Today is my day of arrival on this big planet of ours, commonly known as a birthday. I have never been one to celebrate birthdays at all, in fact I chose to think of them as really shit days in the past for many reasons.  Until I realised, over the last few years, why this was the case. Through my journey of self discovery, I found that it was because deep down inside, I did not accept or like myself very much and could not understand why others did. There was a time when I made an internal pact that I would not live past my 30^th birthday, and believe me, I did a pretty good job and trying to seal that deal. It was only then, after being given a fourth or fifth chance, that I realised how short life was, and how truly blessed I was to be given another chance after what I had put my family, but more importantly, myself through.

So today, I sit and give thanks for my 8^th birthday in my new life and thought I would share some of my biggest learnings during my own personal journey to today. It is also a tribute of thanks to you who read this blog regularly as well because you get to know more about me, and in doing so, you get to know more about yourself, and that is more than I could ever ask for.

Doing what your heart says takes massive amounts of faith

I have had the true privilege of meeting and having possibly the most amazing business partner anyone could ever wish for. We are like brothers, to the point that it is now one of the most common questions we are asked when we are together, and the other night, we did our first ever webinar for our baby, Ego Invenio. Let me just tell you that it could possibly be one of the most terrifying things we have ever done, and there were a few moments when both of us just looked at each other and no words were needed. Yet we knew that what we have to share with people will truly transform their lives – quite literally. And how do we know this? Because it has got us to where we are today and we want to share it. When you have faith, in whatever it is that you want to do, and you know in your heart that it is your truth, I now know that you can do those scary things.

The importance of Gratitude

I spend time every single day reflecting on my gratitude list. I look at it like an investment in my life and it gets you through the dark and difficult days we all have. It makes me realise just how truly lucky I am, and even last night, walking to catch a bus, we passed about 10 or 12 homeless people sleeping in the streets and it reminded me how far I have come in 4 years of living in London. But above all else, it gives me that drive each day to follow my heart and live my dreams – I guess you could say gratitude is the jet fuel of life ! Wow – that’s fucking cool that one mate !!!

My circle of friends is a direct representation of myself

I will be the first person to put my hand up and say that I have 2 very distinct and different circles of friends, and in the past have found that I kept them quite separate.  I had the chance last night to introduce my business partner to them and I saw something truly special. The other night I spoke about the standards that we set for ourselves and how our current destination is a direct reflection of our life. And I was very proud and blessed. My friends, all in their own very unique way, are a huge reflection of my parts. They are crazy and funny, they are mad and outrageous, they are intelligent and driven, they are little and large, but above all, they are fucking amazing people. I have not seen the “crazy ones” for quite a while as I have been working really hard, both on myself and on Ego Invenio over the last couple of months. They were not expecting me to arrive last night as we had a work function, but my housemate really wanted to see my birthday in with me, and he is my closest friend here in London. It was also another mate’s birthday too, so I decided to go along. I was overwhelmed by the welcome I received as I was bit nervous to be honest, but within 5 minutes, the insults were flying and it was like we had never spent time apart. I heard how career changes had been made, we reflected on Oscar Wilde and Dorrian Gray, we spoke about my career change, love life and so many more things. But most importantly, inwardly, I truly am proud of the standards I have set that are directly reflected by some of the most amazing people around me in my life and it is my commitment to spend more time with them in this coming year.

I also have some amazing friends back home in Zimbabwe, and  just this week, we were laughing about how we used to play hide and seek (yes, as grown ups after putting the kids to bed) and all the fun and games we had. It was nice to know that no matter how far away you are from your true friends, they will always make you laugh and smile !

And my online friends who I have never met yet chat with frequently. They influence my life in a very big way and I love following what they do and just getting to know more about them.

Nothing is more important than my inner health

I can work on my career and my relationships, on my finances or investments, but if I don’t take care of my foundation, then I will never get anywhere. My biggest dream many years ago was to work on a construction project that would be known globally, no matter where in the world I went. I had the priveledge to work on Terminal 5 at Heathrow, and was so focused on my chartership and exams and career that I forgot to take care of me. Yes I was getting ahead in life, but deeply unfulfilled until I started reinforcing the foundation.

When you do what you love, you never work a day in your life

A year ago, I had a huge career change as you can see from the last point. And I began to follow my heart and work in the industry that I am now. I say work because I guess that is what you call it. But it means something truly different to me today. Yes, I get stressed. Yes it gets busy and you get tired, but you know what, every day I cannot wait to get to work, or to work on my own stuff. And I now truly understand what they mean when they say that and how many people actually have that chance?

Getting “hurt” by someone you love is by far the best way to get to know yourself

I learnt to fall in love this year, and just to test that waters, I actually did it twice would you believe, and both times, just as I realised deep down inside where I was and what was going on, the relationships ended. At the times, it was truly confusing because from my side, it was totally unexpected. But it made me realise that I had the choice. In the past, I chose to use it to keep me from getting hurt. This time around, thanks to the gratitude that I mentioned, yes, obviously I was very hurt and upset, but it taught me so very much about myself. I had had the chance to spend some top quality time, getting to know someone, them getting to know me and it really showed me a deeper side of myself. So thank you to both of them for helping me learn a very big lesson, and in doing so, appreciating and understanding myself so much more.

It’s OK to cry – planting a seed

Man, have I cried the last year. I don’t know what it is but I guess once you open the taps, they just keep coming. But what I have learnt is that when we cry, it is because we have grown a little bit and opened up a “hole” in our heart (the pain or gratitude we feel.) God (or whatever you believe in) then comes along and plants a seed and in order for that new gift to grow, we need to water it. And we do that by crying ! It washes away the loose dirt and debris lying around and it waters that seed so that it can blossom into a new understanding flower !

When you know why you do what you do, anything becomes possible

This is HUGE for me. Fucking huge ! I have 2 of the most amazing beautiful children in the world, and the most amazing ex-wife anyone could ever ask for. And my mom and my sister are just something truly beautiful in my life. These 5 people have seen me in hospital with tubes up my nose, needles in my arms, machines beeping and naked under the sheet on the bed. They held my hand, physically and mentally and emotionally, when I did not have the strength to even look at myself in the mirror. And they love me for who and what I am. But above all else, they helped me find what it was that drives me each and every single day, and when you get that, when you truly find your inspiration in life to do what you do and make the world a better and safer place, then anything becomes possible. It is still scary but it is possible. Find your why. Even if, at first, your why is someone else like it used to be for me. Use it to help you even more to find your why, and it does not matter what it is. YOUR why is YOUR why and nobody else’s and never let anyone make you doubt it. If they do, call me and I will come and kick their ass for them !

Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life

Herbert Otto

I have come to the conclusion - and yes, I know many of you will say that this is so – that life is about taking risks. Some of them are calculated and prepared for, others are ones where you just jump head first into the unknown, not knowing what the fuck is going to happen. And you know what I have learnt? That it is during those leaps of utmost and seemingly insane faith that we get the most growth.

4 years ago today, I was preparing for one of those giant leaps into the unknown. I had sold every single thing that I owned to buy an air ticket to come and live in London. It had taken me almost 9 months to prepare myself for this leap of faith and despite that, I was bloody terrified. I knew nobody here and I had absolutely no idea where I was going to live, what work I was going to do or for that matter, how the hell the underground operated. But all that I knew was that I had to get here. One, so that I could be closer to my children and ex-wife and mend the relationship that I had destroyed with them. And two – to follow my heart and start working on my big dreams.

So this weekend I have been doing a lot of reflecting on my journey so far. Over the last 4 years I have pushed myself to limits I never believed possible. It has been physically, mentally and emotionally challenging and painful as I have continued to leap blindly into the unknown, in the faith that what I do with my life is going to benefit and aid my dream of helping people and changing the world, one person at a time.

I had a chat with someone I call my brother today about this very thing, and during our conversation, I openly admitted the fears and doubts that I have at times. Accepting my personal gifts and strengths in making my vision and lessons know to people was something I denied and fought for many years. I used to believe that in order to make a difference, one would need tangible and visible “products” to share with the world, so therefore, I just used to think I could not make a difference. In this absence of self belief, what I did not realise that it got me to push myself even further, each and every day. It gave me faith and belief that every little and large leap I took over the edge showed me more and more of what I was capable of.

And it has brought me to a place of possibly the most amazing serenity and peace I have ever come to know despite the complete seeming uncertainty around me during this current leap of faith. I saw today during our talk that I have pushed myself further than many people would take themselves in many lifetimes, and I began to see the impact that that was having.

To be come fully alive a person must have goals and aims that transcend himself.

Herbert Otto

I had spent many hours yesterday drawing up what I would like to do with my life and put aside all doubts and thoughts. I put it ALL down on paper for once, not holding back. Getting it all out took about 3 or 4 hours – really thinking big. Truly digging deep for that personal inspiration that makes me keep pushing every boundary I have ever known and some I did not even know existed. Allowing someone close to me to take a look at it was like standing naked in Trafalgar Square on a packed Saturday afternoon. Part of me wanted to grab the paper and run, yet my heart knew that this was the next step that needed to be taken.

I look back now to August 2006. I see how that last 4 years have shaped me into the person that I allow myself to be today. I look at the paper with my dreams out in the open and I look inside to the reason why I keep taking those risks and it makes it be OK. In January when I started writing this blog, I prayed that by December it would be seen 1,000 times and that scared me. We are now in August, and it is now nearing 3,000 unique views. I thought the 1,000 was crazy when I came up with the figure and that makes my piece of paper all the more real.

I am overwhelmed with gratitude to my own personal God who has given me wings for these giant leaps I take and angels like Mufasa who catch me when I think I am going to fall. I thank my God for the gifts of 2 amazing children and the most beautiful ex-wife anyone could ever ask for – themjust being in my life makes me stretch the wings even more. I thank him for my family far away on the other side of the world, constantly routing for me. And I thank him for each and every one of you who visit this site and read my words. There are times when I feel like I am just pouring out the biggest load of shite, but then I get a comment about how it made a difference to someone and that makes the brutal honesty OK.

Oh, and I thank him for soft tissue paper in England because I have learnt how to cry and since doing that, I don’t seem to stop. Then again – I am reminded that every time I open up a little more, a hole is dug and God plants a seed and the tears water it so that the message can grow and be shared.

Trinity ”Neo… nobody has ever done this before.”

Neo ”That’s why it’s going to work.”

Be The Change You Want To See In This World

– Mahatma Gandhi

So yeah, I decided that, as I work with people and help them change their lives, based on what I have done so far, I asked myself how I could push myself to the next level and take yet big small step in my life.

I know that what I have done in my life works, and it works pretty frikkin well. I know what it is like to drastically change careers and lifestyles, I know how to basically re-invent your life from nothing. I have given up almost a lifetime of drugs in many different forms and self harming on all levels (physical, mental and emotional) is a fragment of a previous life. My health has radically changed, as have my eating habits and lifestyle and for almost 8 years now, I have learnt to live with severe bipolar depression without medication of any type. I know what it is like to follow your passion and do what you believe in despite what other people may, or may not, say and most importantly I believe that if I want to make a difference in other people’s lives, I have to start with my own.

So I was in a bit of a predicament to be honest with you, having realised what I had achieved. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine being truly free on all levels – and for those that know me, they will understand this. Almost 10 years ago, I set myself a 10-day challenge, whereby I wanted to be able to get through 10 days feeling relatively “normal” and not having constant internal battles, outbreaks at myself, no drugs, no shit generally. I undertook this on my own at that time, and let me tell you, it was only 3 years later that I managed to get through my first 10 days. One by one, I began mastering each particular challenge of mine, and I got to the place where I am today which, to be fucking honest with you, has surpassed anything I could ever have dreamt of and I now truly believe that I can achieve anything I set my mind to, as long as it is in line with my purpose and desire in life.

And there I was. Ready to take the next step and I began thinking. My business partner and I are about to launch Ego Invenio – our amazing experiential program that is frikkin awesome. Having both achieved our levels of mastery in our specific areas of expertise, we are deeply passionate about what we do for one reason. We know it works because we have tested it and tested it and tested it, over and over again on ourselves. We have the results in our lives that we know will change your life.

So I decided to set myself a challenge. Based on our unique 9-step program, amongst other things that we do, I am about to go outside and smoke my last cigarette – something that I have been doing for almost 25 years now. Over the years, I have given up drinking almost 2 bottles of vodka a day, I have given up cocaine and taking almost 50 painkillers a day, I have gone from starving myself for days on end to a healthy diet and actually gaining and keeping weight for the first time in my life, so to say that I know a little bit about working with addicts is something pretty accurate. Yet this final addiction of mine has been challenging me somewhat, until now.

Honesty is a huge value of mine, and for me to go out there and do what I want to do, I need to be our message. I need to be the change that I wish for people in their lives so this is my next challenge.

I will keep you update of the progress, and at the same time, be sure to follow us on Facebook as we prepare for our launch very shortly. We have some amazing stuff lined up and we know that you are all very excited. Ego Invenio looks set to be an amazing life changing experience and yeah, to know that in a few minutes, I am going to be taking on my final “test” to see that everything works is pretty cool !!!

Over the last few years, having previously lived my life with the belief that you get what is set for you when you are born, I have become a firm believer in the fact that you create your own destiny. I read a book some time ago called “The Luck Factor” by Dr. Richard Wiseman, that had particular influence  on the way I began to create my outcomes. Combined with learning’s that I got from many other books, I began to do some pretty cool shit so I thought that today, I would share a few simple things that you can do which will have a huge impact on the results you get.

1.    Before you begin a journey, it is always a great idea to get some idea of where you would like to go. Brainstorm or draw up a mind map of what you want in all areas of your life. This gives you something on which to focus, and the more you focus on it and refine it, the clearer you become on your intentions for you life.

2.    One of the greatest things that we can build our lives on is a solid foundation – a healthy mind, body and soul. Daily meditation is one of the simplest and easiest things that we can do. It helps us to quieten our thoughts and focus just on ourselves. Make it a habit to do this twice a day – morning and night. Use this time to let everything go and before you do it, take a look at your mind map of the journey you want to take. This plants the seeds deep in your mind and it is in the moments of silence that we receive huge clarity.

3.    Having a healthy and quiet mind is one thing, but being physically healthy is something else equally as important. Start by doing some sort of detox or cleanse to rid your body of “stuff” you have been carrying around with you. Why start a journey with bad luggage you could say. Exercise regularly and employ good eating habits.

4.    Deepak Chopra says something along the lines of “everything is unknown because we are constantly creating in our lives.” It is not positive thinking alone that “makes” the universe create your every desire, but creative thinking that truly opens up all possibilities.

5.    It is your intention and what you pay attention to that gives you your life. When you put your attention on negative past feelings and beliefs, no matter how hard you try, you will keep experiencing  them. Think about how many crap movies you have watched in your life – have you let those influence the movies you choose to watch and enjoy now, or did you just laugh and forget about the?

6.    Whenever you feel any kind of dis-ease (anger, jealousy, sadness, fear, etc.), stop and acknowledge the feeling for what it is without creating a story about it. Then keep your attention on the restriction that is has on you and just breathe into it. Just breathing and being with the feeling allows it to complete itself for you to get what you need to get – this is a natural law in that what we resist, persists, yet when we allow the feeling its place, it can complete the cycle.

7.    Create a “Board of Directors” for your life, and “consult” them whenever you want to. Tap into the universal abundance of thought and creativity. Some of my “Board Members” are Jesus, Richard Branson, Lance Armstrong, Madonna and Adam Lambert. When I am faced with decisions or choices, I meditate and sit down with them and ask them what they would do and it is amazing what happens when you listen to your heart from a genuinely quiet place.

8.    ALWAYS start and finish your day with a does of gratitude. This makes you realise how much you have and keeps you in a state of centered awareness. Intention is so much more powerful when it comes from a place of gratitude and peace rather than from lack or need. It all gives you strength and faith to not be influenced by other people’s doubt or criticisms, because your higher self knows that everything is and will be alright, even without knowing the details of what is going to happen.

9.    Before you go to sleep at night, take a few minutes to replay the events of the day gone by, kind of like a movie in your mind, and just like the movies you watched in the past, keep the pieces that you need to keep and trash the rest. You know the journey your are undertaking, and this increases awareness of how you are actually being in the world and alerts you to any changes or distinctions you may want to make.

Always remember that you are special, believe in yourself and go out into the world and pursue your dreams. Hopefully these steps will guides toward creating whatever it is what you choose.

Amazingly enough (or considering we create whatever happens to us) a close friend (let’s call him Yogi Bear for now) came to me while I was writing this and shared about something he watched. I listened in silent gratitude and after watching it, thought that it was an amazing way to end of this post. Madonna is, and always has been, a huge influence in my life. Never one to be ashamed of completely reinventing her life, her work gave me the courage to be the authentic person I always wanted to be.

“Dance like nobody’s watching; love like you’ve never been hurt. Sing like nobody’s listening; live like it’s heaven on earth.”
Mark Twain

I think that Mr. Twain was a pretty wise dude you know. He said some really cool things and this, by far, is one of my favorite sayings and one that I truly make every effort to live my life by.

I am by no means a person who believes in selfconfidence, and in my opinion, I don’t think that there is such a thing – kind of conentious (sp) one might say. But what I do believe in, and if you are a follower of my blogs I kind of touched on this in my last posting, is self assurance – which I think is a very big difference.

You see, at the end of the day, the only opinion that really counts in my life of myself is mine. Selfish as that might sound, I guess you could say it opens up the possibilities to appreciating everybody in my life that much more, because they have every right to their own opinions, their own feeling and their own actions. I can’t change them but I can accept them as they are, which make you all very special in my life because each and every one of you that live my life with me play an integral part in who I am today. Without knowing you, or meeting you and speaking to you, there is no way I could have ever accepted myself for who I am every single day.

I love to sing – a lot !! And I love to dance – even more. And I believe that I can make my own heaven each and every day of my life (why should I wait until I am dead to get there when I can choose it every day?) So I thought – what is something simple and small that would scare me a lot and really push my buttons? And I came up with it. Me, singing for every one to see, on camera – captured for all eternity, or for as long as I choose it to be public knowledge.

So today, I did just that. I sang like nobody was listening and I danced liked nobody was watching. And why? Just because I could and just because I thought it would be something crazy and fun to do. Some people will like it, some people will laugh and some people will think it is just plain silly. But it was a lot of fun and the words were pretty cool too !

Today, why don’t you do something small that really pushes your buttons. Don’t worry what anyone else thinks – just get out there and be yourself. It frikkin rocks man !!!

I was talking with my “brother” the other day and reflecting on life and everything else that goes with it and he said something to me that made me think. He said “you learn lessons so hard and so fast that I find I learn a lot from just being around you” and so based on that, I thought I would share with you the TOP 4 Lessons I have learnt this month.

• My opinion of myself is the ONLY ONE that really matters

No matter how many times people tell you things about yourself – unless you truly believe it in your heart and accept it and own it as your own – there is no way that you will ever believe it. I used to listen to people tell me things about myself, I would say thank you, yet in my head, it was not making sense. I would then get upset when people said other things about me, sometimes even the same people who passed compliments in the past. So therefore, I contsantly fought with myself and all these conflicting things that were being said.

I can only see the world as I know it – nothing else is ever going to change that, and therefore, I can only see myself as I know myself. Like my own, people’s opinions are ALWAYS changing – things happen, things influence our beliefs and values and decisions and opinions change. But when I am sure of who I am and own who I am, and I live my life in accordance with my beliefs and values, then really, it is only my opinion of myself that matters. If I see a trend of people getting upset with me, I can take a look at myself and see why I am creating that and if there is anything I need to change. If there isn’t and I am happy with myself, then why the frikkin hell should I let other people’s opinions of me upset me.

And if I live my life influenced by everybody else’s ever changing opinions (just like mine) then how I can I be the authentic person I strive to be because you know what, there are 6 billion people in the world and there is no way I am ever going to please all of them, so I may as well start off by making sure I am happy with myself and not let other people influence who I am or how I react or live my life.

• When you speak openly and honestly from the heart, people listen and take inspired action

There was a time in my life when all I could do was talk the biggest load of crap there ever was, and then I used to wonder why people did not take any notice of me. Imagine for a minute, if you would, that you could only speak (say) 500 words a day and that was it. What would you say and how would you use those words ? Would you make the most of them and make sure you spoke your honest truth and message or would you just waste them with nonsense ? There is so much going on in the world that we are conditioned to “listen” to every day that it is no wonder so few voices are truly heard.

A few people asked me recently about a detox / cleanse that I did a while back, and I spoke about what it did for me, based on my true life fact and from the heart, because it made a huge impact on my life. A little while later, quite a few people took action and decided to have a go for themselves. It was pretty humbling to know that my words could inspire someone to take action and was a good learning for me.

• It’s OK to let go of stuff

When I got out of hospital many years ago (November 2002) I met a young student priest, who was very very open minded. He helped me a great deal, considering that I had been in hospital as a result of trying to take my own life (again) and I was pretty feckin lost – I was angry and I hated myself for what I had put my family through and I did not see the point of carrying on. After spending 3 full and intense days with him, and having some pretty profound breakthroughs back then, he gave me a parting gift that I have carried with me EVERY SINGLE DAY since then – his rosary (who I called Lordy.) Now those of you that really know me will know how important my own personal faith is in my life, and Lordy has helped me through some pretty tough shit. He has always been there as a reminder that somebody greater than myself believed in me enough to give me a fourth or fifth chance !

We went swimming one night when I was in Portugal, and I put Lordy down on my towel. It was quite late and the tide was coming in, so I ran to move my towel, carefully picking it up. We then went back into the sea and carried on swimming and chatting. I then go out and went to dry myself, and noticed that Lordy was not there. Now let me explain – there have been times in the past when I have driven to work, realised that I had left Lordy at home and turned around to go and collect Him – that is the importance he held in my heart, and one day soon, I know you will understand this more. Anyway, instead of the insane panic that would normally overcome me, all that was there was an overwhelming sense of peace and calm. In my heart, I knew that it was OK to just let go and have faith. How many times in the past did I fight and push myself through stuff, when had I just embraced it and accepted things and just let go, it would have been so much more liberating. I turned and hugged my “brother” knowing that letting go is the most exciting thing we can ever do in our lives. Why hold on to stuff that keeps one foot trapped in the past when all we have to do is let it go?

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Something like this used to terrify me – I guess because my opinion of myself was not that great, I was too afraid to speak openly from the heart and therefore, I was hanging on to shit from the past !!! But when I realised that I was sure of who I was and what I wanted, that my opinion mattered and if I let go of my shit and spoke openly from my heart, it was OK to ask for help. I did and the answers I got blew me away !

My Mom has the most amazing intuition in the world – a gift I clearly now realise that I got from her. Due to the distance apart that we are, and that fact that phone systems in Zimbabwe are pretty messed up, I don’t get to speak to her much, but she knows just when to send the right type of mail across the world to me.

As you may know from my previous post, some pretty big shit has shifted in my head, and I have had a few days of rather intense and vivid dreams, as well as some very “unrestful” sleep – in fact, A LOT of unrestful sleep. My body is physically drained yet my mind is raring to go, possibly explaining all the dreams. I am going with the flow of it all and taking things one day at a time at the moment. I am putting plans in place and taking steps towards creating the dream that I once thought was just that – a dream. And then there are some areas that are not without their challenges, and those I am working in too. It is very difficult when other people’s emotions are involved, and all I can do is be me, open and honest about everything I guess.

So this came from my Mom at exactly the right time. It summed up a lot of what has happened over the last 2 years of intense work on myself, and you know what, I have (as have you) probably read it in the past, but this time it really sunk in and I feel obligated to share it with you all.

Maybe…
we were supposed to meet the wrong people before meeting the right one so that,
when we finally meet the right person,
we will know how to be grateful for that gift.

Maybe…
it is true that we don’t know what we have until we lose it,
but it is also true that we don’t know what we have been missing until it arrives.

Maybe…
the brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past;
after all, you can’t go on successfully in life
until you let go of your past mistakes, failures and heartaches.

Maybe…
you should hope for enough happiness to make you sweet,
enough trials to make you strong,
enough sorrow to keep you human,
and enough hope to make you happy.

Maybe…
the happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

Maybe…
the best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you’ve ever had.

Maybe…
happiness waits for all those who cry,
all those who hurt, all those who have searched, and all those who have tried,
for only they can appreciate the importance of all the people who have touched their lives.

Maybe…
you should do something nice for someone every single day,
even if it is simply to leave them alone.

Maybe…
giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back.
Don’t expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart;
but, if it doesn’t, be content that it grew in yours.

Maybe…
you should dream what you want to dream;
go where you want to go,  be what you want to be,
because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you dream of,
and want to do.

Life is only travelled ONCE;
Today’s MOMENT becomes Tomorrow’s MEMORY.
Enjoy every moment, good or bad, because the GIFT of LIFE… is LIFE itself…

EGO INVENIO my friends ! The journey to the heart of knowing yourself is one of the MOST rewarding journeys you will ever undertake. By no means the easiest, but by all means the most rewarding.

So, I started writing a blog and then heard some more news. I let the shock set in, I took some time out to cry (and swear) a lot and I took a deep breath and listened to my heart, which has been speaking to me quite a bit lately. For some strange reason, this time around, my fucking head would not answer back and that was when I knew that maybe, I had finally listened to the message that I was being given.

Today I had the news that 2 people I knew, one very well, had died. The first young lady was sadly killed by a lion back home and the 2nd young lady died this morning really suddenly. Both of them were amazing people, they truly were but you know what was even more special about them. EVERY SINGLE day they got to do what they were passionate about. One worked in an animal orphanage, and the other worked as a teacher of small children. They loved what they did and they got to do it each and every day of their lives.

Keziah, the girl who died this morning was very special to me. You see, some time back, as you know, I was pretty fucked up. She was one of the first people I spoke to about some stuff that was going on back then and she gave me a book to read the changed my life. It was called The Cross and The Swicthblade about this minister who worked with heroin addicts on the streets in America. He never gave up on them and his ministry still goes today around the world. That book made me see that I was not going mad and that the dreams and visions I had for the future were possible. She always believed in me and whenever I spoke to her, she always inspired me and now she has gone to a place she strongly believed in.

You see, I don’t know if I speak for you, but I know that for me, I have some pretty big dreams that I want to achieve in my life. Because of my own fears and limitations that I have placed on myself, I guess you could say I have always come up with excuses and the like.

Until today !

How many signs and messages do we need to get before we actually take some specific sort of action towards what we want to do ? Life is short guys, it really is. I know that there was a time in my life where I hated everything going on and when I just wanted to be dead. Call it extreme but I know that there are people out there who know what I am talking about. I tried to end my life a few times, and in doing so, I hurt a lot of people but none more than I hurt myself. It has taken me many years to accept who I am and to truly love the person that I am every day now, realising how lucky I am to be alive and living now.

So, I am taking some action and this is where you come in because I need some help from you. It will be my birthday in August and before then, I intend to stand up and speak. I can’t teach you about internet marketing, and I can’t teach you about trading and fitness but what I can tell you is my story and how to be authentic and true to who you are. I can share with you from the heart what I have learnt in my life, in the hope that it will change your life in one way or another.

Fuck me, it is scarry writing this stuff, but these 2 friends of mine have shown me something truly special in life, and I believe that I can now share what I know with the people who are reading this and ready to listen.

I have some dates lined up and depending on the interest that is shown, Iguess that is how it goes. It will be towards the end of July, early-August and will be in the evening after work for a few hours. There will be a small charge to cover the costs of organising it, part of the proceeds of this will also go to The Gorilla Organisation, a charity that is very very close to my heart in all that i do, but it will be small.

If you are interested, please contact me via Facebook or by email on mycoachguy@yahoo.com and I will keep you informed, and if you can, please pass this on to your friends and family.

It’s my dream and I believe in it, so please support me in taking this HUGE step forwards, and remember, maket he most of everything because you never know what is going to happen next.

I have always been passionate about adding value in all that I do, whether it be business or personal relationships with people -–which, at the end of the day, transfers to any service that you provide. It makes people remember you, regardless of whether they have taken up your offer or not, and when the time comes for your service to be required, if you have added value, your name will be the one that they will always remember and come back to.

Here is how you can add massive value to anything service that you provide, both online and face to face.

1)    Maintain a State of Excellence

This means being in the best state at all time – state of mind, state of knowledge and state of actions. Make sure you keep abreast of what is going on in your environment, learn what you always need to learn and be excellent at all times. Being able to answer questions from clients in the right frame of mind, with the right attitude and in the right way creates something very special. And most of all, get the little things right like remembering a customer’s name or even keeping your facts brief and to the point. Say things like you mean them, and be proud of the knowledge that you have acquired, or more importantly, of the knowledge that you can gain.

2)    Be Consistently Consistent

Once you have entered a state of excellence in all that you do, ensure that you keep this up. There is nothing more frustrating than being told one thing, and later on finding out that what you heard is totally different. Ensure that all levels or service that you provide are consistent throughout and that this is reflected throughout your organisation, business or life.

3)    Pay Attention

First impressions count and last a life time. It is often times very difficult to change somebody’s mind after they have first met you without diligent and consistent hardwork and effort on your part. Be thorough in all your dealings and pay close attention to the finer details that often go unnoticed but make a huge difference in what you do. Being in a consistent state of excellence and paying attention to things as they go on around you make way for a very memorable first encounter, and one that will not be forgotten very quickly.

4)    Empathise, don’t sympathise

Your clients or friends or associates have come to your for a reason very important to them, no matter what it is. Put yourself in their shoes and feel their feelings rather than trying to understand what they are going through. Be aware of the needs of those who approach you, knowing that with your knowledge, skills and awareness, you will be able to be there to support them to whatever they need to do. Another way of looking at this is by saying to yourself “If I was my client or friend, how would I like to be treated in this situation?”

5)    Appreciation

Adding value to someone’s life costs you absolutely nothing at all, and is a very simple and rewarding thing to do, regardless of the outcome. It has nothing to do with spending money right now, but has everything to do with creating a long-lasting experience and relationship. Appreciate the time and effort that they have taken to come to you with their needs, and acknowledge the part that you can play in their next step, whatever it might be

As you know, the last few days were a little tough so I have been rather focused (or should I say, more focused than I normally would) on what I envisage for my own life, as well as for the lives of those that are important to me. I find that during the crap times, as hard as it can be, turning my focus to the bigger picture allows me to “get out of the pit.” So knowing that this has worked very well for me in the past, that is what I did.

I l0oked up instead of looking around and down and it really helped.

I took some (more) time out to reflect on my journey so far – it always reminds me of how much things have changed for me and it makes me see the growth that has taken place. I remembered the times in the past when I thought that things would never get better, because that was all I knew how to think – you know those times when things happen and you have no frikkin idea how they could change. Yup, I remembered those times because it showed me that I got through.

I then took some time out to think about my passion in life. What is it that makes me get up each and every morning, because let’s face it, if you do not have something to wake up to, then what is the point of getting out of bed. Regardless of what you do, why do you do it ? For some people, it may just be getting through the day to the next pay day, for other people, it may be because they have some sort of obligation or commitment to something. But for me, it is because I have a plan. A plan that makes me scared and excited all at the same time. One that makes me think of the bigger picture, rather than my own secluded world. Something that ignites the flame of passion inside of me. So I did some writing, I did some strategic planning and I made some important conversations that resulted in my decisions for my life being confirmed.

In short, I re-connected with my passion and desire for my own life, no matter how huge or grand it seemed. To the extent that I even got someone to make an enquiry to find out how much it would cost to hire out a rather large venue as well as sending some emails to find out about some further studying that I would like to do.

It helped a fuck load I tell you, because it reminded me that without my passion in my life, there would be nothing to get out of bed for. And some years ago, that passion was not there and even though there was so much going for me, without knowing my passion, I did not see the point. And that is pretty cool because I personally know a lot of people who want to do things but they are just not sure what it is that they want to do.

Take some time out to connect with your passion. Listen to the music that makes you cry when you hear it and ask yourself why it does that to you. There will always be a clue. Look around at the world going by and put yourself in other people’s shoes to see if you can come up with what their passion in. That way, you will open your mind to something that makes you want to fly. You will open your mind to a whole new world or opportunity and discovery.

I did. I opened that door a little wider and let out a little more, and I know that, despite the challenges that come my way and try to get me back, the door is open and the passion is out and it ain’t fucking going nowhere mate !