On January 1, 2018, I became an honorary Polar Bear. I took the plunge at Coney Island Beach and the temperature that day was 8˚ F when I woke up and 17˚ F when I jumped in! It was something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and this year I was READY!
Every year, for about 20 years, I’d thought about it and saw myself doing it and, finally, on January 1st, 2018, I made it official! The coldest part of my body were my toes. However, I lucked out with the strangers I choose to jump in the water with. One of my fellow plungers owns or works at a bar called Rudy’s on the boardwalk near where we plunged. Shout out to them! After the plunge, they provided nice warm water for my toes to defrost in. Now I know why people lose their toes when exposed to cold weather for an extended period of time!
Like certain things in life, we can make up stories about how it’s going to be, however, once we make the decision to do it, we might as well give up thinking about how it’s gonna go. We won’t know until we do it. That’s what it was like with the Polar Bear Plunge. I made up all these stories about me freezing to death. While signing the disclosure form, I had thoughts of me having all the reactions on the list – dizziness, heart attack, seizures, the works. I totally thought I would be done for.
I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions; the problem with New Year’s resolutions is that a goal for the end of the year can be so far away that days, weeks, and months pass by because there’s always the feeling “I can always start tomorrow…” and you do nothing to further along your goal(s)!
On top of that, if you’re working on the same goal every single day for a year, that’s a whole lotta willpower you’ve got to call on! Willpower doesn’t work. That’s why I said that I would do the Polar Bear Plunge, put it in my calendar, told my fellow community members so they would hold me accountable for it, and did it. Period.
I’m not going to lie, I was afraid. Being honest about my feelings gave me the ease I needed to do it and I’m thrilled I did! It showed me another side of myself and how truly courageous I am. I look forward to a FANTASTIC 2018.
What are you creating for yourself this year? Who will you be, what will you do and what will December 31, 2018 have in store for you? Thank you for your support in 2017 and I look forward to a powerful 2018. If you require support in 2018 to reach your goals, hit me up – let’s make your dreams happen.
Love yourself! Until next time!