Friday, 16 January 2026

Being Stoic While Swimming: Focus on what you can control, let go of what you can't

The Philosophy of Stoicism teaches us that in order to have a happy and peaceful life, we have to learn how to focus our time and energy to the things we can control. Stoics refer to this as the “Dichotomy of Control” (DOC). This also implies that obsessing about things in our lives we cannot change is not only futile, but could also make us anxious, frustrated, and unhappy. A prinicple I apply with my passion, namely, swimming. 

In his online article What Many People Misunderstand about the Stoic Dichotomy of Control, Michael Tremblay provides a straightforward description of DOC. He writes: 

DOC is often represented in the following way: 

  1. Everything is either something we control, or don’t control.
  2. We control our emotions, behaviour, and reactions to situations.
  3. We don’t control anything else, like other people’s behaviours or what they think of us. 
  4. If we wish to be happy/better people, we should focus on the things in our control, namely our behaviour and our reactions to situations.

Here, Tremblay is able to pin down the core teaching of Stoicism in such a way that is accessible to us. So much so, that at first glance, it may seem too simplistic. Too obvious even. We do not need a philosopher coming from an ivory tower to tell us that focusing on the things we cannot change is a waste of time and energy. But have you tried letting go of the things, events and encounters that are outside the realm of your control? It is easier said than done, right? 

DOC Requires Training

The dichotomy of control makes me think of this sobriety prayer I have seen when watching movies or series. The prayer goes: 

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. 

This is Stoicism par exemplar! 

Distinguishing what you can control from those you cannot is one thing. Focusing on the former and letting go of the latter, is, however, another thing. And while it seems simple at first glance, letting go of control over the things you cannot control in the first place, is more difficult that you think. 

This is actually quite similar with mediating. Focusing on your breathing while doing meditation seems to be a simple and easy task. But those people who meditates or tried to do meditation would appreciate how difficult it is to maintain focus on our breathing. 

Both mediation (for instance, focusing on your breathing) and putting into practice the Stoic principle of the dichotomy of control (focusing on what you can control and letting go of what you cannot control) requires awareness and practice. 

Being Stoic While Swimming 

There is a performative aspect in being Stoic: when one claims to be Stoic, one is doing Stoicism. He or she then is being Stoic. This line of thinking is borrowed from Judith Butler’s concept of performativity.

And since I have encountered the philosophy of Stoicism, I have aligned the way I think and live according to its teaching. Thus, I am being Stoic. 

I am being Stoic in many aspects of my life, particularly in swimming. Not very long time ago, I have discovered and developed an affinity with swimming. 

Of course, the main reason why I swim is for fun. I swim for the sake of swimming. That is number one. 

But then, I am also a type of person who like challenging himself. Most things in my life begins with fun until I get too serious and competitive with it. 

Now, I am not only swimming for fun, but I am training myself to become a good swimmer. And by a good swimmer, I simply mean, swimming properly. To be more specific: I am training myself to improve my freestyle technique. 

It is easier said than done! 

I see many swimmers both online on social media and at the local swimming pool who makes freestyle look easy and effortless. I have learned the hard way that like the Stoic principle of the dichotomy of control, freestyle is not as easy as it may seem. 

Polishing my technique on freestyle swimming is of course a great opportunity to also practice Stoicism. Whether my training will be successful or not, is actually outside my control. So, I need to let go of my obsession of having that successful workout. 

Instead, I should focus on improving my body coordination and maintaining my composure. Unlike the outcome of my training, over which I do not have control, I have somewhat control over the process.

 And of course, the most important thing is, enjoy every moment of the process!

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