How did this happen…?

Welcome to my very first blog post, something I have always wanted to do, but…

Why has it taken so long? Was there something holding me back? If there was, what could it be? Was it that I didn’t know what to write? Did I fear criticism? Was I afraid of ridicule? Was it that I was worried that nobody would be interested in what I had to say?

In truth it was probably a bit of all of these things… see for some reason I have always sought the approval of others, I imagined that I needed permission from other people to do the things that really make me tick.

So what changed? I mean, you are reading my first blog, right… so something must have shifted? The answer is that I was introduced into the world of coaching; or rather I discovered that in the past when I have really felt alive is when I have been working with other people, helping them discover new levels of performance, uncover talents that they never knew they had. Here’s how it happened…

A few years ago I was made redundant. It was not really a shock as there had been rounds of restructuring going on for a number of years. Suddenly I had choices, an opportunity to reflect on whether the work I was doing was truly what lit me up.

I had already started exploring the world of personal development and so I decided that this was an oppotunity to look inside and discover what I really wanted to do. I opted to take some time out for a while so that I could recalibrate, recentre and begin to enjoy life again. It was summer time and I had never had anything longer than a couple of weeks off work, this was great.

My introspection pointed me in the direction of becoming a coach. I realised that what gave me a huge buzz was facilitating elevated performance in other people, this was what really stoked my fire. As I looked back I uncovered many examples of this and just the thought of these moments got my pulse racing, such as coaching other BMX racers, or new team members at work…

As a youngster I used to race BMX bikes. As I moved up to the older age groups I got more involved in coaching the younger kids. We used to hold BMX clinics during the school holidays where we would work with the younger riders, providing inspiration as well as technical coaching to help them improve. There was one young rider in particular who stood out from the rest and over time we became good friends. I used to see Taffy at the track almost every time I went down there to practice. I used to show him things I had learned and as he got older he moved into the “open” age group where I was riding… It was not long before he was competeing at the front with us older riders and he gradually pulled ahead, he became a very tough competitor. Taffy went on to become New York State champion whilst studying at university in the USA. He then returned to Zimbabwe where he trained many of the riders who currently race, including taking some of them to the World Championships as their coach. Sadly, Taffy is no longer with us, but he has most definitely left his legacy in the lives of those riders and their families. RIP my friend.

As I progressed in my career and moved up the ladder, and new recruits joined the organisation, I gained responsibility which included training these new team members. Looking back, this is another fulfilling aspect of the work I did, I loved seeing the newbies learn and blossom as they too progressed.

All this time spent on coaching others and witnessing the dawning of realisation on their faces as they discovered for themselves that they had it in them all along, so I got myself a coach. Along with the challenge and the objectivity (all too often we can’t see something for ourselves but someone objective can see as clear as day) came the accountability – “what’s holding you back?” “Where’s the evidence that any of that is true?” Peeling the onion, stripping away the barriers in my own mind. Just get on with it!

So here it is, having had this idea to start a blog simmering away in my head for a long while, it’s time to get on with it… the first step on my blogging journey… until next time, take care and be the best version of you!