This is your career

Recently, I remembered a story that Beckie Scott shared at an Olympic Preparation meeting.  She was recalling a conversation she had with her mom just after returning from the 1998 Olympics. After a less than optimal series of events, which included a flu bug that practically wiped out her team, she had come home very disappointed; questioning her pursuit of sport. Would success ever come? Was it all a waste of time?

As I recall Beckie telling it, her mom suggested to her that she try treating her sport like a career. Initially, Beckie scoffed at the idea – she had always thought of skiing as her passion, a ‘real’ career would come after. Her mom pointed out that she and her dad had invested as much, if not more, into Beckie’s skiing career as her friend’s parents had invested into their university driven ‘normal’ careers!! They saw Beckie’s sport as her career.

Beckie realized that her mom was right – it was time to change her thinking and be more proactive and involved in getting what she wanted. If she wanted to do better, instead of waiting for people to show her what to do, she was going to have to be a driving part of that process. Continue reading