Page 32 - RPA Magazine December 2020

30 EXCLUSIVE FEATURE FROM PAGE 29 just a phase for the next three months”, Ms Nay says she finds it hard not being able to have “a Slurpee” or “a milkshake” or “waffles and pancakes” with friends without thinking about the diabetes. “I’m kind of stuck with it,” she laughed. “I don’t really have a choice, and that plays on \\\\\\\[my\\\\\\\] mind. Like, I’m going to have to have insulin for the rest of my life, every single day ... I guess it’s just a little reason to kind of stand out.” For Ms Nay, while the lessons she took away from her time in professional swimming have helped her get through life’s challenges, she admits that retiring from swimming and the transition to regular life were “terrible”. “I finished swimming and \\\\\\\[did\\\\\\\] everything \\\\\\\[I wasn’t\\\\\\\] allowed to do ... while swimming,” she said. “You go eat, party and drink ... It took me two years of being probably a little bit naughty ... \\\\\\\[before figuring out that\\\\\\\] it gets a bit boring \\\\\\\[after a while\\\\\\\].” She added: “And you go through, ‘Who am I without swimming? Who am I as a person without being good at swimming?’ So, that took a little while. It’s tough. Anyone who says it’s not tough, I think ... I mean everyone is different and deals with things differently, but for me, mentally, it was really tough. “I had some pretty down, dark days. But I also ... think you’ve got to go through that. I think you’ve got to embrace it and be uncomfortable for a little bit before you get comfortable.” ‘Being comfortable with being uncomfortable’ is one of the things she learnt from her swimming coach, Michael Bohl, with whom she still catches up, despite having been retired from the sport for five years. “He was pretty much like a dad to me,” Ms Nay said, explaining their bond. “He knew how to get the best out of me in life and in swimming. He’s the only person that gets me in a life perspective and in swimming ... That was pretty cool, to have a coach that was also \\\\\\\[that\\\\\\\] father figure I never had, growing up.” For Ms Nay, being comfortable with being uncomfortable has also driven her passion for getting the best out of herself, “pushing boundaries” and never ceasing to learn. “I don’t ever want to be comfortable where I’m not learning,” she said. “I always want to learn. I always want to push some boundaries. Life’s meant to be full of fun stuff.” Another lesson Ms Nay learnt from “Bohly”, as she affectionately refers to Mr Bohl, is: “Wouldn’t life be boring if we were all the same?” “I use that quite a bit ... and I think one of my mottos is ‘be you’,” she said, with the ‘BE YOU’ tattoo clearly displayed on her left forearm. “So, you know ... it would be so boring if we were all the same, so be you! Don’t try and copy anyone else. Don’t try and go with the cool things that are ‘in’ right now. It’s so cool to be different.” Since transitioning from professional swimming, Ms Nay has funnelled her natural mentoring ability and her positive influence into starting up her “own private coaching business” where she teaches swimming, provides personal training and offers “some mentorship towards young women”. “I’m just building that up slowly ... I finally got to a place where I’m happy with myself and I can start helping people through the stages I went through when I really struggled ... I can help other people because I know I’m in a good place,” she said. One of the best parts of having a professional athletic career early in life is that the discipline, drive and dedication provide some valuable lessons – those that can be used in all parts of life. “I think \\\\\\\[because\\\\\\\] swimming is a very individual sport ... it teaches you about yourself – how much drive you have, how much motivation you have and how much resilience you have,” she said. “You get knocked down how many times? If you want it bad enough, you’ll keep going. And I think those key learnings you’ll take into everything you want to do in the next stage of life.” Ms Nay’s advice to retail pharmacy assistants who have big career goals is to be confident and to have the resilience to overcome the challenges and various roadblocks. “I think confidence for me \\\\\\\[and\\\\\\\] resilience,” she said. “You want something, you have to chase it. You have to work hard. Nothing comes easy. Nothing comes free in life. So, if you want something, you’ve got to put the work in. “I think that’s what swimming has taught me about life: you have to change things. You can’t just sit there and hope it comes to you ... Covid-19 proves that nothing is safe. You’re not promised tomorrow. Just because you’ve got plans for next week doesn’t mean you’ll be here. You’re not promised any of it. “Career-wise, have the confidence to go after what you want ... you know you might get knocked back a couple of times, you might get rejected from the job you want, but ... keep going because it might be the next job that you get that is awesome.” As someone who was told she has a life-altering condition and dealing with the shock and frustration that initially resulted from the diagnosis, Ms Nay’s suggestion to retail pharmacy assistants is to remember that “we’re \\\\\\\[all\\\\\\\] human”. “Every single person is human ... everyone is different, and I feel like everyone is dealing with things in different ways,” she said. “So, I always say, we’re \\\\\\\[all\\\\\\\] very different, so be kind to everyone, because somebody might be dealing with something you have no idea about. “Just be kind. And make sure that you do things that you really love. Be kind, have fun and just remember that everyone’s human. Take \\\\\\\[it\\\\\\\] one day at a time.” Clearly goal driven and a go-getter, Ms Nay plans to focus on “just building my own brand and building my business” in the immediate future, along with continuing to do the things she really loves, including “swimming, teaching kids to swim, and fitness”. And like everyone else, she’s also hoping “2021 is a little bit better than this year”. “\\\\\\\[I want to\\\\\\\] build on each day to make it better and better, and try to build on myself to make myself better,” she said. “I just want to learn all the time and to \\\\\\\[leave\\\\\\\] myself open to opportunities and be open to learning. You have to be open to whatever comes and then kind of adapt to that.” RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • DEC 2020 You can contact Meagen Nay by visiting: • Facebook: @meagen.nay • Instagram: @nay.meagen • Twitter: @nay_meagen • Website: meagennay.com.au