NicoleThis morning I was a substitute coach for a triathlon group swim workout at a local YMCA. I arrived on deck shortly before 6am, introduced myself to the lifeguards and to get an idea of how many show up. About a handful, they told me, and it turns out two of them are kids, a girl and a boy around 10-12 years old. The girl had already been sitting patiently on deck, and once the boy showed up with his father, she got ready to hop in the pool.
This was a 6am workout and wow, both these kids had none of the hesitation that the adults have in the other early morning workouts. Jack, who I learned is twelve, went straight to the cabinet for kick boards, fins, and pull buoys and got enough for everyone there. There were some good lessons learned (or reminded of) this morning!
Lesson One: When it’s time to go, just go.
I handed out the workout sheet, and Jack set it up like a pro; paper on kickboard and kickboard leaning up against a small cone. These two kids hopped in their lane, read through the workout, and off they went on the warm-up. Sometimes I have to threaten to push adults in to the water to get them going in the morning! The enthusiasm in which these two did their workout was refreshing to see.
The lesson we can take from this is when it’s time to do something, jump right in and get after it with energy (regardless if we’ve had our coffee yet or not!)
Lesson Two: Focus on the task at hand.
These kids knew they were there to get a swimming workout, so all I had to do was check in on them and monitor their progress. They didn’t get distracted, although every so often Jack would make sure his dad, who was swimming a few lanes over, was doing OK. Now I will admit most adults I coach do indeed focus on the workout, but it’s not uncommon for rest breaks to get a little long with some chit-chat. These kids just kept plowing through what they needed to do, and seemed to be enjoying it, too!
In everything that we do, if we want to be successful and make progress, we just need to go. Don’t hesitate – just jump in and get it done. And when we are in the middle of that thing, that task, project, or workout, keep the focus on the immediate task at hand and enjoy it to the best of our abilities.
Kudos to these kids who reminded me of some great lessons and helped me start my day with a little extra spark!
Nicole
