Direction first, then movement
January has a way of asking us to move quickly — new plans, new goals, more effort.
In the water (and in life), I’ve learned that speed without orientation doesn’t take us very far. Sometimes it takes us beautifully, confidently… in the wrong direction.
That’s why I’m beginning this year with orientation — before effort, before intensity, before “doing more.”
Over the holidays, I had the gift of swimming in the Sea of Cortez, and I was reminded of this in a very physical way. We had days of wind and waves, and I found myself moving with the water — swishing and sloshing. Then I started to feel it in my body: dry mouth, nausea, that unsettled feeling that comes when you’re moving without a clear sense of direction.
The water was shallow. I could have stood up and walked to shore. Instead, I looked up and oriented myself, then sent my intention and energy in that direction. Within a few strokes, the stomach churning eased — even though the sea was still on spin cycle. Nothing else changed. Just the direction of energy.
My body knew the difference immediately. The swim shifted from something I was enduring to something that was nourishing me — simply because I stopped sloshing and started swimming toward something.
Meeting yourself where you are — building comfort and clarity first — is what allows speed, distance, and confidence to emerge.
It’s about awareness — about staying present enough that swimming becomes something that sustains you, rather than something you just get through.
Find your bearings first. Then let the movement follow.
With care,
