Stifling the urge to cry, I dipped my head back in the water as if that would wipe away invisible tears and pulled my taut body out of the water.

On my way over to the bench, the “Rabbit” came up to me, cradled his arm around my shoulders and said, “Congratulations Stephen, you did your best time ever!”

I said, “Yeah, but I didn’t make the finals.” His mouth puckered in sympathy and he gave my arm a reassuring squeeze as if that would somehow wipe away the pain.

Meanwhile, the rest of my teammates were slapping my back, giving me high fives but I didn’t feel their joy. Suddenly my head hurt – it was throbbing furiously. I absentmindedly rubbed it. There was a lump the size of a small baseball.

That was almost 30 years ago.

The lesson? Have a passion for your goals and entertain the possibilities. Even though I didn’t make the finals, it wasn't for lack of trying. Because of my passion for swimming, I was able to take a compelling idea and follow through. As a result of acting on my intuition, I ended up doing my best time ever and for that I can be proud. I won't be sitting in my rocking chair wondering what would have happened had I shaved.

Let me ask you: "Do you have a passion for something? Have you entertained the possibilities? And finally, have you acted on your intuition? If not, what are you waiting for? You only live once.