Since the age of seven, I have either trained and competed as a figure skater or coached figure skating to many talented young athletes. The life skills I have developed over this time have influenced my behaviour and given me a mental toughness that helps me every day as a business owner. So, what are these skills that I feel help me the most?
- To have resilience and persistence: To keep on going no matter what! So that double toe loop didn’t work, it’s time to pick yourself up, find out why and try again until it works. The learning here is to keep going, persisting until you succeed.
- A Routine: Early morning skating, then school or university! By early, I mean 4am starts even on dark rainy mornings to practise in a freezing cold ice rink so I could wear my sequin dresses! Having a set routine gives you focus on your tasks each day and helps you achieve your goals even if your bed is nice and warm.
- Celebrate success and learn from mistakes: Sometimes you perform well and sometimes you don’t. It’s important to celebrate the successes and job well done and equally learn why your performance didn’t go right. At the same always being graceful in defeat!
- It’s not easy: Figure skating isn’t easy and nor is starting your own business. I read a book that said success often happens over night, but it takes many years of effort and hard work to achieve.
- A Positive mindset: To be positive with an element of realism. Not everything in life goes our way ‘that’s life!’, but a positive attitude helps us move forward to reach our end result.
- To compete with myself: Yes, I want to be better tomorrow than I am today. Competition with yourself makes you focus on being a better version of you. Only comparing with others for inspiration.
- Exercise Regularly: Now, if I need to make a difficult decision, going for a walk or run helps me figure it out. Not only is this a healthy habit for your well-being, it really works to ponder next steps.