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Shah Rukh Khan: Courage, determination,
and a single-minded vision.

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These are the qualities
the biggest achievers have in common.

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These are those brave hearts
for whom failure is not an option.

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What looks to us an unconquerable sea,

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to our next speaker
is an irresistible stage

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she was born to perform on.

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So let's dive straight
into the story of our fearless speaker,

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Bhakti Sharma,

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who's making waves in the world
of long-distance swimming.

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Bhakti Sharma.

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(Applause)

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Bhakti Sharma: Imagine,
in the scorching Rajasthan heat,

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on a hot summer afternoon,

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a two-and-a-half-year-old
riding on a moped behind her mom,

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not knowing where they were headed.

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And 20 minutes later,

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that two-and-a-half-year-old finds herself

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completely submerged in water.

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Before I knew it,

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I would be kicking, splashing, screaming,

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gulping down water,

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holding onto my mom for my dear life.

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That's how I learned how to swim.

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I started pool-swimming
when I was two and a half,

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and open water swimming
when I was 14 years old.

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And so I have given
over 25 years of my life to this sport,

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during which I have swum
in all five oceans of the world,

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crossed the English Channel --

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which is also known
as the Mount Everest of swimming --

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and set a world record
in the freezing Antarctic ocean.

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(Applause)

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When you spend so much time with a sport,

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it ceases to be just that

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and becomes a mirror.

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And that shows who you really are.

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You see that your mettle as an athlete
is not only tested on race day

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but every single day,

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when the sport demands that you get up
at 4:30 in the morning,

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swim for two hours,

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go to school, come back,
swim for three hours,

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go home, eat and sleep.

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When you win a medal
or set a world record,

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this mirror shows the happiness
that you and your loved ones feel,

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but also reflects the tears that you shed

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all by yourself, alone in the water.

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Open water swimming
is a very lonely sport.

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I have spent hours

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looking into the infinite,
seemingly bottomless ocean underneath me,

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with nothing to keep me company
but my own thoughts.

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And so, I have not only
been tested as a swimmer

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but also as a thinking, feeling,
imaginative human being.

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Be it my first test as a marathon swimmer,

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when I decided to swim for 12 hours
non-stop in a swimming pool

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or crossing the English Channel
in 13 hours and 55 minutes.

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When you're swimming, you don't talk,

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you don't hear very well,

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and your vision is restricted
to what's right in front of you

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or underneath you.

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This isolation has been
my sport's biggest gift to me.

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Through open water swimming,

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I have come to know myself in ways
that I could have never expected to.

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I remember, at the age of 14,

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when I jumped into an ocean
for the first time for a swim,

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and throughout this swim,

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the waves were picking me up
and throwing me down,

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I saw the child in me,
who enjoys such adventures.

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While crossing the English Channel,

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after already having swam for 10 hours,

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when I got stuck in one place
for one and a half hour

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because of the currents,

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I saw the strong
and dedicated athlete in me,

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who did not want to disappoint
her parents or her country.

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In an open water marathon
held in Switzerland,

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when I won my first
gold medal for India --

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(Applause)

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I witnessed a proud Indian in me.

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While crossing the English Channel again,

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this time in a relay with my mother,

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not knowing that we were creating history,

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I saw the protective daughter in me,

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who just wanted to see her mom
fulfill her own dreams.

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And four years ago,

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when I jumped into the Antarctic Ocean,

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wearing nothing but a swimsuit,
cap and goggles,

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with an unwavering spirit of just doing,

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I saw a fighter in me.

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When I jumped into that
zero-to-one-degree-Celsius water,

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I realized that I had prepared
my body and mind for the cold,

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but what I wasn't prepared for
was the density of the water.

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Every stroke felt
like pulling through oil.

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And in the first five minutes,

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I had that paralyzing thought
of just giving up.

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How nice it would be
to just forget about all this,

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get on the boat,

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stand underneath the hot shower

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or wrap myself in a warm blanket?

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But with that thought,

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also came a stronger,
a more willful voice from deep within.

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"You know you have it in you
to just take one more stroke."

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So I lifted my arm and took a stroke.

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"Now one more."

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So I took a second and a third stroke.

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By the fourth one,

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I saw a penguin swimming
underneath my stomach.

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It came up to my left
and started swimming with me.

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"See? A penguin is cheering you on,"

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said that voice within.

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(Applause and cheers)

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I looked up to my people on the boat.

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They had the same smile on their faces
that I had on mine.

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The same smile that we all have

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when we are stuck in a difficult situation

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and we see a ray of hope.

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We take it as a sign from destiny,

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and we just keep pushing forward.

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Just as I did,

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and 41 minutes later,

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set the world record
for swimming the longest distance

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in the Antarctic Ocean.

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(Applause)

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Imagine, it doesn't even
snow in Rajasthan.

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(Laughter)

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That voice, which has accompanied me
through all my difficult situations

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throughout my swims,

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would have never shown itself

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if I had not spent so much time alone,

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had not paid attention
to every single thought

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that crossed my mind.

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When you find yourself alone
in an ocean, with your thoughts,

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the dangers that you face
are not just external,

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like whales, sharks, jellyfish

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or even demotivating people.

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But the more dangerous demons you face

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are the fear and negativity inside you

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that tell you, "You're not good enough.

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You will never reach the other shore.

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You haven't trained enough.

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What if you fail? What will people think?

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I'm sure everybody is thinking
right now how slow you are."

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We all have our own
internal demons, don't we?

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In a day-to-day life,
you can hide from them,

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behind your work
or many other distractions.

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But like I said,

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in the middle of the ocean,
there is nowhere to hide.

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I have to face my internal demons,

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just as much as I have to taste
the salt in the sea,

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feel the chafing on my skin,

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and acknowledge the whales
swimming beside me.

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I hate it, and I love it.

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I hate it because this sport
shows me the side of myself

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that I don't want to believe exists.

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The side of me that is human
and not perfect.

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Like the part of me

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that can't get out of bed in the morning
and make it to practice.

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The side of me that gets
so burned out, so tired,

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that just wants to quit swimming.

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But I also love it,

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because this sport has given me
moments that I can look back on

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when I feel unmotivated.

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And they bring me to my knees,

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because I feel so grateful.

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Many of you may not
spend hours swimming non-stop.

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But who do you spend
the most amount of your time with?

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You may share your external space
with many others,

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but there is one constant companion
that you all have:

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you.

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And yet, most of us may never come
to knowing who we really are.

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I'm a daughter, an Indian,
a swimmer, a student.

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But I am so much more.

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If you are not investing in yourself,

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not setting a path
that brings you closer to you,

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no amount of "success" in life
can bring you lasting joy or satisfaction.

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Even today,

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when I can't find motivation
or joy in what I'm doing,

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all I ask myself is,

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"Is this the best I can do right now?"

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And the meaning of my "best" changes.

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On some days, it means not giving up,

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continuing to swim in freezing water
and setting a world record.

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But on many other days,

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it means getting over
my depressing thoughts,

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stepping out of the house

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and being able to do the daily chores.

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What does not change is that voice within.

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That internal compass

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which guides me
to a better self every day.

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And I believe

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that a truly successful life
is the one which is spent in the pursuit

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of becoming the best possible
version of yourself

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when you take that last breath.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)

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SRK: I think the only sport
I can't do is swim --

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I sink like a rock.

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So standing next to
the world's best swimmer

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makes me kind of feel --

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if you can excuse my pun --

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kind of at sea.

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But --

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BS: (Laughs) No pun intended, of course.

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SRK: But what is your next
goal as a swimmer?

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BS: I have a major fear of competition,

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so what better goal to set
than aiming for the Olympics?

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Because open water swimming
is an Olympic sport now.

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(Applause)

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Even saying it out loud gives me shivers,

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because it's such a huge goal

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that I don't want to accept
that I have set that goal,

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but that's the thrill of it,
that's the part of it.

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And my idea is that if I make it
to the Olympics or I don't make it,

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that doesn't matter,

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but in the process of training for it,

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I will have become a better swimmer
and a better person.

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SRK: Inshallah, you will make it
to the Olympics.

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And I want to tell you

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a lot of people who are watching
this show at home,

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there's lots of people, all of whom
are thinking only positively for you,

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so when you go for the Olympics,

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imagine all of us will be wearing
our penguin suits and swimming with you,

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and saying, "Go on,
go on, Bhakti, go on, go on."

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BS: Can you be my personal penguin?

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SRK: I am your penguin now.

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It would have been cooler
if you said, like, a shark and all,

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but penguin --

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BS: Orcas are my spirit animal,
but you can be my orca.

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(Applause)

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SRK: Ladies and gentleman, Bhakti.

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BS: Thank you.

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(Applause)