Please share a story about an internal or external barrier you have faced.
Till the age of 14, I walked into rooms with my head hung low and my shoulders rounded because I was embarrassed of my height.
When I entered grade nine I was 5”11. My confidence was at an all time low as I was bullied all through grade 7 & 8 for being so tall and not fitting the “mould” of what other girls in my grade looked like.
When I took my first step into Vaughan Secondary School, I had no idea how that would change my life. Vaughan was a basketball school. And when I walked in on that first day of grade nine it seemed like everyone asked me if I was going to try out for the basketball team.
I had never touched a basketball.
Finally, after saying no a hundred times, I relented and said yes.
After the try-out I walked by the coaches and heard them say….”well you can’t teach height!”
It was the beginning of what would become my purpose in life.
I struggled in school. I always seemed to have to work twice as hard to get good grades compared to everyone else.
What I loved most about basketball was that I would put in the work and I would see improvement. I became obsessed with attaining results. Basketball empowered me to achieve greatness not because I had talent, but because I put in hard work.
It only took a few months, but I started to walk with my shoulders back and my head held high. In basketball height was a coveted trait.
The rest you can say is history.
How did you overcome that barrier? What skills did you develop in sport that helped you overcome your barrier?
The barrier I overcame was low confidence. The number one skill I learned that year and something that has helped me create a thriving business was simple. The amount of work you put in is exactly the results you will get out. Confidence was built because of the hard work I put in and the results that came out.
If you had one word to describe your character, experiences or philosophy what would it be? Why?
RELENTLESS
A “relentless” person is someone who keeps trying and never gives up.
If you wanted to motivate a young female athlete to #BuildHerUp, what quote would you use? Why?
“Crave the result so intensely that the work is irrelevant.” -Tim Grover
I love it because the amount of work you put in is entirely up to you. It does not take talent just work.
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