In 1952, a woman named Florence Chadwick decided to attempt to swim the 26 miles between the California coastline and Catalina Island.
During her swim to Catalina she traveled with a team who kept an out for sharks and were ready to assist in the event of cramps, injury, or fatigue. About 15 hours into her swim a thick fog began to set in, which clouded not only her vision but sense of confidence. Chadwick's mother happened to be in one of the boats at the time and listened as her daughter told her she didn't believe she could make it. She went on for another hour before deciding to quit. As she sat in the teetering boat she discovered if she'd just swam another mile she would have reached the island.
Many people quit a dream right on the brink of its realization. It's often when the most challenges set in that we're actually getting closer. If we learn to not let a little fog discourage our confidence and fortitude we'll find that it fades creating that clarity to move forward.
But what's important to remember is the fog never permanently stays away. It comes and goes just as doubts do. The key is to recognize the value of forging along anyway -- to bring your own weather when it comes to pursuing meaningful endeavors. Keeping your poise is an essential skill and will enable you to navigate through moments of uncertainty.
Two months after Chadwick's failed attempt she tried the swim once more. Again, a thick fog set in. But this time she had a mental image of the shoreline in her mind as she pushed herself along. Not only did she succeed the second time, but she ended up making the same swim two other times.
Chadwick was also the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions, doing so in record times.
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