Laurie was my group’s counselor—and to my seven-year-old mind…the ultimate adult. She was sweet, fun and beautiful. The perfect shade of mocha with a radiant smile—all the kids loved her. I was living my dream of attending summer camp and those first two weeks were sheer perfection. But one day, things went suddenly and horribly wrong.
My friends and I were splashing around in the shallow end of the pool, each vying for Laurie’s attention. We laughed and played, jumping up and down. To this day, I don’t even know what happened, but in my bid for her attention, I followed her into water that was way too deep.
I reached out for Laurie’s shoulder, but she was too far ahead of me. I tried to run towards her, when suddenly I realized that my feet could no longer touch the ground without my head going under the water. Panic filled my heart, as I pushed my body towards the water’s surface. No matter how much I kicked and flailed, the water was too deep. I knew I was in trouble, so I kept reaching out for Laurie. Then, just as suddenly as it began, I felt arms around me pulling me to safety.
Ten minutes later, I sat shivering in the locker room, draped in an oversized towel. Sometimes in life, without warning—we find ourselves going under. We thought we could handle it. We’re so focused on chasing someone or something that we wade out too deep and don’t know how to get back to safety.
That day as I fought against the pull of the water, an instinct to survive made me reach. This week, I’d like to share two of the five strategies you need to REACH the shore when you find yourself drowning:
1. R – Remain Calm: Perspective is everything when we lose our way. The way we see things, will determine how we approach them. Our emotions will rage when we find ourselves in situations that seem beyond our control, but we have to remember that while we can’t exert control on the people and things around us, we must take command of our thoughts and responses. Feelings of panic and desperation lead to poor decisions and actions that only make matters far worse.
2. E – Evaluate Your Options: Options always exist, even if it’s simply a matter of determining our attitude. It never occurred to me that I really couldn’t swim because I always kept to the shallow end of the pool—my feet never leaving the ground. But once beyond my element, I had to face the truth. Swept up by the force of the water, I knew I didn’t have the skill to survive. But, even when I couldn’t get my head up, I kept my little hand above the water in the hopes that Laurie would see me. Thankfully, someone else saw my struggle and stepped in to save me.
When you find yourself going under, keep calling out for help—someone will see you! Please join me next week for the remaining three strategies.
Do Your Work: Where in your life are you drowning and out of control? Spend some time today evaluating your options and coming up with a strategy that isn’t motivated by fear and desperation.
Define Your Wealth: Affirm out loud, “My current reality is not my destiny. I will overcome this test and storm!”
Named the “North America’s Next Greatest Speaker” by eWomenNetwork, Coach Felicia is a Certified Empowerment Coach™ who empowers her clients to “Turn their Worth into Wealth” as she partners with them to DISCOVER their WORTH, DO the WORK and DEFINE their WEALTH. Get more insight, download the FREE “8 Choices Winners Must Make” seminar MP3 on her website.