I didn’t want to write a story about myself. This is because the story behind my becoming a Life Coach is rather extraordinary.
Hyperbole at best… a downright lie at worst. However, it IS the truth. In some ways, I wish it wasn’t. I wish I had a less ’spectacular’ introduction to the profession that I love so dearly. That way it’s more believable.
But I don’t.
Those close to me will tell you I’m a humble person, who avoids fame and publicity. I’m not one to blow my own horn… or talk about myself for lengthy periods of time. However, I understand that you need to know more about me. It’s essential for you to identify with the person behind the mask (this website).
So here goes. I’ll offer you some interesting background information and then get to the ‘good stuff’.
For as long as I can remember I’ve always had an interest in life – how we got here, what makes the world tick, what’s the purpose of life. You know, the kind of stuff that might keep you awake at night. I remember always questioning those in authority: my parents, teachers, church leaders, bosses. I’d always be asking “Why”, and the answers I received never seemed to gel with me. The most irritating response I’d receive when people didn’t know the answer to my questions was that I should simply have faith. I hated that!
I’ve also been very lucky in life.
At the age of 19, I started two years of obligatory military service – the best 2 years of my life. By the age of 20 I had completed an Officer’s Course, against all odds (I had no tertiary education, had no intention of joining the Permanent Force, and I happened to be in a section of the military which had more officers than they knew what to do with). Also in that year, I became Base Security Officer for a now defunct Air Force Base on the southern border of Angola (a war-torn country on the West coast of Africa). At this tender age I was responsible for the internal security of the entire base. Helping me out was a battalion of 70 troops and 5 non-commissioned officers, who obeyed my every command. I presided over an inventory of weapons, armoured vehicles, guard towers and miscellaneous hardware worth millions. I had my own bullet-proof van and a three-wheel motorbike with fat tyres to get me through the soft sand around the perimeter of the Airforce base. The veteran pilots hated me, because they had to share a vehicle between 8 of them. And they never received invites to dinners with senior officers and their stunning wives, who were based permanently there. I was 20 years old.
After my military experiences (if I told all my war stories we’d be here for another week!), fate smiled on me again and forced me into the burgeoning IT&T (Information Technology and Telecommunications) field. I was responsible for the timely launch of the first mobile telephony provider in South Africa. We were under tight deadlines to ensure our network was operational before the first ever all-race elections in 1994. We made it, against all odds.
For many years prior to that stressful time I’d wanted to go travelling. Nothing unique about that – almost everyone does. However, I wanted something a little different: I wanted to see the world at someone else’s expense. Whenever I told my friends about my desire, they simply laughed. In 1995, I had the last laugh, when I received the opportunity of a lifetime to head up a small software firm in Sydney, Australia. My office looked right onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Most evenings I’d spend two hours on the water with my brand new Jetski. My relocation, ginormous house in Mosman (one of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs), meals in 5-star restaurants with clients, and brand new Audi A6 were all paid for by my British employer. I was 29 years old, and having the time of my life.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention all my travels throughout South East Asia. By the time I’d landed in the 50th city I stopped counting. My favourites? Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Wellington – all such different cities, and all so enticing. For someone who’d never travelled much before, it was almost sensory overdrive. Since I was hosted in every city, I was taken to all the non-touristy spots, those reserved only for in-the-know locals. Of course I’d spend weekends visiting tourist spots that locals recommended. For the rest, I simply bought the t-shirt – there was just too much to see and do! All of this first-class travel and luxury hotels were paid for by my employer, who was ecstatic with the new business coming our way. I even presented a key-note speech to a group of Telecoms professionals in Singapore.
But enough of Asia.
In 1998 I spent a year in Washington DC, with all it’s museums and interesting watering holes. 1999 was spent in Phoenix, AZ, playing golf in Scottsdale, whenever I could get out of the office. We were implementing the world’s first satellite/GSM telephony service. The project itself was plagued with problems, and eventually went bust with a publicly declared debt of US$8-billion! But not before the chairman had treated us to an extravagant end of year function: he hired the entire Air and Space Museum in DC for dinner with 2,000 guests. Those were heady days indeed!
From the US it was onwards to Europe, where I spent time in Scotland, England and Spain. While living there I criss-crossed Europe, with regular trips to all parts of Scandinavia and Western Europe. Again, all expenses were paid, and I’ve been fortunate enough to stay in stupendous hotels. One weekend was spent in the Presidential Suite of a 400-year old castle south of Paris. I was chauffeured around Paris by Pierre, a personal friend of Henri Paul, the driver of the car in which Princess Dianna was tragically killed. Pierre took us through a blow-by-blow account as we drove through the tunnel where the tragedy happened, proving beyond doubt that the accident was highly suspicious.
While in Madrid, Spain (which fortuitously lies right in the centre of the country) I’d spend weekends driving to new and exciting destinations in my convertible Porsche – always at high speed and always with the roof down and the music blaring. I suspect I saw more of Spain than most Spaniards! In fact on one day, my then-girlfriend and I had lunch in Galicia (northern Spain) and dinner in Southern France, during a hair-raising road-trip from Madrid to London, via Lisbon. We did crazy things in those days, and it was fun!
Thinking back, I can’t believe I found the time to launch my first website at that time, but I somehow managed it. Back then I had no idea what I was doing, but the site can now be found in Position 1 on Google, for a number of fascinating search phrases (including a very short 3-letter phrase – not an easy achievement). One thousand people see the site every day, and, as a friend of mine so cleverly puts that in perspective, imagine a university professor lecturing to 1,000 students each and every day, 365 days a year. I’m very pleased with the results that website has achieved.
Phew, still here? This is exhausting!
Just one more story.
After I’d bored of Europe, fate smiled again, and sent me off to an Asian city I’d not visited previously: Taipei, Taiwan, currently home to the world’s tallest building – Taipei 101. What a fantastic country! Work was challenging (heading up a team of 65 software developers, in 3 countries spread across 3 time zones), but I still found plenty of time to travel around by car, experiencing all the delights this tiny nation has to offer. On one occasion I tried to take a rental car ACROSS the massive mountain range that runs from north to south. Trust me – it can’t be done, and I almost killed myself trying to prove it.
Why am I telling you all this?
Simply to prove that anything is achievable, once you set your mind to it.
Once I’d set my mind on becoming a military officer, I made sure I told everyone I could. Most laughed at me, but what I was doing was sending a message to the Universe.
During the year prior to going to Australia, I carried around a diary with a map of Australia on the front cover. I placed a large red X where Sydney appeared. A few short months later I sailed a yacht under the Harbour Bridge, with my A6 parked in the shade.
Europe came about because I missed the history and heritage so lacking in Australia and the US. Although I’d never visited it before, I framed a poster of King’s College in Cambridge, England in my sitting room, simply because that awesome building represented the culture I wanted to enjoy. Within a few short months I was housed in a beautiful estate just a stone’s throw from King’s College.
Deliberate Creation, The Law of Attraction, Purposeful Thinking – all these concepts work, and work extremely well.
Of course, I didn’t know those terms back then… I just knew it made sense to focus on what I wanted. I didn’t always know how to achieve the lofty goals I’d set – all I knew was what I wanted. And almost without fail, they magically appeared in my life.
But I digress. I wanted to tell you the extraordinary story behind my becoming a Life Coach.
To be Continued…
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