Welcome to FLIP’s new blog series, EVERYDAY ATHLETES… read our intro for a quick description of the series.
Need inspiration to achieve your goals? Taylor Seavey’s story is a must read! At just 21 years old Taylor is already a champion triathlete, a motivating triathlon coach and an inspiring advocate for deaf athletes.
Learn more about Taylor at www.taylorseavey.com/
Q: FLIP believes that a preventative, proactive, thriving life starts with motivation – and we have been encouraging people to share with us “why they want to FLIP.” So, what’s your motivation to lead a thriving life, or ‘why do you want FLIP?’
Taylor: We are blessed with a life here, we were born to live to our fullest potential in whatever we choose to do or be. My motivation is to reach my potential not only as an athlete but also as a human being. I could have very easily perceived being deaf as a disability and let it limit me in my life, but I decided to see it as a gift instead. Being deaf has helped me grow my character, but it’s still only a small part of who I am. Life is full of lessons or gifts, and my motivation is to say “Yes” to all of the gifts!
Q: I watched you compete at the TriLanai on the beautiful Island of Lana’I in Hawaii. Wow, what an incredible place… and not too shabby on your part taking home the first place overall finish! How do you like races in Hawaii? What was most challenging about the race that day?
Taylor: Races in Hawaii are awesome of course, because Hawaii is paradise! I participate in the XTERRA World Championship and Trilanai races on Maui. I just feel so lucky to be able to be here and do this. It has been my dream for a while. The swim was the most challenging part of the race for me, because I had been dealing with a cold that morning. My body just did not want to work hard during the first of the two laps of the swim. It took a while for me to warm up and get into racing mode. Plus that ¼ mile beach run in between the swim laps was a killer!
Q: Yours is a very inspiring and uplifting story. In your message on YouTube you tell us, “I know that whatever I set my heart and mind to I can achieve no matter if it takes me 5 or 50 years…. I believe that limits are self-created. You are the only one keeping yourself from testing or passing those limits. The only way to break away from our self-imposed limits is to take the first step. Which is, do whatever your heart desires. Don’t let anything stop you.” Where do you find the inspiration and awareness to share such an uplifting, obstacle-defying and profoundly encouraging message?
Taylor: The inspiration has always been inside of me, in my heart. I am inspired to share with people that they can do whatever they love or desire, regardless of obstacles or limitations that they may think that they have because I have my own dreams and goals to pursue. When I was growing up in Alaska, my dream was to travel to different places and to race in triathlons. So, here I am, that dream is a reality now! If I had let my limiting beliefs stop me from pursuing my dream, I’d still be sitting doing nothing in Alaska. It’s not easy to pursue your dreams, but if you don’t they will never be possible.
Q: Triathlons are one of the most physically demanding tests we can put our body through… and you don’t just complete them, you win them. You’ve overcome your disability to compete, challenge and beat some of the world’s top athletes. If that’s not enough – you’ve made it part of your mission to work with DEAFlete, which aims to inspire both deaf and hard-of-hearing people to live healthier and more exciting lifestyles. Why is this mission, in addition to your physically demanding and time consuming work as a triathlete so important to you?
Taylor: I have seen people who have had so much potential to excel in sports or to lead happier lives that was untapped because they had lack of motivation or had doubts about themselves, so they don’t follow their hearts and then consequently, they stop dreaming. And it’s hard for me to watch and not do anything to encourage them. DEAFlete is one of the ways that I could show people that they can make their dreams a reality if they do not let their self-imposed limitations or beliefs stop them. I am doing what I love, which is training, racing, and going on adventures. And I want people to know that they can do what they love too!
Q: From your first sprint triathlon at age 16 to where you are today – what has been the biggest challenge for you to overcome?
Taylor: Well, I’ve had a bit of a challenge getting the hang of running, physically. I wish I had a videotape of myself running back then, when I had no idea what form or technique was. It would have been funny! There was just so much to learn about triathlon, such as how to do three sports and be able to finish the whole thing! I’ve had challenges mentally too, triathlons are a big feat, so I’ve had my battles with self-doubt. I admire and am blown away by the guys and girls who’ve made it to the top of the sport and I was like, “How do they do it?” “How will I even get close to that?”
Q: What gave you the courage and determination to overcome that challenge?
Taylor: My parents were a big part of that, they are such hard workers and they believed in following dreams, so they encouraged me to follow mine. They helped me to realize that I do have what it takes to be able to do whatever I set my heart and mind to. It’s a fact that whatever you practice, you will excel at. And one of my favorite quotes has helped me a lot which is “Whether you believe you can, or believe you can’t, you’re right” By Henry Ford. So now the key is just patience….
Q: What’s next? Where do you see yourself in the next couple of years? In 10 years?
Taylor: Hopefully in the next couple of years I’ll be racing as a pro triathlete in both XTERRA and road triathlons. And I plan for DEAFlete to take off, so I’d like to be spreading the word about DEAFlete, going to seminars to talk to people about training, motivation, overcoming obstacles, and going beyond their beliefs. 10 years…well that’s pretty far off, but I’d like to still be a professional triathlete or be doing something similar to that, and keep encouraging people to be the best that they can be.
Q: What advice do you have for our readers, searching for the motivation and determination to live a thriving and preventative lifestyle?
Taylor: Living a thriving and preventative lifestyle to me is living to your fullest, every minute, every hour, and every day of your life. It does not matter how much time you have or what your life looks like, as long as you are letting yourself live every second of it. If you are searching for motivation, my advice is to smile more, that is the first step to finding motivation to live your life to the fullest.