Lessons from a strong life

People never give up

The book is the notes of American swimmer Diana Nyad about her life and her unprecedented achievements. In 2013, at the age of 64, she became the first person to successfully swim from Cuba to Key West Island (Florida, USA) in more than 50 hours without stopping, a distance of 177 km. The achievement was astonishing because this journey is known as the "Everest" of ocean swimming, and statistics have proven that humans are incapable of completing it. Nyad experienced 4 failures before succeeding on the fifth try.

Sách hay: Bài học từ một cuộc đời mạnh mẽ- Ảnh 1. — Author Diana Nyad

Sách hay: Bài học từ một cuộc đời mạnh mẽ- Ảnh 2. — *Memoirs of the Fierce Road*

Having studied comparative literature in college, Nyad’s memoir is written in an engaging, vivid way with captivating storytelling and meaningful messages. Whether sad or happy, those are the things that have created her, from which readers not only see an extraordinary person, but also a “compass” for their own problems. Going all the way from when Nyad was still a 5-year-old child to becoming a world record holder, the book shows many efforts to shape who she is.

Nyad’s own path to adulthood was not always easy. In Greek mythology, “naiads” were nymphs who swam in lakes, seas, and rivers to protect the waters for the gods. Fate seemed to have decided her future with that surname, but to achieve success, challenges and difficulties were always present. Having been abused by her stepfather, and then as a teenager, a swimming coach, Nyad at the age of 20 wanted to miss out on her biggest dream in life. But as if by a calling, she stayed and then shined.

Throughout her career, she has made a name for herself with many achievements and seemingly impossible journeys. Nyad was the first woman to swim around Manhattan at the age of 26, and four years later, she completed the journey from the Bahamas to Florida without a shark cage. In 1979, she set out to conquer the "Cuba Journey" but had to stop due to weather conditions that deviated from her course. This also marked the starting point for her return to resounding success 34 years later.

For Nyad, the journey from Cuba to Florida was more than a testament to the spirit of overcoming adversity in sports . It represented everything she believed in, and in turn, her own personal worldview. It was the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that made Nyad the person she wanted to be, and the person she admired. It was her own personal journey to heaven.

But what awaits you on that trip are unpredictable uncertainties. Mother Nature unleashes her wrath, shark habitats, misdirection and the venom of box jellyfish that can be fatal, whirlpools, hypothermia, loss of the ability to interact with the environment to protect yourself... With the seemingly attractive but painful sport of long-distance swimming, what a person needs most is the lesson of never stopping and becoming the best version of themselves.

Meaningful lessons

Alongside the many traumas that Nyad has documented, the book is also anchored by fascinating and compelling revelations about her preparation for the record. In her notes, one can see the rigorous discipline and focus, always facing problems head on that helped her reach success. Having failed at her prime, to achieve the achievement at the age of 64, Nyad used everything she had, from experience, experience, experimentation, correction to many lessons learned from the tragedy of her life.

Sách hay: Bài học từ một cuộc đời mạnh mẽ- Ảnh 3. — Movie adaptation poster

For example, when the pain of the abuse nearly broke her, while her mother, despite knowing it, was not strong enough to protect her daughter, over the years Nyad realized the lesson of ignoring the loss, just being grateful for each day of joy. It may have taken years for the pain to subside, but in her sixties, it was understanding the whole story when putting herself in that context that helped her forgive all the shortcomings of those around her.

This is not only achieved through time, but also through the process of learning along the way, from everyone she met. Because when looking back, although she regrets retiring from swimming at the age of 30, Nyad has no regrets. It is the paths she has traveled, the people she has met… that have given her the opportunity to learn about the profound sensitivity of humanity, from which she realizes that the most important thing between each person is compassion.

Going to the extreme in a seemingly impossible journey with the philosophy of "moving forward" and the motto "living a life where each day cannot be improved by even a fingernail" has made her mind more and more courageous, thereby eliminating the concept of limitations. Nyad is not afraid of failure, not afraid of correcting mistakes. She knows that the human will is stronger than fear and common sense combined. As a quote from the writer Goethe: "Whatever you can do or think you can do, begin to do. Courage has genius, power and magic in it."

Nyad's own success is not only a personal effort, but also has a broader and more general meaning, when it is also a lesson in filtering the good from the bad and being happy to be yourself. Going beyond a sporting event, the "Cuba journey" is also a symbol of the connection that helps the two countries come closer together, contributing to the healing of the "little child" Nyad used to be, becoming a search for the meaning of life for her and the readers. The Fierce Road is a good book and conveys many inspirational lessons.

Diana Nyad was born in 1949. She is an American author, journalist and long-distance swimmer. She first gained attention when she swam around Manhattan in 1975. With her unprecedented achievements, she has become an inspiration to many audiences and readers around the world about her will and courage.

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