My family and I went on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera a few months ago. We had a nice time visiting Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas. One of those days, my sons and I went swimming at the beach there in Cabo. I have two sons. At the time, one was nine, and the other was 7. We were out in the nice cool waters off the beach when my 7 year old called to me, "Daddy! I can't touch the bottom!" He was in a bit of a panic, because all of a sudden he found himself at the mercy of the current. My first instinct was to swim over to him and save him, but I didn't.

Instead, I just told him one word, "Swim."

I remembered that he knew how to swim. I had paid for him to take swimming lessons, so he had the skills to save himself. He really didn't need me.

He had forgotten, in the panic of the moment, that he could swim. He was beginning to be afraid, because he realized that he was no longer in control once his feet stopped touching the bottom.

When I shouted to him the word, "swim," however, it had a calming effect on him. He started moving his arms and kicking his feet. He started swimming.

He just needed to be reminded that he had the ability to save himself. He didn't have to let the current of the water dictate his direction. He was able to regain control, and that took away his fear.

A lot of people today are living in fear, because they find themselves in a situation where they have lost control. Their feet no longer touch the bottom, and they're beginning to panic. All of a sudden, they start looking around for someone to come and save them. They run to their family or to their friends or to the government, when if they take time to consider their own special skills and abilities, they can save themselves. They can swim.

I've seen too many examples of people who just quit in life. They find themselves out of a job or they have received bad news, and they feel like they have lost all control. The circumstance that they find themselves in is what is controlling their emotions, their decisions, their lives.

"Swim!"

Inside all of us are the skills and talents that allow us to save ourselves. Sometimes all we need is someone to remind us of this.

What are your skills? What can you do well? What are you an expert in? Take inventory of what you are good at and use that information to create a plan to save yourself.

Don't let the currents of life sweep you out to sea. Use your unique talents and abilities to take back control of the situation, and…

SWIM!