"Just keep swimming"


Creating a sportswear fashion label is exciting, challenging and more often than not, totally nerve-wracking. 

To begin anything new, we have to start with nothing, for writers’ it’s a blank page, for entrepreneurs’ it’s the space before the big idea. For athletes’ it’s the first day of training, staring down the length of track, envisioning what’s to come. And it’s not all plain sailing. 

First you need to decide whether it’s worth it or not. Yep. That’s the most important thing of all. Choosing a goal or dream that’s meaningful to you, something that you will get up for at the crack of dawn; something that you will fight for. For me its about creating a life/work balance where I can choose how I spend my day, filling it with creativity and joy, working with a team of like-minded individuals, building a company that I can be proud to work for. 

Pictures of your dream goals can help to motivate and inspire

Your goal might be to compete in your local charity swimathon, or lose 20Lbs, it might be to quit your day job and start your own business or travel around the world with just your backpack and your camera.

Whatever your dream or goal, it helps to vision it. Whether that’s writing down what it means to you and sticking it on the wall where you work or cutting out pictures from a magazine that symbolize your desire and keeping them in your wallet. This helps me stay focused, especially when things get a little rocky.

There will be times when it feels like everything is going wrong, or that the goal you’re working towards is too far out of reach, there will be obstacles, or as I like to put it ‘mammoth-sized road blocks set to throw you off your path’, but the key thing to remember is that everyone, and I mean everyone who has ever tried to achieve anything, has also met problems along the way, and it’s the way they’ve handled those problems that determines whether they succeed or fail.


“I am not the richest, smartest or most talented person in the world, but I succeed because I keep going and going and going” Sylvester Stallone

In fact, talent makes up for a very small part of success, sheer determination and persistence are just as important as talent. Add to that courage, self-motivation, focus and support. A well-placed positive pick-me-up note can work wonders when you’re in need of a motivational boost.

"Just keep swimming" is a favorite of mine. My boyfriend reminds me of this on a daily basis. Yep he’s a Pixar animation fan, and currently re-educating me in cartoons. He’s my rock, my champion and my sounding board. He has this ‘go-get-em’ attitude that is downright infectious. He doesn’t stop when life gets hard, he doesn’t quit when he gets knocked down, in fact that just makes him go harder.

Marlen Esparza (Boxer)

I imagine that being an ex-pro athlete has something to do with his super-human mentality. Athletes learn that to be the best takes hard work, pain and sacrifice. Is it any wonder so many athletes go on to become motivational speakers and inspire hundreds to compete, whether that’s in sport or in life.

I’ve learnt that when I’m feeling stuck or stressed about a problem I’m facing it definitely helps to get moving. I always get my best ideas when I’m walking, running, swimming, showering and even cooking!

So if you’re facing an obstacle or roadblock remember that there is always more than one way of doing something, try to keep an open mind, think outside the box, stay positive and keep going.

You won’t regret it.

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