Celebrate the Small Wins: Finding Success in the Details Can Offset Bumps in the Road
Touching the wall and feeling that all your hard work was for nothing is a feeling that is all too common in the world of swimming. At every swim meet you go to, there are a wide range of emotions scattered around the pool deck. A swimmer smiling and hugging their coach after a race, teammates anxiously cheering on the sideline, the nervous swimmer in the corner trying not to hyperventilate, the disappointed swimmer fighting back feelings of discouragement, and the list goes on. Although the outcomes are always different, every swimmer gets on the block with a goal in mind.
We are all familiar with the importance of setting goals. At the beginning of every season, the goal sheets come out and we reach for the stars and never look back. Goals in the sport of swimming and in life are extremely important – they help us stay focused and motivated through the season. They give us a destination, a sense of purpose, and a way to measure successes and failures. Although important, sometimes a goal can actually be the one thing that holds us back.
In a perfect world, we climb the ladder to success and never falter. When all goes according to plan, you leave a season reaching your goal and your destination – whether that be a personal best time, a new cut for the championship meet, or a team record you have had your eye on all season. But what happens when the stars do not align? When you touch the wall and look up to the scoreboard to see a disheartening result? I would argue those are the moments where champions are made.
Failure in swimming is inevitable. Every Olympic swimmer can look back on their journey and see their path scattered with so-called failures. What makes their failures different is not the outcome, but the response. Failures are seen as lessons that pave the way to success. It is important to give yourself grace to acknowledge the disappointment, while also realizing the room for growth and allowing yourself to learn what works and what does not work for you as an individual. No two swimmers are the same and every swim is an opportunity.
It can be easy to want to throw these moments away and never revisit what went wrong, however, reflection on “failures” is just as important as reflection on “successes.” Keeping a journal, talking to your coach, or watching back race footage are all ways to reflect and grow. Learning from these tough moments can be the best way to become a better swimmer and ultimately a better person.
Having a dream goal is important. However, it is the smaller goals and smaller successes that pave the way and the journey to that ultimate destination. Every practice and every moment is an opportunity to achieve success. Complete more underwater dolphin kicks in your breakout? Finish a challenging set in practice? Stay calm before a race instead of letting nerves kick in? These are all small successes to be proud of that make you one step closer to your goal. Smaller goals help us build the confidence and skills needed to make the large goal seem not that far away.
I cannot count how many times I thought I failed. Leaving the pool deck feeling deflated and as though everything was for nothing. I wish I had seen the importance of these failures and how they shaped my swimming career and the person I have become. The lessons from swimming go well beyond the sport.
So the next time you touch the wall and you do not see the outcome you had hoped for, take a deep breath and realize how far you have come and how far you can go. Chances are you have achieved more than you think you have. Celebrate the small wins, enjoy the journey, and trust the process. Your success is in the making.
Summer Finke has joined the Swimming World staff as a regular contributor. A two-time qualifier for the United States Olympic Trials, she competed collegiately for North Carolina State University and was a multi-time NCAA Championships qualifier.