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Never say never

Posted on April 14, 2015 by admin

There was a fascinating talk given by James Cracknell OBE during the BSAVA Congress opening ceremony last week. It seems that winning an Olympic Gold has similarities to working in veterinary practice! Listening to James as he took the audience through his journey towards his achievement was truly inspirational and a lesson to us all. When he was unable to take part in the 1996 Games, that he had spent years preparing for, due to tonsillitis, instead of ending his dream to compete, he spent the ensuing 4 years preparing for the next set of Olympics. This dedication and the attitude of “treat every race won as though you have lost, to keep improving” helped him and his team win Gold in both the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics.

No longer competing for traditional medals, James embarked upon a set of endurance challenges with Ben Fogle (son of vet Bruce Fogle) famously entering an Atlantic rowing race. Explaining this adventure James spoke about how when he learned they were in a disappointing (to him) 8th place that he realised he and Ben should have discussed their goal for the race as Ben was pleased with this position as they were not last! The motivation to finish soon took over though, when food was running low and the boat had fully capsized – they both wanted to reach dry land as soon as possible!

After this, there were other endurance activities including a memorable incident in the US in 2010 where, as he cycled, his head was hit from behind by the wing mirror of a tanker, fracturing his skull and leaving him with a brain injury.  This proved to be the biggest challenge yet in ensuring that he exceeded the medical limitations that were set upon him due to the severity of his injuries – which of course he has.

The attitudes of sportsmen/women are no different to what we face in veterinary practice every day; we all strive towards a goal of excellent clinical and customer care while navigating all that is thrown at us. Maybe plans that are made are found not to work, or team members are not engaged with the end goal. However, taking inspiration from people such as James, proves that obstacles can be overcome if you set a higher goal for yourself and ignore others who tell you what your limits are. So next time someone tells you they can’t do something, ask them why and help them achieve it. This will not only benefit them and boost team morale but also provide an optimistic working culture for the future.