This time last year, I was preparing to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It was going to be my second – and final – time competing in the Games as a sprint kayaker. After 17 years on the Australian kayak team, I was planning to retire and focus on my career as a paramedic.
Of course, you know what happened next.
When the Tokyo Olympics was postponed, I was heartbroken. Achieving this goal was the first thing I thought about when my alarm went off in the morning. It was what pulled me out of bed when I was tired and my body ached.
Being an Olympian requires precision and planning. For the last couple of years, I’ve mapped my life plan on an enormous spreadsheet. It included everything I wanted to achieve both on and off the water, and helped me juggle work and training with competition and travel.
When the whole thing got cancelled, I’d still find myself looking at the spreadsheet multiple times a day. I had to come to terms with the fact that nothing I planned was going to happen. Not only were the Olympics postponed, but there would be no competition for the rest of the year. Our team couldn’t even train as a squad.
It was tough. But rather than dwelling on the disappointment, I chose to use my skills as a nurse and paramedic to work full time on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that point, things were evolving very quickly and coronavirus information was changing day to day. It was really challenging for us paramedics, but believe me, it was a great distraction from the Olympics.
I haven’t opened that spreadsheet since March.
It can be tough to feel optimistic in times like these. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my career as an athlete, it’s that every major setback also brings new opportunities. No one imagined that 2020 would turn out this way, but the good news is that we’ve already learned so much.
Now, we need to hold those lessons close and rise to the challenge. To accept this new normal and tackle life in a different way. Because it’s only then that we can move forward and achieve new things.
And if you’re struggling to set goals when so much is unknown, my advice is to follow the path that will act as the best stepping stone. Take an opportunity you know you can build on – and don’t limit yourself.
Ever since I was 10, I dreamed of being a paramedic. But with all my kayak training, I knew it wasn’t a goal I could pursue right away. So, I decided to study nursing at UTS, because I knew it would help me become a paramedic down the track. And now, I wouldn’t give up the time I spent at UTS for the world.
It can feel crushing when your big life plans go astray, but I’ve learned that you don’t need to be in a rush to achieve your goals. It took me 10 years to become an Olympian – and 18 years to become a paramedic ¬– but every moment in between was just as valuable.
It took me 10 years to become an Olympian – and 18 years to become a paramedic – but every moment in between was just as valuable.
At the end of the day, the most important thing you need to do is back yourself. Not everyone is going to be able to win an Olympic gold medal, but if you start slowly working towards the goals that are important to you, I promise it’s going to pay off down the track. Of course, I’m devastated to miss the Olympics after years of training, but I still have hope – because there’s no limit to what we can achieve.
And in a few years, I know we’ll look back at 2020 and find joy in the fact that we overcame it together.
Byline
Jo Brigden-Jones OLY is a Paramedic and Olympic kayaker. She has a Bachelor of Nursing (2011) from UTS.