.  One of my friends has suggested trying rambling in some rather unusual places such as to see the pyramid in Garvagh Forest.

Break the task into small mini challenges

Instead of looking at the huge mountain ahead of you, break the task into smaller mini challenges and see if you can achieve the next one.  For example, I could decide that I am going to complete four rambles this week.  This is not as overwhelming as saying I have 40 more rambles to complete but having four rambles to do each week seems to be more achievable and by completing another four rambles, it will bring me closer to my ultimate target.

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.” 

Martin Luther King

Look back at how much you have achieved

Congratulate yourself on how well you have done so far.  Just like Marlin and Dory, it is likely that you have overcome many obstacles to get to this stage.  Listen to other people who tell you that you are doing really well and take heed of their words.  Plus you could reward yourself on completion of a milestone eg going to Newcastle for a seaweed bath after the completion of another challenge.  I have even printed out my ramble photos and have displayed them in an album.  Looking back at the photos is a tangible way to see how much I have actually achieved. If you keep a journal, reading back on past entries may help you to see how much you have already achieved.

Adopt a positive attitude

Believe that you can complete the challenge.  Be courageous and believe in your own ability to persevere with completing the task.  As Bob the Builder says “Yes we can”!  So do some self-talk about being positive and believe you can finish the challenge.

Make yourself accountable

I am publishing my 200 rambles challenge on Facebook so I am now accountable to my friends on Facebook to complete my challenge.  So you could tell others about your challenge and hopefully they will encourage you to keep going and to fulfil your dream.

Remember past challenges

In the past, you will have overcome many difficult obstacles, whether in your personal or working lives.  If you have achieved something difficult before, you will have the determination and guts to achieve something difficult again.

Think of the end result

How will you feel when you achieve your goal?  Brilliant!  But how will you feel if you don’t achieve your goal?  Awful!  But what if your goal is like painting the Forth Bridge and the task is never-ending?  That’s when you have to really dig deep to keep going.

The bottom line is to be like Marlin and Dory to “just keep swimming” even though it can feel like an uphill struggle.  Follow the advice from the Billy Ocean song:  “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going!”