I’ve always loved being in the water. When I was little, I could swim in the pool for hours until my fingers and toes turned all prune-like. My parents would almost beg me to get out before dinner turned cold.
And to be honest, I had a lot of talent. I swam every gala and came first without much ‘real’ practice. I just splashed around and, there’s it...first prize!
My primary school swimming coach, René, told my mom to push me to practise as hard as my peers did (2-3 hours a day at the Pro Swimming Club) because she felt that I could be a champion.
I didn’t want to.
I thrived in the water because it felt so free.
That kind of pressure wasn’t for me. A waste of talent? Maybe. But my love for water still remains; it’s something I believe I might have lost if I forced myself to perform in it for everyone other than myself.
Coaches can push you only so far.
When we think about improving ourselves, or growing or becoming someone who is like this or that, we have to actually consider whether it suits our idea of Better, Best, Bestest. The road to happiness, fulfillment, bliss, etc. is different for everyone. Yet we try to make it a one-size-fits-all.
Who is your actual SELF? The royal YOU, if you will?
She is able to be, without conditions. She can choose how she will self-actualise and become who she ultimately moulds herself to be inside her ever-changing environment.
Like a pair of Best earrings, which has gone through its own evolution - from late nights and everyday learnings to the improvement of materials and processes - it got better and is now the Best and Bestest version of itself.
We’re serious about jewellery around here, but we’re also serious about the journey towards being your Best self. We asked you to share some of your goals on your journey towards being your bestest self, answering ‘What makes you feel like your Best self?’, and this is what you said:
Working out, eating healthily, resting more, dancing, swimming in the ocean, and dressing up for no reason are just some of the responses we received.
@chanellenaidoo commented, saying “Unapologetically being myself!”. An answer that not only inspires but which proclaims her active agency to define her own unique goals.
You need to find and build on your unique goals/selling points. Then ask yourself whether you stand by (instead of apologising for) them every day?
The only ‘coach’ who can make you break records is your own internal one. So choose those micro and macro goals for yourself so you can be the best you that your inner coach wants you to be.