What got you to where you are now?

Last week started with an overnight flight back to New Zealand landing on Wednesday morning and straight into a one-to-one well-being support meeting for a client. An early flight to Christchurch the following day for a three-hour workshop with a four-hour drive to Westport. Another three-hour workshop on Friday morning, followed by a three-hour drive to Nelson and a flight home.

Sitting on a plane early Saturday morning heading off yet again for a keynote, I glanced out the window and was taken in by this amazing view.

While I always take time to look out the window on take-off to acknowledge how fortunate I am to be able to travel so much, seldom do I look out the window throughout the flight. There's always something to do, right?

For some reason what I was seeing brought calm and peace to a very busy mind.?I began to wonder, how did I get here? How could someone with a clichéd start in life get to travel so much and help so many people?

• Growing up in a state house with financial challenges
• Rocking myself to sleep every night until married
• Unable to learn at school so became the class clown to feel included
• Punished and isolated at school and home for being disruptive and troublesome
• Scorned by a teacher stating I would never amount to much if I continued that way
• Changing from school to school to school and eventually leaving high school without a qualification.

Working life started no different.?

• I became a builder because vacancies were plentiful
• Hated the insecurity of building so I joined the police for employment security only to be told my face didn't fit in the CIB or that I needed more experience for credibility before promoting
• Struck down by depression leading to suicidal ideations
• Diagnosed with melanoma and other skin cancers
• Five surgeries for physical injuries
• Then came high blood pressure, reflux, gout, a stent to clear a fully blocked artery, along with a recent diagnosis of ADHD.

All these things and more working against me and yet here I am, flying to Blenheim to present to the district Lions conference as part of our company value of ‘giving back’.

How lucky am I.

Very lucky indeed. For it was those challenges faced in earlier times, and much more, that got me to where I am.

• Having little money when growing up gave me the drive and momentum to progress
• Learning how to learn gave me the tools to gain numerous academic qualifications
• Humour comes seemingly naturally during presentations
• The published author of two bestsellers with a third book out this year
• A personal insight into what it feels like to be at the very end of the rope Ongoing checks and surgeries to maintain good health
• 10 years in a business I started at the age of 57, all my family working with me
• Successfully using the many traits that ADHD offers including OCD to minimise risk and hyper-activity to grow new avenues for business.

We achieve things in life despite the challenges we face earlier in life: it is those challenges that have brought us to where we are today.?

When looking at your past, don't let it inhibit your future, let it shape your future.?We are where we are now because of what we went through before. Focusing on the positives of the challenges reveals what opportunities the negatives provided you with. Experiences!

No amount of academic study can offer what experiences can – the emotional connection.

How often do we find ourselves making excuses when we admire others???They?are where?they?are because of…,?they?had … on their side that is why?they?did so well,?they?had lots of support around them which I don’t have,?they?didn't have the same challenges that I have had,?they… There seems to always be an excuse for why?they?go to where?they?are.

Change those thoughts of admiration towards yourself:

I?am here because of

I?had … on my side

I?had support around me from…

I?have had challenges that made me who?I?am because of…

I….

Take time now to reflect on your life and see what were the challenges that shaped you. Use your challenges to challenge yourself. Things never happen for a reason. Things just happen, it is what you do with what happened that is more important.

Let's talk!

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