In this episode, we talk about the story of Diana Nyad, an American author, journalist, and motivational speaker who swam from Cuba to Florida. Today, we get to learn her incredible story and how she endured the failures and setbacks.
The Swim
[0:13]
In 2013, in her fifth attempt, Diana Nyad swam successfully from Cuba to Florida, 110 miles worth of distance without any shark cage, without coming onto the board for eating or drinking. This was her fifth and final attempt, and she was 64 years of age at the time.
Past Attempts
[0:47]
Today she is 71 years of age. Her very first attempt was in 1978 where she was 20 years old. The swim completely turned out to be unsuccessful. She then tried three more times after that. All of her swims turned out to be fatal to some degree because she was getting stung by jellyfish, and there was also the fear of sharks.
Final Attempt
[1:27]
In 2013, she wore a silicone mask, which is the only thing that she had. She had no shark cage or anything of that nature. At the age of 64, she successfully swam 110 miles worth of distance.
Her Message to the World
[1:53]
Diana had three messages: one was to never give up on your passion and your dream. Stay consistent. The second message was you are never too old to achieve your dreams. The third one was, although it felt like a solitary sport. She had great support.
Swimming and Running
[2:57]
The typical marathon distance is about 26 miles. It takes so much amount of time, effort, energy, consistency, staying in the mode, staying in the zone, all those things, right. We consider that to be one of the greatest achievements. When you put that thing into perspective where you are trying to swim into shark and jellyfish infested waters, swimming probably will take more amount of time, energy, and endurance compared to running
[3:59]
When you are in the water, it requires you to go against the current. It would take you more time, energy, and mental strength to swim than running.
Tribute
[4:33]
The Navy SEALs gave her a great tribute because of her endurance. Navy SEALs’ training is known as one of the hardest in terms of strength, endurance, and mental capacity. They gave her a tribute saying that she is something very exceptional and very extraordinary.
Constraints
[5:04]
Many times we try to come up with so many excuses in our day-to-day lives. We think that we have so many constraints that are holding us back. Whether it is a family constraint, professional constraints, our skills, or whatever they might be. We try to imprison ourselves, depicting or envisioning that it is simply not possible for us. Because we have so many constraints, we cannot achieve the so-called goals, aspirations, and ambitions that we have.
No Excuses
[5:54]
Diana was filled with all sorts of excuses. The swim was supposedly her last and fifth attempt. If she had failed, she said that she would have never dared to make another attempt because her age and body were going against her, but she endured.
[6:29]
She went into that ocean water with a “No regrets mentality,” “Now or Never, “Never Ever Give Up.” That is pretty fascinating and inspirational for people of all ages, and she’s a great role model for anyone.
