There are many obvious and good reasons why I swim in the Bay: It’s good exercise in a beautiful setting, there’s camaraderie within the swimming community, and it feels great.

But there’s something else more difficult to pinpoint, and trickier to articulate: Swimming in the open water is hard. It takes me out of my comfort zone. For the first several years, I felt edgy and nervous every time I stepped into the water. But that’s also what kept me coming back—a feeling of growth that comes from facing something difficult and uncomfortable. Swimming during my teenagers’ tumultuous years, I would say to myself: If I can face the chop, the wind, the cold, swallowing salt water, and swimming against the current, then I can face the “waves” of home life.

The same swimming lessons are true vis a vis the challenges of real estate. When I’m thrashing hard against a headwind, waves slapping me in the face, I wear myself out from the effort and feel frustrated by the lack of progress.

Over time, I’ve learned when it’s time to change my approach—to ease up, to focus on finding a rhythm with the waves instead of against them. It’s the feeling of “going with the flow.” And the same is true in real estate negotiation—there are times to ease up and times to zoom in, times to give a little and times to hold fast.

Swimming, I have learned to face challenges and to meet them head on. I strive to be sensitive to the currents and conditions around me—both in work and in life—and to show my respect for the strength and beauty of the water that nourishes me.

I volunteer with Take the Rock, a nonprofit group that helps veterans and their friends and family swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco, creating challenge, camaraderie and community, one stroke at a time.