Start with Breathing, Then Take Action
Life lesson from my swimming lesson (1)
Zagreb, May, 11 2024
“Give me two pools!” my swimming coach said
“Which style coach?” I asked
“As you wish” he replied
Without further thinking, I did two pools with a freestyle.
One pool equals 25 m, so I finished 50 m when I returned to my original position — standing on the underwater floor of the side wall.
My coach used the word “pool” instead of “lap” — to explain one side of the swimming pool to the other.
After I succeeded in my very first swimming task, my coach came closer to me.
I was sure he had just scrutinized my body position, breathing pattern, and swimming technique before giving a final judgment.
On what I should be doing next.
On the first day of my private swimming lesson.
He said, “Alright before we proceed to correct your body position and learn other swimming techniques, first and foremost, you need to remaster your breathing.”
He continued his saying that sounded like this:
Everything starts with breathing. Once you master the breathing, the rest will follow.
My first private swimming lesson in Zagreb reminded me of the importance of breathing exercises.
Well, breathing exercise was part of my life, though it used to be.
For years, I’d been using two meditation apps: Mindvalley and Headspace.
I used Mindvalley on the very first morning after I woke up.
Just 20 mins a day — with the so-called 6-Phase Meditation program.
I did this before my morning workout.
How about Headspace?
Just 3–5 mins a day.
I did this before starting my office work.
Because of these apps, I’ve incorporated the habit of taking a deep breath before doing a certain activity.
Especially, when I was feeling nervous. Scared. Anxious.
You know, the nervous moment when you had to tell the truth — that you fell in love with your best friend.
The scary moment when you had to report to your superior — that you made some mistakes in your work.
Or, the anxious moment when you had to speak in public — when you were chosen as a Master of Ceremony.
I just took a deep breath.
Inhale through the nose…
Exhale through the mouth…
The result after taking a deep breath?
I was taking action.
I was defeating my inner voice that overwhelmed me.
‘What if I lose my best friend?’
‘What if my superior is getting angry?’
‘What if I go blank when all the people stare at me?’
Was my communication performance excellent after taking a deep breath?
Nope.
Well, sometimes, it was.
But.
There were many times when I stuttered, explaining what I would like to say because I was so worried, even after taking a deep breath.
But.
It didn’t matter.
I believe what matters is that I took action despite the nervousness, worry, and anxiety,
Isn’t it?
Two weeks ago, I just finished my 1-hour swimming routine.
After taking a shower, getting dressed, and buying bottled water from the vending machine, I sat down on the balcony of the swimming pool complex.
I opened my meal box.
While I was enjoying my post-swimming meal, a girl passed before me. I assumed she had just finished swimming, seeing that her hair was still half-wet.
She seemed doubtful, looking at the surrounding balcony, where the rain was pouring down.
Unfortunately, the only way to get on the road was to go downstairs from the balcony.
But she didn’t do that.
Instead, she turned around. Looking at me. Walk a few steps. Being closer to me.
Then, she turned her body around, again. Walk a few steps. Further away from me.
For about a few minutes, she was moving back and forth. Back and forth
Then, she stood over the edge of the balcony ladder.
Took a deep breath (I still vividly remember the view from her back how she took a deep breath).
She went downstairs.
Once she reached down the road, she ran away.
Her hand held her rucksack on her head to evade the rain, as if the warriors held their shields against the arrow.
Did she achieve her goal (not to get wet)?
I didn’t know
But I knew that she took an action — so she did not wasting her time
I can tell that these abovementioned true stories show the correlation between taking a deep breath and taking action.
Indeed, taking a deep breath does not always provide solution to the problem I encounter. Nor guarantee success for every action I take.
But, it minimized the chance of being trapped in the moment of inaction.
That was wasting my time.
That prolonged the hurt feeling.
That prolonged my worry.
In the moment of inaction, I realized it was not because I didn’t know what to do.
I knew what to do.
I knew what action I should have taken.
But I was afraid.
Afraid of losing people. Afraid of disappointing people. Afraid of being ridiculed.
Taking a deep breath gave me a signal that I needed to do whatever it took — whatever I thought would be the best action at that moment.
Regardless how afraid I was. Regardless how unprepared I was for the result.
If I had not chosen to take action to solve every problem, oftentimes, it would have preserved my negative inner voice — haunting me all day due to my inaction.
As Rob Dial, creator of The Mindset Mentor podcast said:
Eventually, the result of not taking action will catch up to you
Derian Antonio Daniswara is an Indonesian junior diplomat currently posted in Zagreb, Croatia. He loves sports, especially football, and playing them is a second nature to him.
Every view and opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s views and do not reflect the positions of any entities he represents.
