20 years ago..

 

It’s 1996 and Arsenal FC come in to my primary school to deliver a session that will change the rest of my life.

Hockey. Who would have thought? In the middle of Concrete Jungle, Islington, a football club are coming in to teach some state school kids how to play hockey..

I fell in love with the game because of the skill, the speed, the intricacy (and of course the link with Arsenal), and later that year I had another couple of “1sts”: My first experience of a London Youth Games, and my first time watching an Olympic Games.

These first few months of exposure to hockey were enough to instil an aspiration inside of me that continued for a long, long time. I wanted to be at an Olympic Games, and I’m still doing everything I can to make it happen.

20 years on, I’m back in Islington schools trying to deliver hockey sessions and share my story with the students. There is a London Youth Games this year, and the Olympics will be on the TV for them to watch, just as I did.

They may not be guaranteed the same story I had, but this could be the start of their own story.

Hailey Life..

As I sat on my bed last night finally warm and cosy after standing in torrential rain for the prior few hours coaching the game I love.. I contemplated the sign for me that Summer is well and truly over.

Yesterday and today were my first couple of days in my new role as Director of Hockey at Haileybury College, and my first duties were leading the two days of preseason training for the Girls’ 1st XI, but also making sure each team in the school has the equipment and resources they need to make their sessions as good as possible.

It was nice to get my first sessions with the girls done and see them respond in a really positive way. I have some pretty cool ideas for this team and all the other teams within the school, so if their energy and focus stays anywhere close to the level I’ve seen over the last couple of days (I know school life will soon be a natural distraction!), things could be pretty exciting around here.

After coming off the pitch though, I made sure I spent a couple of hours in the store cupboard taking note of all the kit we had and allocated it to each team. The people in there with me commented on my OCD-like mentality of giving out set coloured balls and cones to the various teams, but I just wanted to make sure that we were clear about what we had, what we needed, and could therefore spend my budget where it will make the most difference (not on replacing hockey balls every other week!).

Although I have been living at my new school accommodation for the past 4 weeks, the other staff are only just arriving back from their school holidays, so I’m genuinely excited about starting the term, but also meeting the other staff members and getting fully integrated into Hailey-Life.

I’m really thankful to have the opportunity to work at this school. Let’s get going!

Instant success? – More pain than it’s worth

There are so many books, programmes, inventions and countless other things / people that are all promising you easy / quick / pain free success. As a culture, we all look at the people above us and the amazing things they have, do, and who they are. And we want it!

Take our bodies as an example. Steroids are a rapid route to the results you want. You have the body shape you wanted. But there are consequences. There are side effects. Anger, really spotty skin, men grow breasts!

There are people who have the most amazing bodies, but they have them because they have spent their life sculpting it out of hard work, sweat, effort, resilience, determination, sacrifice, going to the gym when they’d rather stay in bed, and so much more. The side effects: they become someone of value.

It’s not really about whether you get the thing you want or not, it’s about who you become on the journey there. The good times, the set backs, the hard work, the companionship and support that you receive and give, all of this make you someone.

Whether you are looking for the easy road to success with your body, your business, or anything else, ask yourself this:

– What are the side effects of taking an accelerated jump to your outcome?
– Are you missing out on becoming something special by missing the journey?
– Is this sustainable?

If you want real, lasting, meaningful success, the elevator to it is currently out of order, but the stairs are always there.

Now decide whether you’re willing to climb.