Growing up around family, I always heard the craziest stories. Some of those stories were really cool, and others made me scratch my head and really question if I was really related to them.
One story I was told while growing up always made me laugh. It was that the way people learned to swim was by getting thrown in a pond against their will, and afterward, being told to sink or swim.
Something that even the most talented and professional swimmers had to encounter at some point. Like Michael Phelps.
After this Olympics, Phelps undoubtedly showed the world that he is either A) the first fish to live in a human's body, B) a person who was thrown into a shark tank and was forced to learn to swim, or C) the greatest male swimmer to ever jump in the pool.
Every time he jumped in the pool, I was on the edge of my seat cheering him on, along with millions of others. Every time I saw first place pop up in his lane, I pumped my fist.
However, it wasn't until I was sitting on my couch, after his last race, when I smiled and realized what he had accomplished.
Twenty-three gold medals, three silver medals and two bronze medals for a total of 28 Olympic medals.
Twenty-eight times he stood on the podium and listened to "The Star-Spangled Banner."
People dream to be in that position. It was also a position that, four years ago, Phelps thought he would never be in again. After the London Olympics, he said he was done and didn't want anything to do with the sport again.
Being done with the sport meant walking away from something he'd done his whole life. Now, he had to find who he was outside of swimming.
In September 2014, he was arrested for driving under the influence and excessive speeding in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. Later that month, he announced he was going to rehab. During that time, he stepped away from his family and said that he thought "The world would be a better place without me."
That's when Ray Lewis, former NFL linebacker stepped in, someone who Phelps viewed as an older brother.
Lewis told him, "This is when we fight. This is when real character shows up. Don’t shut down. If you shut down, we all lose."
Fast forward to Rio, fast forward to the moment of his 28th Olympic medal. Michael Phelps showed the world that he is a winner-- and not just through the medals hanging around his neck.
Life started to spiral out of control for the Olympian. He got thrown into a pond called life, a pond where we all struggle to stay afloat. Life told him, "Sink or swim, Michael."
He didn't sink.
He taught himself how to navigate around the obstacles using the guidance he had around him. It wasn't easy by any means, but he did it.
He found purpose in what he was doing and enjoyed the process.
Don't be afraid to admit that it's tough. Michael Phelps and his performances were legendary over the years, but the battle that he won out of the pool was way bigger than any medal he could have ever won.
What you go through makes you who you are. It defines you. Your journey is full of ups and downs. The real questions are: how do you want to be remembered? Are you enjoying your journey? Are you doing things for the right reason? If you got thrown into the pond, would you sink or swim?
As Phelps rides off into the sunset and spends time with his family and his little son, Boomer, he knows sinking was never an option. He swam and swam until he found a way out.
He just kept swimming.
