NYAD: Lessons on Endurance, Success, & Strong Mindset

How can a 64-year-old swim for almost 53 hours from Cuba to Florida??🤯

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Have you ever heard of the saying, “you’re only limited by your own imagination”?

Well this true story about Diana Nyad brings a deeper meaning to this quote.

I chanced upon her movie/documentary on Netflix.

And I was beyond amazed at what she was able to achieve!!

She’s a long-distance marathon swimmer and at the time she attempted to become the first person ever to swim from Cuba to Florida, she was already 64 y/o.

Nearly 53 hours. Around 177 km. And no shark cage.

Can you imagine doing that in your 60s??

Even a person in his/her 20s will have a hard time achieving such an amazing feat.

That’s why I found her story so inspiring—not just because of what she had done…but also because of her mental toughness, discipline, and strong will.

I always like to watch this type of movies that are based on true stories (like Facing the Giants, Chariots of Fire, MoneyBall, and Mark Cavendish: Never enough)

These shows never fail to inspire me through how these athletes define their moments despite all odds.

And with Diana Nyad’s story, you can really pick up a lot of great lessons about endurance, mindset, and tenacity.

Here are some that I’d like to share:

1️⃣ “The whole key to success [in marathon swimming] is the person who is willing to endure the most pain in the most number of hours.”

This is a direct quote from the movie.

Diana Nyad had a lot of very powerful views about attaining success.

I remember a couple more quotes from her like…

“I don’t believe in imposed limitations.”

“I need to get myself functioning at the highest level.”

“I am doing it. I’m not done. I have more in me…”

When you watch, you can really get a sense of how strong her mindset was. This is something I feel most people lack.

Many people would find it easy to give up when things get too difficult—when things are beyond what they think they can do.

Only a few will actually be able to endure a great deal of pain…a great deal of hard work…and a great deal of sacrifices just to get to where they want to be.

It’s up to you if you are willing to challenge yourself and your limiting beliefs.

2️⃣ They master their mind first more than their skills.

A lot of people would say that it’s physically impossible to endure what Diana had to endure in that 53-hour swim—especially if you are aging already.

And that would be true.

But one thing we must not underestimate is the power of our minds.

This is something that I see in these athletes that I have watched.

They are very strong-willed. When they set their minds to something, they DO IT. 

No excuses. No listening to other people’s doubts.

They focus on what their goal is and on what they have to do in order to achieve it.

And that is a very powerful message.

It shows us that our skills won’t matter as much if our mindset/will-power is not strong enough.

Take Diana Nyad, for example.

During the first 15 mins of the movie, there was this conversation she had with her best friend.

Her friend did not want her to do something that dangerous at her age.

So she had to convince her that she was serious about doing it. She was serious about wanting to set a record and be the first person to ever swim from Cuba to Florida.

Her best friend told Diana…“You tried that when you were 28 and you did not make it when you were 28.” 

And that made it even more unbelievable!

I mean how on earth can she do it then at age 64 when she couldn’t do it at age 28???🤯

That’s how powerful her mindset is.

She was able to beat all odds. 

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Diana’s story is remarkable.

And the lessons here are things that I feel are also applicable to different people…not just to marathon swimmers or any other athletes.

This a great reminder for all of us to:

=> Continuously challenge ourselves.

=> Foster a strong and powerful mindset.

=> And remember that our “best” right now is only a small portion of what we are actually capable to do. We can achieve much more if we do not limit ourselves!

I hope this story inspired you as much as it inspired me. :)

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P.S. What movie has inspired you the most recently?