​Imagine someone asks you if you have the most valuable skill in the world. Would you say yes? Would you even know what that person is talking about? I want to talk about one of the most essential skills that we, as athletes, could have. This skill can make or break you. It has the ability to make the unthinkable possible. If we can master this one skill, everything else eventually falls into place. Can you guess what this remarkable skill is that I am talking about? I am talking about the most valuable skill in the world, discipline. 

​In our everyday lives, it could be something as simple as doing the dishes. There is never a good time to do it, but we know it needs to be done. If you feel like you lack discipline in your life, then you are in luck!

However, the difficulty of learning this skill depends on several key factors. For example, your ability to learn new things quickly or your willingness to keep trying when things are hard. Ironically, it requires discipline to learn discipline. It might be easy to learn for some and seem near impossible for others. So if it is so hard to teach yourself discipline, why do it? ​

Why Is Discipline Important?
The beauty of mastering discipline is that discipline is one of the few skills that ties everything together. Everything you do in your life requires some level of discipline for it to be completed successfully. The level of success you reach in those tasks are entirely dependent on your level of discipline throughout them. 

I have achieved things throughout my swimming career that I once only dreamed of. The biggest mistake a lot of us make is to attempt giant leaps rather than little steps. Discipline allows us to be one percent better every day. That’s all we need. If you can be one percent better today than yesterday, you are moving in the right direction.

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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We put in so much time and effort doing something we love. We train our whole lives to get better at something that will eventually come to an end. Why do we do this? Perhaps it is to prove something to ourselves or our peers, or maybe it is for that sense of satisfaction when you finally reach your goals. Whatever your reason might be, the reality is that eventually, it ends. When this day comes around, it isn't easy to move on. We have worked so hard to be the best, just for it to end so abruptly.
​
I remember the day I retired from swimming. I have been swimming competitively since I was nine years old. For fourteen long years, I have put everything I have into the sport. It was challenging to hang up my cap and goggles. At times I felt like my hard work and dedication to the sport was all for nothing. However, I realized that I had done everything I could, and now it is time to move on.

In this post, I will share some fantastic ways we, as athletes, can keep ourselves going after doing what we love for so long. These are all things that have helped me significantly to keep moving forward without looking back.

1)Find a way to share your knowledge with others
This was probably the one that helped me the most. My love and passion for swimming allowed me to stay in the sport with coaching and, of course, this blog. These two ways will hopefully enable me to make a difference in others' lives. My goal is to share what I have learned throughout my years with as many people as possible.

Sharing your knowledge with others is an excellent way for you to keep doing what you have done for so many years. The best part is that it does not require you to start from scratch. You already have the background. Now, you need to find the right way to share all the lessons and skills you have learned.

2)Find another challenge
As athletes, we tend to be overly competitive. We all know that one guy that wants to turn everything into a competition. There is nothing wrong with being competitive. After all, that is what made us all great athletes. However, once it all ends, we feel empty. At least, this is how I felt. We miss our teammates, and we miss the competition with each other every day. So what do we do now?

Go out and find something else to challenge you. Yes, it might not be on the same level as what you have done, but you might find that it brings the same satisfaction when you achieve your goals. We are athletes because we love competition with ourselves and with others. It is what makes us who we are.

3)How can you use the lessons and skills you have learned going forward?
The third and final step you can think about is what have you learned throughout your many years of competing and how you can use it moving forward. Sport is a fantastic thing in our lives. It teaches us so many valuable life lessons. For example, how to perform in a team environment or the importance of work ethic if we want to succeed.

You probably already thought of a few others as well. The thing is, sport prepared you for your life after retirement in ways you probably never thought of. It made us believe that we can do anything and everything. The only requirement is commitment. If you stay committed to your goals, then you will achieve great things.

Life after sport is challenging. So it is a good thing that we welcome challenges. We know what it feels like to be knocked down, and we know how to get back up again. If you ever feel scared about what lies ahead, remember all the great, challenging things you have overcome throughout your career. I can honestly say that I don't regret anything and am excited for the long road ahead of me.

Please tell me in the comment section below which of these steps you will use or have used that worked for you. I would also love to hear about all the different actions you have taken in your life after sport. 

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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When someone comes up to you and asks, “What was the greatest day of your life?” what would you say? Is it the day you got that big promotion, the day you made the national team, or the day you finally achieved a significant milestone? You might have one day that came to mind, or you might have several. For me, I can think of two. The two greatest days of my life is the day I was born and the day I find out why. So that is what I want to talk to you about today.

The Day You Were Born
The day you were born was the day you took your first breath. It was the first day of the rest of your life. Countless decisions to be made. Some good, some bad, some terrible. However, the beauty in all of this is that we can learn from the mistakes we make and grow. I know I have made too many mistakes in my life.

I have always been told that it is good to make mistakes. It allows us to learn from it and become better versions of ourselves. Just do not make the same mistake twice. Whenever I make a wrong decision, I always try to take at least one thing from it. One thing that I can improve, so I do not make that mistake again. Make your mistake. Learn from it. Move on.

The Day You Find Out Why
The funny thing about this day for me is that it probably has not happened yet. Or maybe it has. It could be to write this blog for you today. This is a moment that is clear as day for some people, and for others, it is about as clear as mud. One thing I do know is that this day will come. Someone once told me, “Find something you are willing to die for, then live for it.” This message has stuck with me and is probably something I will never forget. It has such a powerful meaning behind it.

What do you love to do? We all have that something. For me, it is sharing these blogs with you. However, most of us do not always have the time to do the things we love. Today I want to tell you to make time. We tend to get so stuck in a routine that we completely forget to live for what we have. We tend to go through the motions each day without appreciating the little things. Spend some time each week to do the things you love. It is a great way to reset a busy work week. Ultimately, when you can do what you love, it takes you one step closer to finding your why.

The ultimate goal for most of us is to find out why. This is the day when everything falls into place. You will never have this day again, so make it count. When I was younger, I always thought that my “why” was to swim. It was only once I got older when I realized that life is about so much more. I am now able to share my personal experiences from my years of swimming, along with the valuable lessons I have learned along the way.

I dare you all today to go after that one thing you are willing to die for and LIVE FOR IT.

We can start by leaving a comment below. Then, tell me what you are going to do to find your “why”. This is a fantastic way to make a commitment to yourself. 

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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Injuries can be one of the most frustrating things that can happen to you. Coming back from an injury is never easy, and sometimes you feel like giving up. When I say that coming back from an injury is difficult, I speak from personal experience. I touched on my injury a little bit in my recent blog, “My Rollercoaster Ride as A Division 1 Athlete.” If you have not read it yet, I suggest that you check it out if you would like to know more about my injury. In this post, I will share my experience with my injury and how I overcame it. In turn, I hope that I can help teach you the subtle art of coming back from your injury.

Having an ankle injury as a swimmer was a pretty hard knock for me. I knew that ankle flexibility is essential to the sport. I knew that I had a long road of recovery ahead of me, but I was willing to follow it through to the end. At the time, I had no idea how much work I would have to put in to get back to where I was. Nevertheless, I knew I had a long road ahead of me.

Below, I share with you the three unique concepts that I used to fast-track my injury:

1.Rehab. Rehab. Rehab.
Rehab was by far the most beneficial for my injury. I was fortunate enough to have access to a fantastic staff at Florida State University. Rehab is one of the most critical phases when it comes to recovering from an injury. It consists of various techniques and processes to promote healing. However, it is imperative to stay disciplined and patient with the process. Nothing happens overnight, especially coming back from an injury. Listen to your physiotherapist or whoever might be assisting you through your rehab process and follow through with it.

2.Know your body
Take it slow. You know your body better than anyone else. You know how far you can push yourself before the breaking point. However, it is vital to start slow. If you get back into things too fast, you worsen or possibly reinjure yourself. The term “damage control” is perfect to use in this situation. You are already “damaged.” The chances are that you will get frustrated with yourself because you think you are not healing at the rate you should. I am here to tell you to take a deep breath and take it one day at a time. If you can be 1% better each day, that is progress. Make it a goal to be a little bit better each day.

3.Trust the Process
Then, the very last step and the only one that kept me sane throughout the long, exhausting road. Trust the process. Recognize that the good things come with time. Focus on what you can control and nothing else. One thing that significantly helped me was focusing on things during training that I usually would not even think about. For example, whenever my ankle would start bugging me during swim practice, I would begin to pull. No kicking, just pulling with my arms. This allowed me to focus more on the little things in my technique that eventually went a long way. Take your injury as an opportunity to try new things and improve yourself in different areas.

Coming back from injury is never easy. It requires hard work, dedication, perseverance, and most important of all, consistency. It is a true art that takes time and has a particular process that you have to follow. My road was not easy by any means, but I sure am glad that I did it properly. There are no shortcuts to come back from an injury. Shortcuts only result in reinjury over time. Stay consistent with what you are doing, and you will be back from your injury better than ever.

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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Welcome back to part two of my road from beginner to division one. If you have not read my first post yet, make sure to do so by clicking HERE. In this post, I will talk about my amazing college career as a division one athlete. This blog will discuss the ups and downs I experienced throughout my four years at Florida State University. I will then go into more depth about how I overcame the firm grasp of adversity. Let us dive right into it.

Freshman Year
My freshman year was arguably one of my best years in my college career when it came to swimming. I officially started mid-year in January. I had arrived several weeks earlier after being invited to go on a training camp to introduce myself to the team. That training camp is one I will never forget since it consisted of a lot of running (I am the worst runner on this planet). However, being from South Africa, it was my first time training and racing in short course yards. Nonetheless, I was able to swim several in-season personal bests throughout the upcoming weeks.

Since the day we got back to practice in early January, there were only a couple of weeks left before our big conference meet. Florida State is part of the Atlantic Coast Conference or the ACC for those who do not know. The ACC is considered to be one of the largest and most competitive conferences in the country. However, the only meet that is more significant is NCAA. This is where the fastest college swimmers throughout the whole country come together and race. After several weeks of training and racing, I was fortunate enough to make my way onto the ACC team. My first ACC-meet was a blast. The atmosphere surrounding the meet was extraordinary. I have never experienced anything like it.

To me, swimming has always been an individual sport. You train for yourself, and you race for yourself. However, for the first time in my life, I saw swimming as a team sport. Suddenly, I was not just competing for myself; I was competing for my team. As a result, I swam several personal bests at that meet. After the season ended, we would get a two-week break to recover and get ready for the next season. Little did I know what was in store for me in the year to come…

Sophomore and Junior Years
My middle two years of college were full of surprises. My sophomore year was very similar to my freshman year. I worked hard throughout the season and made the ACC team once again. My times slightly improved from my freshman year, and I was happy with how the season ended. I was excited because I knew that I could go back home to South Africa for the summer months. But then, something unfortunate happened during the summer after my sophomore year.

In July of 2018, I twisted my ankle badly. How did this happen? By playing an innocent game of table tennis with my brother. Of course, probably the silliest way to get injured. At the time, all I knew was that it hurt. However, after a couple of days, it felt better, and I did not think much of it. I went on with my life as if everything was normal.

​After about two weeks, I noticed that it was still severely swollen. I went to go get it checked out, and it turned out I had a complete tear in my ATFL and a syndesmosis injury (caused by bone rubbing on bone). The doctor gave me two options. They could fix it via surgery, and I would need six weeks recovery time, or I could let it heal by itself and would need six months before I could swim again. Normally I would do anything to avoid surgery, but this was a no brainer.

With my junior season right around the corner, I moved forward with the surgery. I had to continue my rehab at Florida State, and I was fortunate enough to have amazing people look after me. Before I knew it, I was back in the pool training again. It was not easy. I had good days, and I had terrible days, but I had to push through. I realized that I was still living my dream and would not let anything ruin that. My whole mentality changed, and I was more motivated than ever before.

I constantly told myself that I was going to make this the best year I have ever had. As a result, I once again made it onto the ACC team for the third year. I was ecstatic. I was very pleased with myself and what I have been through and overcome the past year. I then managed to make my way onto the NCAA team. This was indeed a dream come true for me. I was going to the fastest meet in the world. This was truly the best year I have ever had and would change the way I think forever.

Senior Year
Senior Year finally came around. I had a fresh mentality, along with new coaches. I knew that this was a combination that would greatly benefit me. I worked harder than I ever have before throughout the season, committed to having a great final year. I have not even touched my in-season best times since the injury. I felt great, and I felt disciplined. I wrote down every practice we did throughout the season, along with detailed notes about how it felt and how I overcame the hardships of that specific practice.

I then gave myself an honest rating out of ten to see how I did and improved as the season went on. I was finally able to swim my times from freshman year again, and I knew I was on the right road. I was blessed enough to make the ACC team for the fourth year in a row. Again, I swam some personal bests, and with some events, I got close.

I did not make it to NCAA this time around. However, I was happy. After my final race, I looked up at the scoreboard with a smile on my face. I was done. I knew that I had done everything I could to make the most out of my final year. What more could anyone possibly ask for?
 
Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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 Sport has always been a significant part of my life. When I was younger, I would always find myself competing with my friends or family, whether it was an official swim meet or simply running against my brother to see who was the fastest (I just had to make sure it was still me). Little did I know back then where my life would end up. Playing sports has always been my escape from reality. It was a place where I could go when things started piling up around me. Somewhere where I could be alone with myself and my thoughts. However, the events that would follow later in my life would change my life forever. It indeed is a strenuous journey from beginner to division one athlete.

Growing up
I competed in three sports growing up, tennis, cricket, and swimming. For the most part, swimming has been my favorite out of the three and the one that required the most time and effort. Once I got to High school, I had to make a fundamental decision. I had to choose one sport to carry on with, simply because the day was too short. So, I decided that my love for swimming overshadowed both cricket and tennis. Thinking back on it today, if I could go back in time, I would make the same decision all over again.

The combination of swimming and high school taught me how to manage my time effectively and efficiently. With almost 4 hours of practice each day, along with another 6 hours of school, I learned that time is precious and that I need to make the most of it. However, I was never the best student. I have never been someone who could sit in front of his books and study for hours at a time. My mind would wander, and I would raid the fridge every five minutes. Then, I decided that if I wanted to take my swimming to the next level, I needed to work equally hard in school. It has been a dream of mine to one day go swim in the United States. For that to happen, I realized that one major thing needed to change. I had to become a better student, not only in school but also in swimming.

When I was about 15, that is precisely what I set my mind to. I was committed to keeping myself from becoming my own worst enemy. I trained hard in and out of the pool and worked hard in the classroom. When I turned 17, I started to get my name out there. I sent out countless emails to pretty much every school in the United States, hoping that at least one of them gets back to me. For months I failed to get any replies, but I stayed consistent with everything I was doing. Then, one day, I got an email that would change my life…

The Beginning of My College Career
Being from South Africa, I knew very little about universities in the United States at the time. I received an offer from Florida State University to join the swim team. I was ecstatic, even not genuinely being able to grasp the sheer size of this opportunity. “I made it! I finally made it!” I said to myself. The hard work and perseverance have finally paid off. I was about to make my biggest dream become a reality. My college career was full of ups and downs that would shape every part of me, and I cannot wait to tell you all about it in my future post. Check out part 2 NOW!

Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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