My Personal Story on Why I Started this Blog

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As we approach the end of the year, I am publishing my personal story on Why I started this blog. This is always a time of reflection as we consider what we may want to achieve next year.

My story below covers the framework that led to my blog being created. Hopefully useful to you as you consider what you might want to do next:

In the late Summer of 2016 on a British Airways flight from London to Philadelphia, I stared out of the window in deep reflection about my life, where I had come from and where I was heading.

Something about being up 40,000 feet not only made me feel helpless but also made me marvel at how glorious the world looked from up there.

Something bothered me about living life primarily for my own self-interest. I felt I wasn't making enough of a meaningful contribution to others. I wasn't doing all I could be doing and wasn't firing on all cylinders.

A guy called Rob Geraghty, whom I was introduced to around that time had kindly sent me THIS BOOK and THIS ONE in the post, both of which I read all through the flight and thoroughly recommend.

The first one challenged me to approach my life problems by Design, whilst the other honed in on discovering my Passions and Talents.

[redbar] I'd never really thought deeply about My Passion. It was defined as “something that makes your heart sing”. I loved this definition. Talent was defined as “Something I was Really Good At”. [/redbar]

So the challenge was to list:

1) 10 things I was Passionate about.
2) 10 things I was Really Good At.

This was TOUGH and here are my actual answers from that flight after much thinking:

1) 10 things I Am Passionate about:

Helping Others, Mentoring/Coaching, Family/Faith/Relationships, Education, Enterprise, Teaching Others/Learning, Travelling/Life experience, Immigration, Managing Money, Volunteering/Charity.

2) 10 things I Am Really Good At:

Being Resourceful, Being Organised, Being Empathetic, Communicating Effectively, Investing/Deploying Money, Taking Calculated Risks, Planning Ahead, Accounting & Finance, Solving Problems (Creatively & Innovatively), Winning/Resilience.

The idea is that if you can combine a Passion of yours with a Talent, mixed in with the right Associations, Action, and Faith (belief), then you will be Unstoppable in that pursuit.

What I didn't know was that this little exercise would lead me down a path of self-discovery. For days I mauled over my Passions and Talents in various combinations.

I wasn't getting ANYWHERE in terms of what I needed to do next.

Then I decided to send a WhatsApp message separately to 5 of my closest friends/family. I asked them What they thought about me in terms of my Passions and Talents.

The answers were remarkable. Something about their answers gave me validation for what I needed to do next. Here is a sample from my brother, Kingsley:

“Focus & Resourcefulness. In terms of talents that are not learned, these stand out to me about you. When you want something, you are able to FOCUS on that one thing without distractions; you achieve these things through RESOURCEFULNESS. I remember when you were young and wanted to buy your Merc. You researched and researched and even pinned up the exact model you wanted on the walls and subscribed to magazines about them. That is focus and resourcefulness in action; same as your first job, first house purchase, choice of a partner etc. Your passion is in giving advice/mentoring/learning; these things I have noticed you do tirelessly, you are always willing to relay back to people who are going through a journey that you have already been through” 

I knew instantly that I needed to do something that involved helping people live their lives better.

At this point, it was no longer something I SHOULD DO, but rather something I MUST DO.

It would involve me working tirelessly to Give and possibly without Receiving. Even the thought of that brought me great Joy.

I knew this was in my sweet spot and I was getting closer to what I desired next.

One day, whilst having dinner with my wife, I told her that I am quite good at gathering information and able to rally people for a Cause. I told her I was considering some form of an educational platform.

A repository of Quality information that Anyone from Anywhere in the World could access for FREE. With a goal of “taking everyone along”. Giving anyone who needed it the Tools to get to a Good Place in their Financial Life.

Mary paused for a second, looked at me and literally said the words “the humble penny“. I made a mental note of that phrase and thought that would be an excellent name for something like a blog.

But there was a small problem.

I got a ‘C' grade in GCSE English and I typically avoided writing anything on the internet; I had primarily been an observer of other people's  great contributions. In addition, I had ZERO online skills.

My wife challenged me to learn new skills and as such, every aspect of this blog you see is the result of Leaving My Old Ways Behind and learning the skills for Tomorrow.

I have literally had to put one foot in front of the other to get to where I am today with producing Great Content for You.

So the fact that you're reading my blog is a GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT to me.

Blogging has been TRANSFORMATIONAL for My Life for many reasons, one of the biggest benefits being that it has made me more FEARLESS.

Check out my post on 7 Reasons Why You Need to Start a Blog Today.

I believe that Everyone in a position of INFLUENCE should start their own Blog. And that includes YOU because You have a Voice and a Unique STORY.

It has never been Cheaper nor Easier to set up your own Blog and begin telling your story whilst having FUN and Influence Online Today.

In fact, I have created a FREE How To Start a Successful blog course from all my learnings, including all the techy bits, how to attract followers and even how to begin making an income. Join below:

 

I really hope you've found this post useful. I have posted it because I really think it gives you a framework for arriving at what you might be searching for next in your life.

What is the one thing you have always wanted to do but never quite done yet? Today is the best day to start it.  

 

Do please share this post if you found it useful, and remember, in all things be thankful and Seek Joy.