Just Keep Swimming

A year ago you would have seen my little Remee in a pool screaming for dear life.  Her insecurities got the best of her and she just couldn't relax and learn how to swim in the pool.  Her poor swim teachers were so patient with her and really tried over and over again to convince her they weren't going to let her sink to the bottom of the blue deep.  So the other night when she willingly got in the pool with her swim teacher without tears and without complaints I was beaming from ear to ear.  It got me thinking about fear, courage, and pushing forward.

Ironically I kept thinking about Dori's little song from Finding Nemo...'Just keep swimming, just keep swimming'.  What a beautiful message to implement in our daily lives.  I'll be the first to admit that fear and doubt get the best of me...almost daily.  All those insecurities weigh me down and instead of jumping forward in my goals and aspirations, I hide and become complacent...because that's what's comfortable and familiar.

Last year I came across this quote and it basically smacked me in the face.
"If you aren't doing something everyday that puts a lump in your throat or a pit in your stomach, you are becoming complacent."
Now, I don't know about you but according to that quote I'm more complacent than I'd like to admit.  Fear is always what holds us back.  It's not because of lack of knowledge...we can learn.  It's not because of money...that can be obtained through time.  It's not because we aren't good enough...we are all good enough.  It's the basic and fundamental truth that we are all a bunch of wimps.  Ok maybe I'm just the wimp. But to be brave and courageous seems impossible sometimes.  We stand at the edge of the pool with the want to jump in and yet the doubts bubble up and we begin to think that once we jump in we won't be able to swim to the surface.

Watching my tiny Remee get in the water and face her fear not only made me one proud momma but it also filled me with the courage to step out of my comfort zone and to 'just keep swimming' to the goals I so deeply hope to obtain and accomplish.  If a 5 year old can do what scares her the most, I certainly can get on board and face my fears too.  Funny how often our kids teach us such meaningful lessons in life.  They sure can be stinkers but they are worth all the hard days and hard work.