I'm a great grandson of a Englishman who sailed to America 140 years ago. My great grandpa George was a 29-year-old married father when he responded to preaching of Mormon elders and neighbors. Although he joined the church, his wife Ann did not share his enthusiasm for the new religion. He left her and an infant daughter behind, hoping they'd eventually join him. They never did. Although his diary has been published in print and elsewhere on the web, this is the first "blog edition."
The highest success in living and the deepest emotional satisfaction comes from building and using your signature strengths.
-Martin Seligman
What can an "average" person learn from an elite swimmer like Michael Phelps? Terry Laughlin of totalimmersion.net has written two articles about this. He says that while you can't change your wingspan, and you can only make marginal changes in your strength and cardiovascular capacity, you can "through mindful and consistent practice" put yourself in swimming positions "just as sleek as the best swimmer in the world."
This approach reminds me of AA's Serenity Prayer: "God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, courage to change things I can, and wisdom to know the difference." -Dr. Ronald Niebuhr
"Fast, fluid, effortless swimming depends far more on how cleverly you avoid drag and how sensitively you work with the water than on how long and how hard you swim."
-Terry Laughlin
