The swimmer next lane

 


I was at swimming training the other day when the coach gave me a 200-metre swim. The swimmer in the next lane was given only 100 metres.


She looked surprised. In her mind, she was probably wondering why I had been given the longer distance.


As we pushed off the wall, she took off fast.


For a moment I looked across and thought about matching her pace. Then another thought came into my head:


Why am I trying to chase her?


I don’t know how she slept last night.


I don’t know how tired she is.


I don’t know what training she did yesterday.


I don’t know her strengths, weaknesses, or what the coach is trying to achieve with her session.


All I know is my lane, my distance, and my task.


So instead of chasing her, I focused on my own stroke. I found a pace that would allow me to swim the next length, and then the next one after that.


Something interesting happened.


The more I focused on my own swim, the less interested I became in what she was doing.


That lesson applies far beyond the pool.


In life, we constantly compare ourselves to other people. We see someone getting promoted, earning more money, buying a bigger house, running faster, or achieving something we want.


We look at their result and compare it to our own.


What we don’t see is their story.


We don’t see the sacrifices they made, the opportunities they had, the struggles they’re carrying, or the challenges they’re facing.


We compare our reality to a version of their life that we have invented in our heads.


Some people have had to fight for every metre.


Others were fortunate enough to start with support, opportunities, and encouragement.


That doesn’t make one person better than the other. It simply means they started from different places and are swimming different races.


The funny thing is that not everyone wants what you want.


Some people are fighting to get ahead.


Some are trying to hold on to what they already have.


Some have achieved everything they once dreamed of and are no longer trying to go faster.


They’re trying to slow down, breathe, and enjoy the life they worked so hard to build.


We assume everyone is chasing the same finish line. They aren’t.


The only person who knows the full truth is the one looking back at you in the mirror.


When you lie awake at night, stripped of excuses and appearances, you know exactly how hard you’ve worked, where you’ve been honest with yourself, and where you haven’t.


That’s why comparison is such a waste of energy.


Stay in your lane.


Take your stroke.


Trust your pace.


Finish your race.


Because the goal was never to beat the swimmer in the next lane.


The goal was always to become the best version of yourself.

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