Friday, August 5, 2011

DIANA NYAD - INSPIRATION!

You must have heard of Diana Nyad.

photo:wikipedia

Probably as the world record holder for longest ocean swim but in another news, she will set out to do what no athlete has never done before and in simple English that will be swimming all day and all night, all day and all night, then all day again. Have you ever imagined that? a 61 years old woman would gear up her will to swim 103 miles across the straits of Florida? if you have not, then you better start seeing it happen because Diana Nyad wants to make it happen. She is Positive about it and so am i.
It is a thing of the mind, something i am thinking she has already accomplished in her mind or how do explain it? it is going to be an unbelievable experience,a rare case of endurance, something that makes you wonder.
She once attempted it in 1978 when she was 28 but it was unsuccessful. she has swarm inside a shark cage for 41hrs 49 minutes. fast forward to 2011, she is going to attempt it again, this time, better team and great tech to assist her. How on earth do you engage in something for 60 hrs? i don't see myself doing anything that long.
Photos: google
At 61, she should be like most people her age. Retired and bored but she was quoted saying "i feel strong, powerful and endurance wise i am fit". since it is an endurance thing i believe at her age she will cope with it. you remember Jack LaLane? The 60 years old man who swarm handcuffed from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman Wharf in San Francisco. That would be his second time as i heard. the part that she will be doing it with sharks even though with tech makes it even more daring. she will have to deal with hallucinations, cope with stings from jelly fish and deal with the effect of the salty sea water on her skin. It is an inspiration for a woman who at 61 wants a stir of her energy and a new feeling of ambition. it further enforces the believe that you can do anything you really want to in this life.
Photos: Google
Okay now, there is the part that says what if she fails? to avoid being negative, i think we should give her the chance to prove her self and see the good side. Besides, she is doing it for herself, a remedy fro her malaise. She is committed to it and she is set to enjoy every moment of it. It energizes her and so i am not certain she wants to prove anything to anybody considering the dangers of possible hydration, starvation, it is a will thing.
In all these i find inspiration from a woman who at her age wants to do something with all the risks and the benefits of adventure, planning this for a year and half. It tells you that the only limits me see are those we let ourselves see. No matter the challenges, you can rise above it. The cost of this is put at $500,000 and she is short by $150,000 but she is not deterred. It inspires me. Feats like this pumps my adrenalin. it goers to show the strength of the human will to rise above limits, the norms and go beyond human expectations to do what seems impossible.Whatever the outcome, i am seeing courage here.
i am taking a cue from this. Let her inspire you, let her stories and the process involved drive you to take another step further into what you have been dragging your feet to begin. All this helps me to rise above worsening unemployment at about 40%, infrastructural decay, poor health care, poor road networks, erratic power supply and the likes to pursue my dreams. i am a full bred Nigerian learning the never-die spirits of Lagosians and believing that is possible. That yes, my dreams can happen, if i am willing to take my chances, that the future is here and now. I refuse to be denied, to be limited.
photos: Yahoo
Diana Nyad inspires me. In her own words Nyad said "I need commitment to take over. That level of commitment such a high. There is no thinking of regrets or what will i do for the rest of my life. I'm immersed in the everyday, full tilt, its so energizing".

Let those words make sense to you because, they make plenty of sense!