People are always asking me why the number “22” is so special to me. Before I explain why, let me ask you this: have you ever had a goal that was so burning bright that you just HAD to accomplish it?
I started waterskiing when I was nine years old. My father came home with an old, yellow boat. Just like that. Out of the blue. He didn’t even discuss boat ownership with my mom. Included with the boat were a pair of wooden water skis and a ski belt. A belt, mind you. None of those fancy molded water ski jackets. Just a floatation belt.
My father took my mom, sis and me out to a local lake in Indiana one evening. None of us knew anything about waterskiing. I don’t think my father even knew much about running a boat, much less pulling a skier. I strapped on the skis and I was hooked. I liked waterskiing.
I was eleven when my parents bought the place on Christie Lake. Dad got rid of the yellow boat and bought a cute little red boat. After a few years of waterskiing and learning to slalom, I had a burning desire to learn to barefoot. I kept watching the guys (including my brother) zip around the lake on their bare feet. There weren’t any other girls barefooting on the lake. I picked up an issue of Waterskiing
I read the book from cover to cover. I also set a goal: that I was going to barefoot by the end of that summer. I had just turned sixteen that August.
The first time I tried it, I planted my foot in the water and kicked off the ski. Wham! I tried again and again over several days. I kept slamming into the water. I decided to try a different method with a kneeboard. I dragged my Mom to the local boat shop and begged her to buy a kneeboard. It was $109– a lot of money back then. I came home and tried out the kneeboard. The first several tries didn’t work. I was really frustrated. I went home and felt really discouraged.
That night, I lay awake trying to figure out why I couldn’t do it. I closed my eyes and suddenly visualized myself completing each step in the book. I imagined how great it would feel to have the board drop away and the water beneath my feet.
The next day was August 22. The day that I finally learned to barefoot.
So the number 22 has stayed with me since then. Not so much because of the accomplishment, but because of the lesson behind it–the power of visualization. If you can see yourself accomplishing something, you can do it. I use the number 22 to remind me to stay on track, to visualize what I want to accomplish.
How about you? Have you ever used visualization and had it lead to success? Do you have a special number that reminds you to accomplish something?