"Snowboarding to me isn't about the accolades. It isn't about competing. I do it because I love to snowboard, not because I love to compete.". Torah Bright is becoming one of Australia’s most well known Olympians, not just because she has won, and continues to win medals. But more so because of her attitude to what she does.

Torah’s friends have described her as someone who refuses to be limited by outside expectations. This Winter Olympics she has added a third snowboarding challenge: her past success has been in half-pipe and slope-style, and this year she has added ‘snowboard-cross’ to her competition. When asked why she doesn’t just focus on the disciplines that are her strengths, she says “This is about pushing boundaries...I call it character building. It’s a chance for the inner Torah to come out”.

What an amazing attitude! In business we are often told “do what you love” and “focus on your strengths”. Which is not bad advice. But Torah has taken this a step further and decided that she needs to pursue areas that will grow and stretch her, even if they are not ‘areas of strength’ yet. She is choosing to challenge herself, not for reasons of glory and winning, but for her own enjoyment, achievement and sense of joy.

Do you feel that way about your business? Do you find joy in what you do? Or are you going through the motions of what you think you need to do, according to other people’s expectations? These are big questions, but important ones for ensuring that we are living our life truly doing what we love and what fulfils our potential.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Like most female business owners, you’ve probably got a list of great ideas for your business. You might even have a file full of ideas for new business ventures. So why haven’t you done anything about them? What’s holding you back?

Sometimes the things that hold us back are practical in nature: lack of financial backing, lack of time, lack of resources. But the biggest thing that holds you back is YOU.

Most of us limit ourselves without even realising. We make assumptions about other people and how they will respond. We make assumptions about the risks involved without really investigating them. We listen to the naysayers and stop listening to our ‘inner entrepreneur’.

And we often our set our expectations and goals too low. Why can’t you triple your income by the end of the year? Why can’t you make your business as big as you dare to dream it could be?

I love the quote: “Aim for the stars and maybe you'll reach the sky”. If you set your sights on a goal that most people view as “realistic” or “achievable” then you are aiming too low. Aim for higher than you ever thought possible. Give yourself permission to dream big.

And then: just take a first small step. You don’t need to achieve it all in one day. Start by doing one action that will take you closer to your goal.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender