Last week I talked about the self and the power of feedback. This week we shift from the self to others. We’re discussing the power of your peer group. 

Yesterday morning, like every Sunday morning, I went for a swim. 3 minutes’ walk from my place I have this magnificent 30m covered swimming pool built in a Victorian building. Magnificent and such a blessing.

I am not the biggest runner as it hurts my knees, which I have already injured a couple times. Swimming, on the other hand, is great as it’s low-impact, yet everything is working without you realising. The only thing really is that I like listening to audiobooks and take notes as I exercise, and clearly under water this is not the best idea. If you have tips don’t hesitate to share!

So, yes, I was getting ready to get into the pool when a couple who arrived after me were already all geared up, jumping in. It was difficult to miss them with their green swimming caps. 

Not only were they easy to spot but their engines were soon furiously roaring. They weren’t necessary pro, but gosh they were fast.

My turn to reach the water. In, swimming cap on, goggles on, earplugs in, watch, ready, go! 

As you may know a swimming pool has different lanes. This pool has three lanes: slow, medium, fast.

Without questioning myself I went into the middle one. But after a few lengths I realised that I was one of the fastest. It felt good to pass people and think that you are doing pretty well.

On my left were the two green swimming caps going at speed! Making waves like speed boats rocking your little canoe when you are at sea!

Besides my two friends with the swimming caps, a few swimmers were in the fast lane.

Putting my head above the water, I looked around and changed lane. Time for the fast lane! 

I felt compelled to do more, to push further, to find resources that I did not have to use in the middle lane.

Out of those two hoverboards, one was a woman who passed me countless times, as she did with so many others. “Next time she passes me I go for her!” I tried, gave my all, but to no avail. She was just flying.

Actually, she was not the only one who passed me but several other people did too. In fact I did not pass anyone! 

But gosh I was compelled to push and go beyond. It felt good to be pushed, to know that there is a next level, to realise that “I am not there yet” but be shown the direction and what I could achieve.

I could have stayed in the medium lane. This is what we do most of the time! We prefer to have our little canoe rocked than to jump in the fast lane. We don’t like to be passed by faster people and realise that we need to work for it as some people are better than us.

It would have felt more comfortable and self-congratulatory if I had stayed in the middle lane. At the end of the day I would have done my 1.5k swim. 

But I wouldn’t have done it in the same time, nor probably with the same sense of pride I got trying to match those who smashed it in the fast lane.

It’s decided, next Sunday I will start directly in the fast lane!

QUESTIONS…

Who is in your peer group? How do they challenge you?