Unlocking Hidden Potential through Perseverance
Most of us never truly see our own potential — not because it isn’t there, but because we don’t always believe we’re capable of more. Confidence plays a huge role in unlocking what sits beneath the surface, and sometimes it takes a challenge, a nudge, or even a setback to show us what we’re made of.
When I first started rowing, I was fresh out of a learn-to-row course and suddenly found myself competing at my first national championships in Nagambie in 2007. I raced in a double with a club mate, Fiona. Under the rules, I had to row stroke — the one setting the pace — while Fiona, an able-bodied rower, sat behind me. We crossed the finish line with a huge margin, and I thought, maybe this is the path forward. Para rowing was heading to the Beijing Paralympics the following year, and for the first time, that dream felt real.
A few months later, I saw a call-out for athletes to get classified in rowing. When I emailed Rowing Australia to ask if I should attend, the reply came back sharp and brutal: I would “never be fit enough or good enough” to make a national team.
If I’d been 17, that would have crushed me. But being stubborn and determined, I pushed back. I replied not just to the person who dismissed me, but to his boss, and to the CEOs of Rowing Australia and Rowing Victoria. I told them he had no right to decide my limits. I was going to get classified — full stop.
One week later, I had an all-expenses-paid trip to Canberra for classification and an invitation to my first Para rowing camp. The next year, I made the national team and missed qualifying for Beijing by just 0.8 of a second.
Training on Lake Varesi, Italy before World Championships
None of that happened because of talent. It happened because I worked, learned, failed, adjusted, and persevered. I believed I could grow — and I did.
So what opportunities are sitting in front of you right now? Where do you feel even a flicker of potential? With the right mindset, grit, determination and a willingness to persevere, you might surprise more than just yourself.
Anything is possible!