Just Keep Swimming

There are many different reasons why you get involved in something, whether it be a sport, a club, an organization, or others. There are even more reasons why you stay committed to something. Even if all of them may not be logical, like being forced to do it when you despise it with all of your being.
I started swim when I was little, and I can thank my grandma for being a part of something I am so dearly passionate about. No, it wasn't because she was a swimmer so it 'ran in the family', in fact it was quite the opposite. My grandma was terrified of bodies of water, and because of that my parents didn't want me and my siblings to be the same way. So, as I kid I was enrolled in swim lessons and the rule was we couldn't quit swim until 8th grade then they'd let us choose. I've come to realize, I don't know where I'd be if it weren't for swim. It is were I learned how to control my emotions, when I was angry I put that energy towards the swim. Some of the hardest moments of my life were put into each stroke, each breath, each flip turn. I swim, not because I want people to give me glory for it, not because I like beating people, not because I've got nothing better to do. I swim because it is a part of who I am, because no matter what happens in the real world, I can still control what happens in the water. When it comes down to it, it isn't about beating that girl who thinks she's better than you. It isn't about what place you got, or where you stand on the podium. When it comes down to it, it is between you and the pool. It's about beating your time so you can feel good that you have improved. That all your hard work paid off, the long practices, the sets you "tried" on. Carrying the thought that you can do anything you want no matter how terrible you think you seem to the others beside you. Because in the end, you are not going to remember what place you got or who you beat, you are going to remember what you did well and improved on. If you are doing something for the wrong reasons then what is the point? It isn't what other people are going to think they don't matter.What they say about you behind your back, when they try and make you think less of yourself so they can feel superior for one second. What matters is how you think of yourself, self confidence. I swim for the joy of doing something that I love, to honor my Grandma, to prove that I don't live in anyone's shadow. I swim because I want to wake up and look forward to every moment I get to spend in the chilling water, feeling the platform beneath your feet. And no matter what people think of me, I am no longer controlled by the words of others. And I may or may not beat them, but I refuse to join them; I will lift my head and Just Keep Swimming, because actions speak louder than words.