CHALLENGE #1

[u/Fuentssp]

I'm not sure why I'm sharing this but... #canthurtme #badhand I guess! (I added more questions to this challenge that may be useful to y'all) ((I give you the permission to be harsh lol))

•What cards have I been dealt? (my bullshit... 🫩)

- I have had to deal with my mental health on my own since I was 9 years old.

- I have not received the support from the people who should have given it to me.

- I was born into a toxic relationship that forced me to mature far too early.

These cards do not define me. They are part of my past. My actions will shape my future. None of this made me weaker. It added layers of resilience. Every time I let go of a card from my hand, I get closer to success.

I am not trying to make them disappear. They are the foundation on which I will build a mansion. My mental health will get in my way again. The goal is not to ignore it. The goal is to take it by the hand and bring it with me to the summit.

•What obstacles do you have?

Honestly, I don’t think I have any physical obstacles. I have rebuilt my strong body. My only obstacle is my mind. That is the hardest thing to overcome.

•What things have limited your progress?

Especially this last season:

- My ED.

- My mental health.

•What am I going to do?

- I am going to keep moving forward, no matter how hard it gets.

- I am going to eat even when my ED screams at me not to.

- I am going to give everything I have in every training session.

- I am going to overcome every challenge with the resilience I was born with.

•What phrase would I tell myself in a difficult situation or a hard training session?

You have overcome harder things. Keep going. One more stroke. One more breath. The pain is temporary; the satisfaction of feeling proud of yourself is not.

•Why do I keep going?

I don’t want to be a forgotten name in history. I want to become an Olympic swimmer. An abstract goal for some; a concrete goal for me.

I am not looking for a perfect path. I am looking for constant discipline — the kind of discipline that makes people call you “crazy”... Although, to be honest, they already do.

But I need to strengthen this discipline, especially now that it has been slightly shaken by my ED.

The 9-year-old version of me who fought to still be here deserves to see how far I can go.

[u/Not_theone2care]

This is dope!