Doesn't it feel like something is always getting in the way? Whether it's a pandemic, economic hardship, the loss of a loved one, or unexpected roadblocks. The obstacles never seem to end. That is because life is an obstacle in itself and without the challenges, where could we learn the life skills needed to pursue those big dreams? The kind of dreams that send fear into our spines because of their magnitude.

But if we could hold on to our dreams, the personal growth that we gain from believing in ourselves, our dreams, and our ability to overcome adversity can set the foundation for future success. 

When I get too caught up in the pandemic - the plans that fell through or never came together and the contagious feeling of fear that has taken over - I think about the awe inspiring words from SeeWhatSheCanDo's recent podcast guest Paralympian and motivational speaker Jessica Lewis. She recounts the mantra of her late coach Ken Thom:

"We plan to work, and work to plan. If the plan doesn't work, we never change the goal, we change the plan."

 

We had the privilege of speaking with Jessica who hails from Bermuda about how she applies her life philosophy "dream, believe, and overcome" to pursue her dreams of competing at an elite level and helping others to change their perception of what it means to be normal in a society that percieves 'dis'-ability as anything but the norm.

We were inspired to hear about her special connection with Canada where she trains at the elite level in wheelchair racing and pursued her studies in Therapeutic Recreation at Brock University to help others living in disabilities see beyond their limitations.

 

"Far too often people are limited not by physical or intellectual limitations, but instead by the world around them and the notion of the norm" says Jessica. Able-bodied language can be harmful and where Jessica is concerned 'disability' is an identity that society created to put people in a box. She rejects that notion to call herself 'differently-abled'.

Her strength, resilience and courage to be one of the first embodies SeeWhatSheCanDo's whole notion of seeing is believing. Her love of moving keeps her on track and when plans change, the goal never does.

 

Dream: How She Learned to Redefine What it Meant to Live With a disability at Wind Reach Bermuda

For Jessica, mantras hold a special place in her heart. One that helps her to remember her strength during difficult times. She first learned to believe in herself at Wind Reach Bermuda where founder Mr. Alexander (Sandy) J. Mitchell, took his own mantra "of course we can" and dedicated his life as an individual living with cerebral palsy to building inclusive communities with his first fully-accessible Wind Reach farm in Ontario, Canada. 

At the age of two, Jessica could only imagine what life had in store for her. But first she had to learn to get out of her own way. Failure is the most common and damaging aspect of the limitations we put on ourselves. Before society can limit us we limit ourselves. The labels forced on us only seem to contribute to confirming our worst fear - that our dreams are too big, and worse off, that we lack the skills to reach those dreams.

At Wind Reach Bermuda, Jessica learned the importance of community, goal setting and the how having the right mindset can really make the difference in success. Wind Reach offers a variety of programs for individuals of all ages with physical and mental disabilities including a Life Skills program that is run by a full-time occupational therapist, therapeutic riding with horses for mental-well being, Adult Day Program and many other facilities available such as an animal zone and gardens. 

Jessica learned many life lessons there. At Wind Reach Bermuda professional specialists and therapeutic therapists work one-on-one with individuals to help them gain the tools to face life's obstacles. It is here that she learned that 'dis' is just a pre-fix added to 'ability' to limit what is normal. But what is normal? The norm is whatever you decide it is. In a blog, Jessica defines her normal means to her but it all started with adaptive sports.

These programs gave her the tools to dream and dream big, she did! From swimming to adaptive basketball and tennis - her love of movement could only be challenged by the pace she was willing to set in learning something new. 

Believe: Building Inclusive Communities Across Oceans 

What training as an athlete has taught Jessica is the importance of community. In 2006, she found community in the inter-country collaboration between Bermuda and Canada, at a para-sports expo that brought coaches and athletes from Canada to Bermuda to showcase para-sports to the para-community. Jessica met the late Ken Thom (who became her coach) and his son Curtis Thom an elite wheelchair racer and her current coach. It was there that she instantly fell in love with wheelchair racing.

Believing in herself means when opportunities come by, she embraces them. The impact of believing in herself has become life-changing for Jessica. 

Overcome: Maximizing Your Potential  

Building inclusive communities has taken Jessica around the world. These are the valuable life lessons she shares in her public speaking engagements:

1. Believe in yourself

2. Grab opportunities

3. Understand but don't focus on your limitations

4. Take action

5. Remember why you started 

6. Give back to others

SeeWhatSheCanDo

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