There Are Two Types of People at the Pool
And the Side You Stand On Shapes Your Life
There are two groups of people at the pool.
I see them every Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. when I teach water aerobics at the Presidio Pool. I recently got the class again, and I’m thrilled about it. It might seem like a small thing to get excited about… but I am.
From the deck, it’s easy to see the two groups.
On the right side are the people who show up.
They hang out in the water and chat with each other. They move a little, go through the motions, enjoy the social time.
On the left side are the ones who came to work.
They listen. They focus. They follow the moves. They push themselves.
They play full out.
Both groups showed up.
But they are having completely different experiences.
And here’s the interesting thing.
Is it Conscious? Or is it The Drift?
Almost no one consciously decides which side of the pool to stand on.
They drift there.
Someone they know is talking on the right side, so they slide over. It feels easier. More comfortable. More social.
But comfort has a funny way of shaping your life.
Because your environment—and the people around you—quietly influence how you show up.
You become more like the people you spend time with.
Think about the people you are around most.
Are they people who set the bar high for themselves?
People who show up fully and give their best?
People who inspire you to rise to your own potential?
Or are they people who are mostly going through the motions?
This life we have isn’t a dress rehearsal.
You might think no one is paying attention. Everyone is busy living their own lives.
But people notice.
They notice the energy you bring.
They notice how you show up for yourself.
It Becomes Your Habit
And over time, your habits shape the person you become.
That can be a hard question to sit with:
Are the habits you’re living reflecting the person you want to be?
Because how you show up reflects something deeper: your identity.
The internal beliefs you carry about yourself quietly guide your behavior.
And when life changes—when kids leave home, when relationships shift, when careers evolve—we suddenly have the opportunity to recreate that identity.
Sometimes it begins with a small internal decision.
The Choice Point # 1
Diana Vreeland, the editor-in-chief of Vogue from 1963 to 1971, once talked about making a conscious decision in high school about how she wanted to be perceived.
She had been shy and withdrawn. But she decided to become fashionable and confident.
She changed the way she presented herself first.
And eventually, the world responded to that identity.
Choice Point # 2
I experienced a small version of that shift last week.
I was walking to salsa class, and the usual thoughts crept in.
Will anyone ask me to dance?
What if I’m just sitting there?
Then I changed the dialogue in my head.
“I belong here.”
I repeated it to myself as I walked in.
Instead of sitting alone waiting for class to start, I smiled at a man at the bar I had danced with before and joined him. He introduced me to the woman he was with. We laughed because the women rarely meet each other!
As more people arrived, I met them too.
The whole night was different.
Later, those same people asked me to dance. They helped me learn a complicated move we were practicing. I felt relaxed, connected, part of the group.
It all began with one small shift in how I saw myself.
“I belong here.”
Shift The Conversation in Your Head
The conversation in your head influences how you show up in the world.
And how you show up changes the environments and people that surround you.
When I show up at the pool, I’m there to give my best effort. I’m going to stand with the people who are working hard, focused, and fully engaged.
Because if you’re going to show up anyway…
Why not bring your heart and soul with you?
Why not show up fully as the best version of yourself?
Be intentional.
It will change everything.
Tomorrow, when you walk into your own life, ask yourself one simple question:
Which side of the pool am I standing on?
Tarot Pull
Nine of Pentacles
I pulled the Nine of Pentacles to go with this article. It is so perfect.
It’s the card of a woman standing confidently in the life she has cultivated for herself.
She knows where she belongs.
She doesn’t drift to the right side of the pool.
You don’t wait for the environment to validate you. You choose your environment that reflects who you are. You respect your own potential. You show up fully. You claim your space. You consciously design your life.
Embody the woman from the Nine of Pentacles. Be all you can be.