It's time to stop waiting for things to happen, and become the happening thing

So this time two years ago I was boarding the overnight ferry from Rotterdam to Hull. What I have learned in the last two years is how quickly you can go from somebody to nobody real quick. 

Well it's time to stop waiting for things to happen and become the happening thing. 

This country has nothing for me. Within four or five days of arriving in the U.K LinkedIn had me as a perfect match to deliver training to Border Force officers, only to fall at the last hurdle because I had not been a resident in the UK for the last 5 years. FFS I WAS BORN HERE. 

We move on and LinkedIn again have me as a perfect match in the as a Security, Violence Prevention and Reduction Manager, at Manchester University within the Oxford Road Campus for the NHS. Guess what!

Not being a resident in the UK for the last 5 years makes me unqualified for the role. 

So maybe for now I should lower my sights a little and find something that doesn't require me having 5 years residency. 

Three part time jobs later and enough is enough. With the upmost respect to Admiral Casino, Coral Bookmakers & Group 4 Security I have much more to offer you than you were prepared to offer me.

I did look at maybe setting up private lessons in personal protection however, the public liability insurance premiums is this county is just plain crazy. (If there's a blame there a claim culture) So I wrote a book about it instead. 

I think two years is a good period of time to find your feet and establish a role in the community. It just hasn't happened for me and things don't look like it's worth waiting around. 

So taking some good out advice from arguably the best motivational speaker who ever lived, I am going to take my chances and my skills back into the ex pat world once again. 

                                                   DESTINATION > THAILAND 

Turning 65 isn’t entirely pleasant, and I am not complaining about growing old because it is a privilege I have seen denied to many. I still have a passion for sharing 'The Power of One. Coaching & Teaching others. Passing on good knowledge is what life is really all about. And I intend to do it in a country where people appreciate learning. I recently became qualified to teach Boxercise. Now that's going to be a challenge in a country that is steeped in the tradition of it's very own Muay Thai, but then again my life has been defined by people telling me things are impossible, then me doing them anyhow. 

There is much to learn from that in knowing & understanding that your mindset is a more powerful force in shaping your life than your biology. Coincidences are nothing more than your reticular activating system identifying what’s important to you and then giving your conscious mind more opportunities to notice them out in the world. You’re more in control here than you think.

Whoa! I almost went off on one then. Anyway if your reading this I am glad your here and you may want to check out my Facebook page called Peak Performance Coaching you will find lots of great stuff with much more coming! 

O.K. That's a wrap. Got to go pack my T-shirt & toothbrush. 

Stephen Drake - Author Master Trainer, Coach, Consultant & Mentor. 

Personal Protection

I recently conducted a personal protection seminar to a very select group of people from the International Baccalaureate in The Hague.

When people think of the words 'Personal Protection' they often think of Bodyguards, Pepper Spray, Personal Alarms or carrying some sort of Stun Gun. Well there is actually a lot that you can do before any of that. Personal Protection is about being your own bodyguard, and it all starts with AWARENESS.

Be aware of your own surroundings, be aware of you own environment, and be aware of your own personal space and comfort zone. After all you would not cross a road without being aware of what traffic is around you. We learned about Personal Protection from a very early age. I guess the old green cross code of looking and listening while crossing the road to school was one of the first forms of Personal Protection that we learned.

However since the introduction of the mobile/cell phone our awareness of our surroundings and environment have been narrowed into paying attention to the phone rather than your personal space and that makes it very easy for a predator to get closer to you in today's world.

That's why we have to get better at other skills in our Personal Protection toolbox. Skills like being able to avoid, escape and in some cases being able to deliver a firm physical response are a must have skill. It is much better to have something and not use it, that to need something that you don't have.

Personal Protection is not a beginner to black belt programme that takes several years to learn, but on the other hand it is not a crash course programme either. Think of other lessons in life, how many swimming lessons would it take to learn to swim? Just a couple of widths were not aiming for the 2020 Olympics or anything. Or how many piano lessons would it take to play something that everyone would instantly recognize? or say how many driving lessons would you need to safely drive a vehicle? Everyone is different but I would say if you have ten lessons in either of the above you would have a very good grasp on each skill.

Personal Protection is very much the same.

Above are a few pictures from from the recent IB Personnel Protection Seminar. Big Thank You to those who made it all possible.

The 10 Lesson Self Defense Program™

We just finished lesson number 10 of the current Self Defense Course tonight (Wednesday), which usually means we start the course at lesson number one again next week.

However July & August have always been a difficult time to start another 10 lesson program because of summer vacations & Ramadan so I feel it is a good time to take a break myself from doing both group classes and private lessons in this period.

We will start the next intake in September 2010.
Have a great summer.

P.S. Can’t wait until September, click below to find out more.