Quiet achievers are the most dangerous competitors. If you are a quiet achiever, then everyone else, look out! No-one really knows what you are thinking (or what to expect from you) until you are in the water. You are a 'dark horse' who doesn't let anyone know how confident you are feeling until you unleash your power in the big races.
Quiet achievers are the opposite of the 'big talkers' who constantly tell everyone (who'll listen) how good they are - but never forget that deep down the "talker's" confidence is often quite 'suspect'! Anyone who needs to tell you how good they are is either trying to make THEMSELVES feel better, or else they are feeling intimidated by you and are trying to unsettle you with psychological tactics. This also attracts the much-needed attention which they often crave, as at the deepest level, they often feel the exact opposite of what they are saying.
It's strange that talkers can often bother the quiet achievers with their incessant 'jabber', but at the same time, in the pool the quiet achievers scare the heck out of the talkers! Most often, the "talker's" thoughts are usually focused 'outwardly' - such as upon their competitors, whereas quiet achievers choose to 'go within' and focus upon their own swim. This is why they are so dangerous. Quiet achievers are not loud people, and so you may not hear them talking a lot at the pool over the noise made by the 'talkers' - but these are the swimmers who do all their 'talking' IN the pool. Their results will always speak louder than any words could possibly say!
The quiet achiever's names are often heard during races, and also from others, who begin discussing the quiet achiever's results as their reputation steadily builds. In fact, generally we hear all about the quiet achiever from everyone EXCEPT the quiet achiever themselves - as they do not need to draw attention to feel good about themselves or their swimming.
In fact, quiet achievers are usually quite happy to stay away from the limelight, preferring to let the talkers take all the attention, while they quietly focus upon the business of improving their times for the big meets. This is the way of the wise swimmer. They don't need to talk about themselves, they let EVERYONE ELSE say how good they are!
So never worry if you feel that the talkers are getting all the attention - because your day will come. And when it arrives, even if you don't hear them, they WILL be talking about you! Remind yourself to take the quiet path to success and use your power from within to let the world know who you are.
The Mind controls the body, and the mind is unlimited. The best of success,
Craig Townsend
