Life is Like Sailing
“In sailing, you can plan a lot of things, but the wind could change from one minute to another, so you always have to be ready for anything. That is part of life as well. Suddenly you have to alter course.”
Bjørnar is a former professional sailor and CEO of Stiftelsen Vi, or the We Foundation, an organization that works for equal opportunities for people with disabilities. Bjørnar himself was is born with TAR syndrome, leaving him with short arms and limited leg mobility. He has been a professional Paralympian sailor since the late 1990s, winning five World Championship medals for Norway between 2004 and 2016, including three bronze and two silver.
“Sometimes you go out sailing, and you think you’re going to do 800 meters on a track and field course, and then suddenly you realize that it's actually a marathon. Then, while you're doing that marathon, it changes to a sprint.”
That’s like life, too, he points out. You have to prepare, but you always have to be ready for change, and to embrace that change when it comes your way.
“I also think when you're born with short arms, maybe you realize that, ‘Okay, what could be the big thing that I could achieve? Okay, I'm maybe not so good at handstands, but I can be a optimistic guy.’ So I think it’s a mental thing, that you just decide, ‘Okay, what can I change today to make my goals easier?’”
Bjørnar’s sporting career directly shapes the work he does at the We Foundation.
“I have experienced through life that when you get the opportunities to achieve something, you get the confidence to continue to grow in other areas as well. And that is what we're trying to achieve with our foundation."
