Getting What I Need by Letting Go of What I Want

Issue No. 23 : A new adventure in finding meaning with what you already have and where you are – now

Official movie poster for The Swimmer staring Burt Lancaster from 1968.

“No, you can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you'll find
You get what you need”

You Can't Always Get What You Want, The Rolling Stones, 1969

It easy and all-around encouraged to chase all your different wants. But what might be better, and definitely counterintuitive, is to understand your deeper needs. They are not easy to grasp and take quite some introspection to discover.

A year ago I was reminded of how important water sports are in my life. I was living north of Santa Barbara, in the little country community Goleta that house the well-known oceanfront University of California, Santa Barbara.

The waves were tapering off and I learned that the Channel Islands block all summer and fall swells, making my local surf spot dead to surfing. I had to find another sport and decided to take up swimming for a few months to stay in shape.

What began as a very temporary activity to keep my fitness afloat during the long and hot summer months turned into a profound yearlong foray into self-discovery, new friendships, and exploring Southern California.

I had simply stumbled upon a hidden need that I didn’t know I had despite always having loved swimming and spent one of my most transformative teenage years competing in swimming and waterpolo. But I didn’t know I really needed this.

Twelve months later I’m as passionate about swimming as ever and have created a new project to combine my passion for work, life, travel, friendships, and sports: I’ve decided to swim across Southern California.

The idea is to swim in 100 public pools across Southern California during an undefined time period to make sure the focus is on the journey and not the goal.

Southern California is home to about 825,000 residential pools and over hundred public pools. It’s hard to know the exact number as they are all managed by different entities; from cities and municipalities to high schools and universities.