On Tuesday of this week Benoît Lecomte dove into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of eastern Japan to begin his six month, 5,500 mile swim to San Francisco. Upon completing this Herculean feat, he will set a record as he will become the first to ever swim across the largest ocean (in 1998 he swam across the Atlantic which was just shy of 4000 miles). 

At some point we too just need to dive in. Even when we do not have the certainty of how it will work out, when no one before has completed or attained what we hope to reach, we need to find the courage deep within ourselves, trusting in our preparations (Lecomte has spent the past seven years gearing up for this mega swim) and knowing in our heart that we will do all that is in our power to make it a reality. 

This is a frightening directive to give ourselves: Just dive in! Even Lecomte after his Atlantic trek arrived on the shores of Normandy and said immediately, "Never again". However, I was reminded today that the difference between tasks that we seek which we love and those we are capable of attaining due to our skill-set are not always one and the same. The difference is the internal navigation for those tasks we love that, much like a magnet, pull us eternally toward a particular destination, dream, task, outcome, that even we can't fully make sense of as to why. However, what we do know is that it's ours to pursue, and we want to pursue it. And in so doing, the fuel reserves seem to be infinite as we are capable of pursuing what to outsiders would appear to be an exhaustive and even impossible goal. Nonetheless, we strive on. 

For some reason, while the struggles are hard, in time, the rejections turn into acceptances, and the opportunities fulfilling as we pinch ourselves from time to time at how far we've come and how much we have grown. 

There comes a time when the student/player/patient/mentee needs to discover they can navigate without the coach/guide/mentor/parent. It doesn't mean the guide is gone forever, but they need to be out of arm's reach; we need to go about our journey on our own at times to see what we've learned, apply it and observe the growth as well as what we still need to work on. When the coach is able, they can return, but it is necessary for the student to learn how to navigate on their own as that is when confidence is built, that is when we deepen our understanding of ourselves - our needs, our limits, what skills are missing but can be added to our toolbox. 

While Lecomte will swim each day for eight hours and then climb upon the yacht for meals with his team and sleep, he will get the opportunity to have the coach/motivators each evening. But he still must swim on his own, and so too must we so that we can come to trust that we've learned the lessons and see them to be worth our choice to change and come ever closer to our fullest potential. 

Our fullest potential resides within each of us waiting to be discovered, unearthed, revealed and then strengthened to its fullest capability. This coming Wednesday June 13th, TSLL's 2nd book will be revealed and preordering will begin. As a weekly newsletter subscriber, I want to share with you that this book was written to help inspire, guide and reveal exactly how to discover your best self (in fact, its part of the subtitle). While I will wait to reveal the full title until Wednesday morning, I absolutely cannot wait to share it with you. Thank you for your patience and expressions of excitement over the past year and even longer. We are almost there - only five more days.

Until then, there is still a bountiful weekly newsletter to explore, and it begins with this week's episode of the podcast that instigated much conversation in the comments section.  Please do have a listen or read and share your experience and thoughts with the topic of Staying Relevant in an Ever-Changing World & Embracing Each Year More Than the Last. And if you are looking for a wonderful book to read - nonfiction or fiction, this week's This & That has plenty to choose from (also, be sure to check out my IG pic of the week as it is the book I am currently reading and absolutely loving). Lastly, I was reminded last weekend after having posted a few posts from the Archives on Facebook that in the first few years of the blog, while my Lifestyle posts were shorter, they were also inspired from current happenings in my life. Since then, I have gravitated toward more lists, but I do want to ask, so long as I have lists (primarily on Monday's post/episode), would this Wednesday's post be something that would be of just as much if not more interest to you? Do let me know if you'd like (info@thesimplyluxuriouslife.com), either way, I will keep sharing what I discover, learning and unearthing treasures and skills as I journey through life in hopes that I can help you avoid the pitfalls and more easily and enjoyable savor the journey.

Thank you for subscribing and in just a few short days, I will be sending out the newsletter which will reveal the new book's cover, contents, title and the opportunity to preorder as well as receive something extra. 

Have a beautiful weekend. Bonne journée!

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