Adam Plummer

Rugby Player & Coach - 28 y/o from Tottenham, NSW

For me, resilience isn’t about never feeling sad or broken — it’s about embracing the hurt, then refusing to let it define you.

It wasn’t until I was 27 that I decided I was ready to move away from my home town and chase rugby. I could make every excuse to myself under the sun about why I didn’t want to move away, how I just needed one more season to get some good highlights together and build a good resume, get my injury right first. But the truth was I was scared, I didn’t want to leave where I was comfortable, I didn’t want to leave my friends, and I was afraid of finding out I wasn’t good enough. Everyone grows at different rates and there is no right or wrong way to go about it.

I struggled when I first moved away, nothing was going right with footy, I missed my girlfriend horribly and my injury (stress fracture in the foot) was back. I was so close to packing it in, taking the easy option and protecting my ego. I was lucky I had a support network, though 100s of kilometers away, it was my family and friends back home that pushed me to stay. Its taken longer than I’d hoped, we always want everything to work out straight away, but when you can push through, stay true to yourself and overcome adversity, it brings a pride and belief in yourself like none other.

No one has walked the path you walk, there is only one you, but the emotions you feel, they are not unique, fear, regret, anxiety and loneliness are universal, you and I experience them the same. It is hard to see the silver lining when you are surrounded by doubt, but I promise you, it is the toughest times that build our character the most. Just like a muscle, we need to be tested to grow.

Adam shares more of his incredible story on his Instagram page here.