Conquer your fears...

When I was a kid my dad used to take me swimming... that would make u think that I knew swimming all along isnt it... negative... I used to just keep a watch on his clothes and wait for him to complete his laps!! :-p But I definetely had the great desire to learn swimming and learn it well so that I could let go of my fears... I was a hydrophobic to the core... although i used to enjoy beaches wid my friends whenever we were in goa or any such places... but primarily I was afraid of water... Similar to my fear to water was my fear of heights... so much so that I used to make all kinds of excuses to quit on my friends who used to plan trekking trips... It all had to end... and how...

Well it all started in april... when one of my colleague introduced me to his friend, who had started going to a summer swimming camp near RPC layout... I was kinda interested as I thought that swimming camp is mainly for kids... I was so wrong... I took the dive on this matter and the moment i kept my toes in water I was thinking the same old thing again... "Did I commit another mistake in my life... " Apparently not... after about 30 minutes inside water the instructor finally had my attention and I started obeying him... and letting go of my fears...

It took Ramesh (our instructor) just 3 days to teach us how to control our breath and float and our group of 20 odd people were enthu enough to take the dive in 12ft in just under that very week... that was amazing... So what if the classes cost us 2300 Rs, I got so many contacts and made so many friends in a space of those 21 days that I did not even bother thinking about the amount even though its rough!!

Meantime after the classes got over I have been swimming early in the morning from 4:45 AM till 6 AM every single day since... and made new friends as the group I was primarily involved had their own reasons to quit... except for Manju...

We now have a group of 8 to 10 people (depending on their punctuality ofcourse!!) and are being taught the key techniques in swimming to go the distance and not be tired... our coach is a person named Nagaraj sir who is a business man who is one of the finest swimmer and diver I have ever seen!! So much for my swimming now that I can hit about 10 laps (1 km) an average each time i step in... Thats something to improve upon!!

This new found strength and determination in me has made me climb new heights... well... I was never a go getter when it comes to heights... used to make me real nervous wreck... but ever since I have joined this group, my strenght has increased but my stamina has gained by leaps and bounds and for the very first time in my 3 or 4 attempts I was able to conquer Shivagange mountain which is near Tumkur...

Thanks to my swimming group I am, what I am today!!... In these three months I have not only conquered my fears but also have found a new personality in me!!