Get to know the awesome you!

20 years ago this week something happened that changed the way I thought about myself forever and genuinely came to believe that I, (and therefore you) can do anything that I set my mind to. So what was this big life changing event? I completed one of the physically toughest and mentally challenging courses in the (British) military. The course itself was 'only' three weeks long but to me it was a culmination of a year of committed training and before that, many years of wanting, wondering, questioning my abilities. Did I have it in me, and if not what did that say about me as a person? What if I failed or was injured, would I try again? In the end certain things aligned, the opportunity came along and it was time to 'put up or shut up'!

It wasn't specifically the course content itself, but what followed as a direct result of passing that did it for me, a whole multitude of things changed; I was immersed into a culture of seeing every challenge as just that - something to be tried; there was no such thing as quitting - ever and nothing was seen as a failure, I was part a culture of non-judgemental equality, men who encouraged and sang the praises of each other as opposed to putting others down to boost their own self esteem. For the first time in my life I truly felt good about myself - I'd faced my fears and uncertainties and I'd won. A whole new world of opportunity opened up, and it was 'my' world for the taking!

I discovered a new found confidence in myself. Understanding that everyone has their own private battle inside, I started to feel comfortable around strangers, forgetting my own insecurities and paying attention to them. I learned to rock climb, to skydive and scuba dive, I found and married the love of my life, my career took a turn for the better - a career I eventually cut short to follow my dream of travelling after which I emigrated to another country and started a whole new career, this time working for myself helping ordinary yet amazing people face their own fears and make the changes to achieve their greatest gold and dreams!

Don't get me wrong; the point of all this isn't to brag about 'me' but to pass it on, to pay it forward - whatever it is that's holding you back, whatever your toughest challenge is, whether you think you can or can't, whatever you may find out about yourself; the only sure way to find out is to try it - you have no idea what you're capable of, (more than you think, I guarantee it!) or how it may change your life forever. Get to know the awesome you!

And the most important lesson I learned along the way - you'll never regret the things you do as much as the things you don't...