About Rory &
The DoZa Story
At the age of 15 I began to dream of swimming at the Olympics. With very little talent and a lot of faith I embarked on a journey that laid a foundation for the rest of my life.
Ten years and 1000’s of hours later, my Olympic journey did not end the way I had hoped. As disappointing as that was, the old cliché, “life is about the journey, enjoy the ride” held true. My Olympic swim dream was crazy, but I lived it like it was a reality every single day for 10 years. I may not have made the team, but the journey laid the foundation for how I approach the rest of my life. In my dying moments, I want to look back on my life’s journey in the same way I look back on my Olympic journey.
The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” – Pierre de Coubertin, IOC President 1896 – 1925.
My swimming journey taught me a lesson; have the courage to put yourself out there. Commit to a goal, no matter how big. Take responsibility for your journey. Enjoying the roller coaster of a ride. My greatest fear is that as I grow older I will allow life to get in the way of my dreams. I’ll get caught up in my day-to-day struggles and routines, forgetting what I truly want to achieve. I never want to limit my potential or stop dreaming big. I don’t want to be the guy that makes excuses for why I can’t or didn’t do something.
It doesn’t matter if your goal is BIG or small. If you are an Age Group athlete chasing a dream in endurance or multi-sport like Triathlon, I want to help you. I created DoZA to help you be the best you can be, in your sport and in your life.
So whats with the name ?
Pronounced “Doh-ZA”
DoZA is an acronym of sorts that came to me one day in the middle of a hard bike interval (naturally this is where all insightful ideas arise!). Here’s how it breaks down:
Do
I know from personal experience that in order to be better I have to act. I have to DO.
When I’ve performed at my best, it’s been because I took action.
I’ve been most successful at solving problems when I’ve moved to solve them.
I’ve learned that I can’t think my way to happiness or success, I have to do something to get there!
Like my favourite author, Ryan Holiday wrote “You know what’s better than building things up in your imagination? Building things up in real life.”
To be better we have to DO.
Za
Is about beginning with the end in mind and then taking the first step.
We start at Z – the ultimate goal. This is the best version of what we can imagine ourselves being. From Z we work backwards to A; the first step we need to take on the journey to being better.
Beginning with the end in mind is an idea taken from author Stephen Covey. We have to take the time to picture who we are and what we ultimately want in life; pulling together our unique qualities, values and ability to be all we can be.
Once we know where we are headed, we reverse engineer the process back A, the single thing we can DO right now, in this very moment, to help us get one step closer to that ultimate goal.