Early Thursday cold, wet and very windy morning swim last week with the Bluetits/Bluebell Pembs cold water swimmers down in Solva.

A lot of resistance to getting up out of bed and doing it but it turns out, even the hardcore who go everyday and swim all year round battle with the process of getting up and getting in.

And the process is all about getting to the other side. And the truth is no one ever gets out of the water after a cold dip saying ‘that was shit’. It’s always an invigorating experience.

Also the normal anxiety I felt on the journey down to meet them was what I recognised was the feeling of potential failure, or at least a feeling ‘generating itself to stop me failing’ by trying to make me turn back and not take action.

But I recognised that I could also potentially succeed. That the feeling was both potential failure or success and that it offered both – it was the same coin. Why not embrace the feeling as potential success?

At worst it’s 50/50.

So why choose to focus on failing.

Why not an opportunity to succeed?

And it was. Not only did I meet a lovely group of people and get in the water despite the conditions but because they swim further than I would normally choose to, I followed their example and achieved more than I have done before in terms of distance swam in the cold.

It was another opportunity to see what mental skills I used or created to keep me focused and calm when I was uncertain of the situation I was in.

I love that situation, the live testing in the field.

It’s genuine, real and authentic.

And it’s then tools I know really work and I can share.

There’s so much to learn from others and it’s definitely the way to improve.

Be curious of your potential by getting around others who are already where you want to be.