Start Before You're Ready E-Book

Mick Spencer

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 294

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Unleash your entrepreneurial spirit with a counterintuitive approach to starting your own venture or taking your career to the next level Start Before You're Ready offers entrepreneurs an inspiring new roadmap to success -- one that runs against nearly everything you've ever been taught about business. Author Mick Spencer is living proof that success doesn't always rest down the traditional path of formal education and deep pockets. At the age of 22, with nothing to his name, he founded ONTHEGO Custom Apparel (www.otgcustom.com), a customised apparel and uniform company. Since then he has built a worldwide network of movers and shakers and raised millions in venture capital. His company is now a multi-million-dollar player on the international stage, disrupting the slow-moving industry with a modern blend of technological disruptions and social responsibility. In this book, he presents a solid case that analysis paralysis and endless 'preparation' won't get you anywhere -- you have to take that leap and do what you really want to do. Indeed, start before you're ready. Spencer challenges you to get outside your comfort zone and, although intimidating, his approach forces you to learn 'on the go' and focus on what you can do rather than what you can't. Engrossing personal anecdotes coach you through the frustrations and challenges, while vital tools and clear strategies give you a concrete plan for making every day count, many of which have been taught to Mick by billionaires, global CEO's and highly sought after founders. * Chart your own path to success -- even without a university degree or financial assets * Focus on what you can do right now to achieve your goals * Master self-reliance, overcome adversity and discover your true purpose * Learn positive habits and build confidence to overcome challenges Starting your own venture or pushing the boundaries in your career is always a leap of faith. It's saying 'yes' before figuring out how to deliver. It's moments of self-doubt followed by fiery adventurousness and courageous optimism. You are at once inspired, vulnerable, motivated and proud -- and you are capable of extraordinary things. Start Before You're Ready equips you with the inspiration and practical advice you need to succeed in today's entrepreneurial environment.

Leseprobe

During the ten years I worked for Richard Branson I was fortunate to work with some of the best entrepreneurs in the world. The one characteristic that sums them up is tenacity. To say yes when others say no. To zig when others zag. Mick and his book are founded on this principle and I recommend it to anyone looking for a story to inspire and most importantly to succeed.

— David Baxby, Managing Director, Wesfarmers Industrials & Safety, Former CEO Virgin

When looking for success you need the drive and tenacity to overcome all the obstacles that come into your life and your business, and Mick has these in spades. Watch this space …

— Janine Allis, founder, Boost Juice

Life is short. In Start Before You’re Ready, Mick tells us how to make the most of it.

— Patrick Schmidt, CEO The Iconic, Co-CEO Global Fashion Group

Start Before You’re Ready is a book that is full of practical wisdom and a good dose of motivation to get you going on your next adventure, challenge or goal. Mick’s story of turning from a boy with many challenges to a man with many successes is both enjoyable and engaging.

— Stuart Cook, former CEO, Zambrero Restaurants

Most entrepreneurial journeys are full of twists and turns —but when you keep a clear focus on why and where you intend to be then they become distant memories fast. How good of Mick to share his journey so we can learn from his twists and turns.

— Naomi Simson, founder, Red Balloon, co-founder, Big Red Group, Shark on Shark Tank

Mick takes us on his own journey and shares great insights on how he personally overcame challenges to create, innovate and make his business viable. The result is an authentic road map to gaining greater self-confidence and some great reminders on how to handle set backs!

—Andrew Banks, founder, Morgan & Banks and Talent2 International, Shark on Shark Tank

Mick has a never-give-up attitude and in my opinion, loves to solve problems that others may struggle with. He was born to be an entrepreneur and it was this creative attitude that helped us sell 4 seasons of DundasFit in David Jones. Working alongside Mick taught me that any problem or situation I get into in business can be solved one step at a time. Mick has a natural ability to stay calm and composed and not let big decisions cloud his judgment and he is always sharp no matter the time of day or the pressure of a decision. Mick won’t stop, so listen to his advice and hold on!

—Jason Dundas, Australian TV host and entrepreneur

Mick wears his heart on his sleeve, and his passion and commitment shine through, in his new book on how he has overcome significant challenges, both personal and business related. In Start Before Your’e Ready, Mick summarises his lessons learned in an easy-to-read manner that will be certain to add value to any inspiring entrepreneur.”

—Clifford Rosenberg, Managing Director S.E. Asia & Australia NZ, LinkedIn (2011-2017)

When Mick Spencer started out in business he started an entirely new business model for apparel. Why? He just didn’t know the old model. Normally, clothing has a 6-12 month cycle. Design a lot of clothing you think your customer wants, go out and make it in advance using lots of your own money and then put it in multiple stores and try to sell it to them and hope someone buys it. Repeat. It’s been done like that for about a hundred years. When Mick Spencer started he didn’t know this model. He was too young! So he just started his own model that made a lot more sense. Let the customer, whether a big corporate client or a small sports club, use technology to upload and customise exactly what they want, use the same digital technology to print the fabrics and make it within weeks or even days, and deliver it overnight wherever they are — and the client has paid for it in advance. Brilliant! This book shows how the old business models can and should be challenged, especially if you have the drive to succeed like Mick Spencer.

—Derek O’Neill, CEO, Billabong (2003-2011)

There’s no doubt any business, large or small, can benefit from Mick’s ‘start before you’re ready’ approach. I know ours has, and I’m looking forward to our continued partnership and entrepreneurial approach together.

—Doug Swan, CEO, Workwear Group (Wesfarmers)

What a great read! Mick’s engaging story is full of actions, steps and tips for life and business success as we read about his experiences in pursuing his goals, getting out of his comfort zone and ‘making the most of life.’

—Glen Richards, founder and CEO, Greencross, Shark, Shark Tank

Micky Spencer is the definition of a dream-achiever. For anyone, diving into the deep end is a risk but this man is proof that when you persevere and work hard, you get there. I’m sure in his eyes he’s only just getting started.

—Adam Hyde & Rueban Styles, Peking Duk — 13x ARIA Platinum Recording Artists

Mick’s personal account of his journey to date demonstrates the passion, imagination and drive that can encourage young entrepreneurs to think about their future world in a different way.

— Kate Driver, Deputy Director and General Manager, Questacon, Australia’s National science and technology centre

Each year, you meet people that stand out from others. Then you meet people who stand out from those that stand out. Mick is one of those people. His energy, enthusiasm and positivity is hard to contain. Having him put some of that energy, enthusiasm and positivity into his book makes for a fascinating — and thought provoking — read.

— Fraser Henderson, co-founder, Propel Funeral Partners, founder, Millbank Advisory, former partner, Minter Ellison

Start Before You’re Ready is a well written motivational book full of stories and ideas for those who want to succeed in life.

— Graham (Skroo) Turner, founder and CEO, Flight Centre

START BEFORE YOU’RE READY

The Young Entrepreneur’s Guide toExtraordinary Success in Work and Life

MICK SPENCER

First published in 2019 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd42 McDougall St, Milton Qld 4064

Office also in Melbourne

Typeset in 11/15 pt Sabon LT Std

© John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 2019

The moral rights of the author have been asserted

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.

Cover Design: Wiley

Cover image: © Fidan Farajullayeva/Shutterstock

Author Photo: Simon Schulster

Internal graphics: © AntiMartina/Getty Images

Disclaimer

The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

CONTENTS

Cover

Title page

Copyright page

Foreword by Hap Klopp, founder of The North Face

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part I: My story

Chapter 1: Conquering challenges from an early age

Life outside of my comfort zone

From one passion to another

My moment of truth

Moving on from school

Every day matters

Chapter 2: Making dreams come true

Ten T-shirts and 400 jerseys

Shark Tank

: Why I passed it up

You only live once

Part II: Design your life for success

Chapter 3: Shaping your future

What legacy will you leave?

Find your purpose

Love what you do

Believe in yourself

Trust that the dots will connect

Chapter 4: The 4 Ps philosophy

Purpose

People

Planet

Profit

The perfect balance

Chapter 5: Making every moment count

Actively learn

Make your habits support your future

The birthday call

Sleep

Time competes with time

Daily break-even analysis

Coffee currency

Add a touch of healthy pressure

Chapter 6: Be bold about your personal vision

Self-promote

Be coachable

Believe passionately

Change it up

Learn to network

Back it up

Ignore the naysayers

The tall poppy syndrome

Self-promotion never ends

Promote, but be wise on social media

Social media do’s and don’ts

Chapter 7: Hard-hitting truths

The smarts you need (and they’re not what you think)

Fake it

Build your parachute

Hard conversations

You’re not in sales? Think again.

Learn to negotiate

Get a person from ‘no’ to ‘maybe’, and ‘maybe’ to ‘yes’

Believe the sale is true before it is

Rejection

Fear and self-doubt

The imposter syndrome

Give less fucks

Chapter 8: Give life your all

Get shit done

Get and stay connected

Chapter 9: The power of less

Sacrifice

Money money money

There’s nothing wrong with being a tight-arse

Friend currency

Debt: the good and the bad

Investing

Where are you now? Where do you want to be? How do you get there … and what do you need?

Chapter 10: Shoot for the stars, get mentored and make it happen

The road to the dream

Be transparent

Get mentored

Have someone to answer to

Chapter 11: Street smarts

Think fast on your feet

Understanding human nature

Be loyal

Be cool. Be calm. Be focused.

Put yourself first — it’s not a bad thing

Begging, borrowing and stealing

Chapter 12: What it takes

Digging deep

Go the extra mile

Other people’s rules

Get it done

A partner in crime

Here’s to your success

What’s next: Going global

Index

EULA

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Begin Reading

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FOREWORD BY HAP KLOPP

FOUNDER OF THE NORTH FACE

Throughout my life as an entrepreneur, adventurer, father, friend, leader, and philanthropist, I have repeatedly started my endeavours before I was ready. I have adventured into the unknown, taking The North Face from a dream of getting people further into the forests to what is globally known as the most popular adventure brand, grossing well over $2.5B USD per annum. I’ve adventured into the unknown, I’ve employed many thousands of staff and many went on to run major outdoor companies of their own. And I had the good fortune to share all these adventures with two amazing children, three grandchildren and a loving, supportive wife.

I had a real purpose in my career — to create a ‘triple bottom line business.’ One committed equally to the goals of profits, environment and society. Central to my vision was to preserve and protect the wilderness that surrounds us. I knew that if people went deep into the wilderness, they’d see the world in a really truly amazing way and understand the need for wilderness. As Eliot Porter once wrote, ‘In Wilderness is the preservation of Earth.’ I fervently believe that being a purpose-based business was the essential ingredient that allowed us to take The North Face from an idea for technical outdoor products to becoming a global fashion statement.

Through all my myriad of experiences, I learned there is no textbook for life. There is no one formula for success. You’ll often find yourself in situations where you need to let intuition and gut feelings guide your direction. And, that’s OK. Whether in the unknown mountain ranges of Patagonia, or the board room of New York, we as people grow when we’re out of our comfort zone. And I believe that is where all the truly, valuable and disruptive ideas come from.

I met Mick a few years back. He reached out to me and I couldn’t help but be drawn to his energy in creating something that I had always been passionate about — building something truly great. Because his vision encompassed using technology to disrupt the apparel industry which I knew so well it was especially intriguing. By the time we talked through his outline for offering customers a fantastic design delivery service, something that no big brand had yet been able to master, I was hooked.

I remember our first chat on Skype from his tiny attic office. I was energized by the OTG concept and its all-encompassing purpose, mission and execution. I did ask myself, how could a 21-year-old kid with no apparel background and only $150 figure out this concept? But his enthusiasm, his attention to detail and his lack of fear convinced be that he might just be one of those magical people who really could dent the universe, so I offered to contribute if he needed me. Over the years, I’ve mentored Mick, helped guide some grand, and difficult, decisions, and seen his journey. What a great pleasure it’s been to see that growth in him as a person, and in OTG, which will be a major global brand that we’ll all know and enjoy in the not too distant future.

When organisations get large, they slow. They stop innovating. They get too comfortable and they lose their nimbleness. They become risk averse and atrophy. They are afraid of failure but learn that the biggest failure of all is doing nothing. Start Before You’re Ready is the ultimate ethos for life, and a reminder to kick ourselves in the backside and get going — because one can’t wait until things are perfect; they rarely ever are. With the accelerating pace of society there is no longer time for perfect information. Mick’s ethos, outlined in this book, provides the courage to take risks and gives a road map to help us as we throw ourselves into situations head first and learn on the go.

Despite incredible adversity, Mick has prospered. He’s built a highly scaleable company, a stellar team, and an incredible consumer product. He didn’t graduate with multiple degrees. He was not an expert in his field. Nor did he have the capital that most businesses do. Mick and his team have succeeded against all odds. They’ve started before they were ready, connecting vision and purpose. As you will read, Mick learned and learned well — by doing. The real way to live life.

With Mick’s debut book, you will understand how to start right now, no matter what the odds. He shows how to get your mind and purpose aligned. How to paint the picture on where you want to be and how to get there. As Mick and I both believe: we can all be much more than we are today. Life is about adventuring beyond the unknown, and starting before you’re truly ready.

Hap KloppFounder and 20-Year CEO, THE NORTH FACEAuthor of Almost — 12 electric years chasing a Silicon Valley dreamHult University Lecturer on Entrepreneurship and Innovation

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My partner Alicia — You are my waking inspiration every single day of our lives. You’re my constant inspiration and I cannot wait for our future. The times we’ve shared are just the start of the journey ahead.

My father Greg, for telling me to never let fear stand in the way of anything and to give life my best shot.

My mother Cathy, for supporting every single step and motion of my life to date.

My brother Nathan, who has inspired me daily to give life my all, no matter what the circumstance. You’ve guided the light for me on too many occasions.

My sister Alicia, who has inspired me, showed me what is possible and reminds me why family is so important.

My mentors over the years — Chris, Hap, Chris & Bob, Derek, Paul, Baxby, Rainbow, Patrick and all those in between — you have been my real-life university and I wouldn’t be here without your help in understanding the journey and what it all means.

My staff and suppliers, past and present; you know who you are. Thank you. For backing me, for every day guiding my vision of a different breed of business, and for putting up with my antics, obsession and curiosity.

Finally, I’d like to thank the naysayers, the teachers and the bullies for their constant reinforcement that I was not worthy of success because I was so different! You have been my underlying motivation to succeed.

INTRODUCTION

In November 2015 I was selected to pitch on Shark Tank Australia, a TV show millions of Australians watch. On the show, business owners pitch to five multimillionaires (the ‘sharks’), hoping to impress them enough that they will invest their own money into the person’s business.

Janine Allis (founder of the $400 million company Boost Juice) was mentoring me at the time, and recommended I apply. When they called to say they wanted me to audition I was thrilled, but unsure. How much time would this take? I was in the middle of a crushing workload closing our first investors into the company and travelling to China to see our suppliers, while still doing all my other tasks as CEO. But I knew I had to give it a shot.

I arrived at the audition feeling nervous. I wasn’t used to the awkward, ‘remember your pitch, word for word, in two minutes’–style presentations. I dug deep and made it happen, nailing my memorised pitch. Two weeks later they called to say they wanted me to come and pitch to the sharks on the show!

I worked long hours refining my pitch so it would have the desired impact. The morning of filming I had to arrive in Sydney at 4.30 to prepare the set. I was lucky to have Kris, one of my original teammates at ONTHEGO®, help me set up before the sharks arrived. Then I had to get makeup done and iron my clothes while reviewing my pitch again and again. It was nerve-racking.

‘Mick Spencer — OTG — you have five minutes.’

My heart was beating at 150 beats per minute! ‘Dig deep, Mick. Let’s do this!’ I thought to myself. The five minutes ticked by and then I was walking down the tunnel, greeted by the big timber doors and oriental carpet at the end. I walked through, and there were the five lurking sharks.

This is the pitch I gave to the sharks on 6 May 2016.

Hi sharks. My name is Mick Spencer and I’m the founder and managing director of ONTHEGO sports.

Four years ago a sports event came to me with a big problem. They had presold 400 cycling jerseys and needed them in under four weeks. The problem was that a staff member had left without ordering the jerseys, so they were stuck. No-one in the world could manufacture them in less than 10 weeks. I promised them I’d do it, and I found a way. And when I did, I uncovered an even bigger problem: thousands of retailers, teams and schools all had the same problem. There’s a growing need for custom-made sportswear delivered fast, but it was always a challenging process.

So with $150 to my name, in 2012 I backed myself and founded ONTHEGO to combine the things I was passionate about: building a global sports brand and giving back to those in need through our one4one initiative.

Today we allow customers globally to design their own sportswear beyond what they ever thought was possible. Clients such as Ironman, David Jones, GoPro and over 3500 organisations use ONTHEGO. Just in the last year, we shipped over 25 000 products across 10 countries. We have the likes of Richard Branson, Ironman athletes, professional sports teams and clubs use ONTHEGO. We’re also now extremely proud to have a line exclusively stocked in David Jones retailers in collaboration with TV celebrity Jason Dundas.

Further to our online customisation and e-commerce, we’ve now developed the revolutionary OTG customised station: an innovative kiosk that will allow customers to go into a store, design their own product, while still maintaining a physical experience. A multichannel retailer that doesn’t hold stock.

We created unique technology and a vertical supply chain that encompasses everything from start to finish. So customers can have a seamless design experience —anywhere and from any device.

With growth of over 80 per cent this year we expect to exceed sales of $1.5 million.

With these growth rates and reorders, contracts and a big pipeline, we expect to be doing over $20 million in sales in 2020.

To demonstrate how the brand works, just two weeks ago, when I discovered I’d be on your show, I jumped on our website and designed each and every one of you a custom product based on your product. So I’ll let you come up and have a look …

There was silence, making my heart lurch. Then the sharks launched into questions, followed by negotiations. I walked out with a $600 000 investment! I’d done it! I’d negotiated the biggest deal of the season on Shark Tank! But would it be what I thought?

TAKE A MOMENT

Throughout the book you’ll notice plenty of pages like this that ask you to stop, take a moment and write some things down.

But if you’re not the type who writes in books, you can download the PDFs for all of these at:

onthegosports.com.au/book

Part IMy story

‘If you can fall in love with the thrill of nerves—if you can fall in love with being outside of your comfort zone—you can do anything.’

CHAPTER 1Conquering challenges from an early age

I was born with significant short-sightedness. I couldn’t see anything for the first six months of my life, though it wasn’t until several instances of bumping into walls, corners and terracotta pots that my parents realised something was definitely not right. I was diagnosed with short-sighted eyesight at –17, two points away from being completely blind.

I needed coke-bottle-thick glasses, and to bullies at school I was an easy target. When I was in Grade 3 my family moved from the suburbs to the inner city of Canberra, which meant I had to change schools. I was short and fat as a kid, nervously pushing my thick glasses up to keep them on my nose. I quickly became ‘four eyes fatty’. I felt alone and scared, rejected by society and rejected by myself. I only had one friend, Tom, who knew me from my previous school. He was a cool kid and his acceptance of me helped. However, the kids in the years above still threw things at me as I walked home. And at lunchtime they always chose me to knock over on the oval; one would kneel down behind me and another would shove me so I would trip backwards and fall over his friend. I was the laughing-stock. I tried to act like it was funny and like it didn’t get to me.

From early on I realised that school wasn’t a place where I would succeed. My –17 eyesight meant I struggled to see the board, and I had problems concentrating and difficulty reading. Dyslexia and a big dose of ADHD provided a difficult learning curve.

What I did learn from school was to distrust details, and the system: the educational system, the lessons, the standardisation, even some of my teachers. I felt boxed in, asked to conform to something I knew I could never live up to. School was teaching me to see the world from inside a box — a box that everything had to fit in. But the real world isn’t like that. Everybody is an individual. Everyone has interests and intellect and motivations, yet we’re taught by a system that tries to jam us into its box.

Come high school I had to catch the public bus, and the public school kids spat on me and threw rubbish at me. Every day I would cop it, occasionally bursting into tears once I was home. I tried a lot of things, like keeping to myself and trying to blend in, but I didn’t have much luck. My confidence was destroyed, and it tore up my parents. Dad always said: ‘Be the bigger man; it’s all part of the journey. Remember, Mick: every dog has its day’. However, it reached a point that made Dad change tack. ‘It’s time you turned around and insulted them back. Let them know they can’t go on saying and doing these things.’ I agreed. I was so fed up. The next time they picked on me I fired a highly insulting remark at the biggest bully on the bus, and he never had a go at me again. However, my confidence was still totally knocked.

Life outside of my comfort zone

By the age of 12 I wouldn’t go out on weekends at all, not even to see friends at their houses. I was too frightened. It was safe inside the house, and there was no way I was going to venture out. Thankfully, my parents’ mission was to have their kid change his attitude, and they wouldn’t take no for an answer. On one particular Saturday they gave me $50 and said, ‘We know it’s scary for you, and we know what’s going on, but you can’t continue thinking the entire world is a scary place’. I was told to get on a bus, go to new places, and use the money I was given to explore and discover. I didn’t even have a mobile! I was scared, of course, and didn’t want to go. ‘You’re going,’ Dad said, ‘and I don’t want to see you back here until after 5 pm tonight.’

I was petrified. I had never felt more out of my comfort zone. I gingerly got on the bus and began exploring different areas in Canberra. Even though I felt scared, there was something else — it was thrilling! I loved it! That day is responsible for my constant addiction to adventure, to finding new things and to operating outside of my comfort zone. That butterfly feeling you get … I love it. It’s where life starts. That day taught me the importance of starting before you’re ready. How often do we stay where we’re comfortable, too fearful to venture out? We’re lulled into comfort because it’s nice. It’s the café we’re familiar with, the friends we’ve had for years, the job we’re used to. But staying in our comfort zone cuts us off from finding new amazing cafés, from expanding our network with new awesome friends, from having a career we really love that reaches its potential. When we’re comfortable in a routine, in doing what we know, we don’t get to have the empowering experience of learning, and of surprising ourselves. Remember, humans have successfully built cities; we expanded from Africa to every inhabitable landmass; we invented the wheel and electricity; we harnessed oil to be fuel. We have smartphones in our pockets, medicines that save lives. And all of this was created by people who stepped out of what they knew into the unknown. At times it was dangerous, or scary. It was always uncertain. But that’s where we grow! We felt the fear, and did it anyway. We started before we were ready. Sometimes it’s our parents who will give us a kick to get going, and sometimes it’s our partner, or our boss — but sometimes we need to give ourselves a great big kick and get moving. If you can fall in love with the thrill of nerves — if you can fall in love with being outside of your comfort zone — you can do anything.

That’s the gift my parents gave me that day.

I changed from my coke-bottle-thick glasses to contacts, which meant I could finally play contact sports. I joined rugby and absolutely loved it! It quickly became my passion. Growth spurts and exercise meant I lost the fat, and the team camaraderie built a lot of confidence in me. Life was starting to be really great.

Then, one day when I was 13, I was on the rugby pitch and I felt my heart beat rapidly. It felt like a butterfly on steroids was flapping in my chest. It was weird. I felt short of breath and thought it best to leave the rugby pitch. A parent of one of the players was a doctor, and she counted my heartbeat, which should have been sitting at between 80 and 120 beats per minute. Mine was at 300 beats per minute. After 10 minutes, my heart flicked back into its normal rhythm, but my body was exhausted and I was in shock. Mum took me straight to the doctor, and he was perplexed that a 13-year-old, fit, healthy boy could have his heart beat at 300 beats per minute for 10 minutes. He told me to go straight to hospital for cardiac programming done to see what was going on. ‘Shit, have I got something life-threatening?’ I thought. I was scared.

Mum and Dad drove me the three-hour journey to Westmead Hospital in Sydney, where I was given a false heart attack to see what my heart would do, through which it was discovered I have a condition called supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Ventricular tachycardia (VT) can kill you, so I was very lucky that I only had supraventricular tachycardia. SVT essentially means that I have an extra pathway in my heart which misses the normal rhythm of the beat under stress. Imagine an electrical system with a fault so that rather than beating steadily, it shoots off into the extra pathway, sending it to beat at 250 to 300 beats per minute.

It’s very rare for young people to get SVT, plus I was fit and healthy, which made it even more peculiar. They also discovered I have a weird heart in that it’s very big, with a very low resting heart rate of 40 (most people have a resting heart rate of 60 to 100).

The specialists weren’t 100 per cent sure it was SVT, so we were left in the unknown: could it be life threatening? It was scary for my family and for me. I had to see a cardiologist in Canberra every three months for them to monitor me, and I had to sleep and shower with a Holter monitor for three days to make sure my rhythms were monitored while I slept. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t so much that I was afraid of dying, it was more the fact of being young and having to go to the eye doctor, and then having to see the cardiologist every three months. I just wanted to be a normal, healthy 13-year-old who didn’t have to have regular check-ups. I hate hospitals, and to this day I have a fear of sickness. And I wanted to know where I stood with my condition. I was living life out of my comfort zone every day to just get by. Nothing was easy. I had to quickly learn patience, perseverance and determination.

Whenever I tried to exercise, my heartbeat would become erratic and I was forced to stop playing rugby. I could no longer take part in my new-found passion. I wasn’t passionate about anything they were teaching us at school — it was my love of sport that had kept me on the straight and narrow. Now that I had to stop rugby and be careful when exercising, what was I going to do?

From one passion to another