I’m 69 now, and I have a lot of energy and a lot more people to inspire. Each time I failed, it was devastating, but I was never ready to give up.Īfter a major accomplishment, how do you keep up the momentum?

Each time I jumped off those rocks and into the water, I thoroughly believed I was going to make it across. We all get knocked down by bad timing, competition, or unfortunate circumstances, and those of us who get back up-we’re the ones who wind up standing on the other side. The basic trait that makes us successful, that makes us feel we’re doing the most with our lives, is persistence. What motivated you to keep trying after each failed attempt? I wanted to symbolically bridge these two divided countries. She’d tell me, ‘It’s right there over the horizon-you could almost swim there.’ For me, it was about connecting to this forbidden land. As a little swimmer at the age of 9, I used to stand on the beach with my mother, looking for the Cuban shoreline. and Cuba, it has been this forbidden shore. Because of the historically tense relationship between the U.S. I grew up in Little Havana (in Miami) where, in the 1950s, it was flooded with Cuban immigrants.

Why was such a risky swim your lifelong goal? She spoke to REALTOR® Magazine about setting extraordinary goals and living your best life. Nyad will share her story in November at the 2018 REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Boston. As a survivor of sexual abuse when she was in grade school, Nyad has been candid about overcoming unthinkable struggles. And it wasn’t the only significant challenge she had faced.

Her fifth attempt-35 years in the making-was the charm. In 2013, the competitive swimmer, then 64, braved violent ocean currents, 12-foot waves, and jellyfish stings to become the first person to complete the 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida without the aid of a shark cage. If you’ve ever been stuck in the deep end, facing overwhelming obstacles in business or in life, it’s worth paying attention to Diana Nyad.

Defintion staying afloat