I’ve been poor. I’ve been really broke as shit. Growing up, I remember the excitement of being able to afford our first take away when mum and I moved into our little two up two down. I remember the oldest car in the world – the one we could afford, which was so dilapidated, we had pegs wedged in the windows to keep them shut, no seatbelts in the back and a tendency to just about make it round corners on two wheels (that said, it was an amazing yellow colour and I really missed it when we sold it!). I remember mum being a jack of all trades because we couldn’t afford to pay anyone else to do stuff. I remember having a roast on a Sunday and making the leftovers last through the week. But I never remember being depressed or sad about it. That was life and we had a great time. Mum worked hard to make sure I was happy and I worked hard in school to make sure I could do the same in the future.
In fact, one of the major motivators for me as a kid growing up and learning and working hard in my studies was being told that if I could get a good job, use my brains, apply myself, I could have enough money I wouldn’t have to struggle. I’d have a big house, a swimming pool and a pony in my expansive estate. It excited me. Because it was all stuff I only dreamt of when I was little. I also had the privilege of being able to pick whatever career I fancied with my grades, and I knew I wanted to do something challenging, complex and something rewarding.
I was also lucky to have a family who consistently told me I had great potential. So off I went into the world and forged my path in medical sciences, settling for a career in dentistry. And now I drive a Mercedes, live in a house bigger than the one my mum lives in and have a view to die for from my home office.
But when you’re in a position where you work your arse off, you have nice things and you still feel unfulfilled, you suddenly realise what it’s all about. I looked around me at age 28 and saw a glass ceiling. I had a comfy life. I had a nice four days in practice, I had a hobby I loved, my patients liked me, I had a cool team to work with and a little cottage in the country. So why did I feel a bit of a hole somewhere? I had been buying myself deep into triathlon and after I completed my Ironman in 2018, I slapped my thighs and said “Right, time to focus on my career now.” But I couldn’t do it. I ventured into other things, went and completed my level 7 in injectable aesthetic medicine, started playing with Botox and fillers. I was really good at it – I still am. But it didn’t get rid of that nagging sensation. I could have made a fortune from that business. But I just didn’t want to.
Then someone asked me to teach my art. And it lit something up. Then someone else asked me to start coaching them. And a fire really started to get going. And then someone asked me to go and stand up in front of rooms full of people, and that fire BURNED BRIGHT. Suddenly I felt alive again. For the first time in a LONG time, something lit me up that wasn’t sport. It was my career. And it was coaching. All the times when I’d taught in sport in the past, all the times when I’d mentored others came flooding back, all those good vibes I’d forgotten about.
I quickly changed jobs and moved to a new post where I could take my foot of the gas a little, enjoy the company of my patients and limit my time to the aspects of dentistry I loved – the transformations. The feel good stuff. The stuff that for me and my patients, really made a difference. I went back to why I really wanted to be there – making people smile. And more importantly, it allowed me to move on up as a performance coach. It meant I could help more people with my true passion; coaching.
And it’s funny, because when I’m sitting down thinking about the coaching business at the Wonder Clinic, when I’m chatting to clients, when I’m thinking about the content I can produce to help light a fire in someone else, I’m never thinking about how much I’ll earn from it. I’m thinking about the change it will make, the difference it could make to a person, how it could help someone and more importantly, how it could inspire someone.
And that’s the key. If you’re constantly serving your bank balance, you’ll never really give yourself time and space to follow your true calling, your true path. You’ll never be able to share with the world, the stuff you’re really good at. We all need money to survive in this world. And of course, the more we have, the more security it CAN bring if we know how to use it as a tool properly. But if you always put that outcome first – income – then you will never feel inspired or fulfilled. I have never been motivated by money. Knowing that has helped me to see the value of truly knowing your own purpose and how to go out there and share it with the world.
And of course, finding your true purpose and passion, starts with knowing your strengths and weaknesses. You need a plan. To work on you. To do better. So start here.