“Luck. It’s a funny concept. For a start I feel lucky to have my job on the telly, after almost 13 years. That’s a long time in TV land. A job presenting the 6pm news is a hugely coveted job; it’s a job that doesn’t come along very often. I was lucky the stars aligned.
Lucky the timing was right, lucky I had just come back from working overseas in Canada not long before, lucky to have had my second child a few weeks before the role started, lucky I had the right experience for the job. However, I also believe you create your own luck. I had always dreamed of landing this job and had done everything I could to be seen as a great candidate.
So one of my life lessons is, look for the winds of luck. They are constantly blowing. If you open yourself to meeting people, taking chances and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, you can achieve your dreams. Work hard, work hard, work hard. Harder than anyone else. Hard work does pay off.
Top Olympians and athletes don’t wake up being at the top of their field. They don’t achieve their dreams by missing training and slacking off. You’ll find they are the athletes who work the hardest. They have incredible discipline.
I love reading their books – Michael Phelps, Andre Agassi, Steven Adams.
You’ve heard the saying ‘it takes 10,000 hours to be really good at something’? Well that’s because it takes hours and hours, years and years, of hard work.
It’s tough, but the reward of hard work is worth it. I spent many long graveyard shifts presenting and producing over-night TV bulletins. I learned to present the news over many years. In Canada I was on air up to six hours a day, learning the craft. You never stop learning.
Just because you start out being shy or feeling anxious doesn’t mean that’s the way you’ll be forever. I earned the nickname ‘Beetroot’ at school because I would turn bright red when I was called upon by the teacher in class. I was terrified. I lived in fear of being called up and would hang my head so as not to be seen. It’s ironic now that I get up in front of hundreds of thousands of people to present the news.
Visualise. If you see it, imagine it, you can do it. Change your mindset. You can do or be anything with the right attitude. Surround yourself with people who have your back, and motivate you, not drag you down. Aim high, don’t stop dreaming. Live your best life, you only have one.”
