Jill’s House: Where the last four years has gotten me

Canadian Olympic gold medalist and Winnipeg mom Jill Officer gives us a twice-monthly look behind the scenes of her dual life in her blog, Jill’s House.

“I love it when you tell me I’ve changed because I’ve been trying to change and I couldn’t be happier with the person I am today.”

How powerful is that?!

That line was a tweet that was sent out by Penny Oleksiak the other day. Penny was the superstar 16-year-old Canadian swimmer who won four Olympic Medals in her first Olympics in Rio in 2016.

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When I read that my mind said “yes, yes, yes!”

Then I thought, “Wow, how profound for a now 17-year-old!”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: Then I thought, "Wow, how profound for a now 17-year-old!"

It is something I’ve been working on for years! But none more so than the last four.  I think Penny’s tweet was a timely reminder to me of my purpose for continuing to stay on this crazy curling ride.

The fall after we won the Olympics in 2014, I remember sitting across from a few of our support staff and explaining that I chose to curl for another quadrennial because I felt that curling still had something to teach me about myself.

It really had very little to do with curling.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: It really had very little to do with curling.

While I’ve kept that in the back of my head for the last three years as a gentle reminder of why I still play, it hasn’t been until recently that I’ve become aware that in fact “I have changed because I tried to change and I couldn’t be happier with the person I am today!”

This is essentially where the last three years has gotten me…to a place where I am even more accepting of myself and I am owning who I am and all that comes with me(remember the pile of crap?!).

READ MORE: Jill’s House: ‘Put the guilty sticks down’ focus on the positive within yourself

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So while our team is only 10 days away from beginning our attempt to defend our title at the Olympic Curling Trials, the event will be a small part of what this journey has been for me.  Win or lose, I have learned a lot more about myself, including how to be myself, which was my purpose, my goal and my gut for staying on the ice.

And win or lose, I am sure there will be more to learn about myself, more accepting to do, and more winning to do…maybe in curling but more so in life.