NLP Connections - the ultimate NLP resource on the internet - and the largest NLP forum!

I was listening a few day ago to the beginning of the Barack Obama book on CD and he mentions something he learned from stories told by his grandfather of his father.... to always enter an activity with confidence. That way no matter how proficient you may be at first the learning to higher levels of proficiency is optimised. When doing something we love to be doing, this becomes relatively easy even if the project requires bravery, perserverence and sacrifice.

I know from my early days of racing motorcycles I began with a confidence I could do this well as wanting to do it, that at the time belied the skill I had. However no matter the initial lack of apparent ability to others I persevered with a confidence out of the love of doing it and though the experience of doing it became over time known as accomplished and successful. What I was holding, although I did not know it so well then, was a future held scenario that I was heading towards that informed what I was doing and was NOT was not diminished by the disappointments and failures along the way. In fact looking back some of the hardest times were the times of a critical turning point to further success.

So what does it take? I would say from my experience a recognition of what you love doing or what fascinates you and persue it with determination and discipline until there is a recognition there is something else arising. For me there was a time to retire from racing and begin a family in a sweeping change yet the right thing to be doing. In fact in the 20 years since retiring I have not ridden a motorcycle on the track or road since in all that time.

What I do now have is a daughter and a son and the daughter is persuing what she wants to be doing and does so with a confidence an assurity that many teens do not have. Some of this attitude to life has come out of the teen workshops she has attended and her cousin have produced, directed and featured in a video that to me demonstrates this. Here they are:


I look forward to hearing what you think.

Des Barry
Next EMPOWERED Life for Teens Workshop 23-25 January 2008
www.heropath.co.uk for online enquiry and contact details