Does Your Fear Trump Your Desire To Learn?

I got triggered when I come across students who allow their fear of water to get to them.

When I get triggered, my reaction to this is anger.

I’ve had a few students that I got pissed at while I was teaching them.

I have no problem with students quitting my class. I’ve had one who quit after she had been in 2 sessions of my class.

What I have problem with are students who allow their fear of water to stop them from learning. I’ve got a few students that came up with excuses and they missed class. Often their excuse is they’re sick.

The mind is a powerful tool. It’s brilliant at creating scenarios such as being sick, injured etc so the students justify their reasoning for not attending class.

It is so powerful that it will keep the students away from water and therefore invent more of similar scenarios so that the students don’t have to face their fear of water.

The students who let their fear get the better of them and keep on missing classes, stay where they are and they are STILL UNABLE to swim.

The students who do fear water but attended and completed their class, made some progress when compared to the first session that they attended.

The students who had once or twice drowning experience, scared of water but willing to learn and had completed their sessions, these students are able to overcome their fear and they’re able to swim.

I admit some of my students have never experience my anger and frustration when I taught them but then these students are already comfortable in the water.

Some who did experience my anger, often these students didn’t listen to my instruction, didn’t do what I asked them to do and they were doing something else instead.

It’s not about me being angry and frustrated that had caused students quitting and missing classes. I have gotten angry at a few students and they continued to learn and managed to swim in 5 sessions or less.

It’s about how the students deal with their own fear. And sometimes their fear get messed up and they may make it mean about me. This is when my being angry and frustrated might became their main excuse of why they quit and missing classes.

Why do I get angry? Because I believe whoever wants to learn to swim can swim. But these students believe otherwise and furthermore they told themselves that they can’t do it. They don’t say they can’t do it once, they said it several times.

How can you swim if you keep on telling yourself that you can’t do it?

My goal is to teach students swimming.

If the students want to learn, I’m willing to teach. If they don’t, then there is no point of them being in my class.

Learning to swim is like learning any other skills in life.

If you fear water and that fear is overwhelming and bigger than your desire to learn then you’re not going anywhere. Forever, you’ll stay where you are because that fear trumps any desire to learn and change your current ability/situation/circumstances.

Focusing on the fear will only make it prominent in whatever that you do in life. The more you focus on the fear, the more the desire to learn/change diminished.

If you desire to learn and change is overwhelmingly big then you’ll get to somewhere. You get to change your current ability/situation/circumstances because you desire so regardless of your fear.

Focusing on the desire to learn and change will open up the opportunities for growth. Fear will always be there. IT’S NOT GOING TO DISAPPEAR. You won’t be able to get rid of it for as long as you live.

It’s when you make the desire to learn and change, your main focus and your number one priority, only then you won’t let fear to stop you.

If you’re reading this and you plan to take up my class (women group with female instructor) read the following:

If your fear of water is greater than your desire to learn then do an honest check in with yourself.

1. Are you willing to get pass that fear so you get to swim?

2. Are you willing to do what you’re asked by your swimming instructor during the class?

3. Are you willing to be held responsible for your own progress?

4. Are you willing to complete your classes despite having an angry instructor?

If you genuinely answer no to any of the questions above, then my class is not the right fit for you.

And if you’ve ever asked for refunds before in your life, my class is not the right fit for you. I don’t refund students regardless of them missing classes or quitting.

I prefer to work with students who have the desire to learn and the willingness to get pass that fear.

I don’t do the work of getting rid of fear. I don’t think it’s even possible. But what I’ve experience is overcoming my own fears.

And students have to do that for themselves. They need to overcome their own fears. It’s their responsibility, not mine.

How come it’s their responsibility to overcome their own fears, you ask?

Because it’s THEM WHO HAS THE FEAR and it’s them who want to learn to swim.

I CANNOT OVERCOME THEIR FEAR NOR SWIM FOR THEM.

I CAN ONLY OVERCOME MY OWN FEAR AND SWIM FOR ME.

I’m there to facilitate the learning process. Not a doctor or psychologist to fix somethings wrong/broken in people.

I hope that makes sense.

Do yourself a favour, if you don’t think you can get pass the fear, my class is not for you. Don’t waste your money and time to be in my classes. I prefer to spend my time with students who want to learn and willing to get pass their fear so they can swim.

If you’ve read this article and you are ready to get pass your fear of water, click here to find out more of our classes.

Hayatti Rahgeni The Effortless Swim Team