The Unexpected Journey. The Amazing Destination.

I am sure everyone has been on a holiday where it was nothing like you expected. If fact, it was so much better than you could have ever imagined. Life can also be like that. That is what has happened to me over the last 7-8 months. I was expecting one thing, but got a whole different outcome.

I will fill you in on a bit of the background. I love my work as a Chiropractor and I hope to be doing that into my 70’s. I don’t want to be working full time, but a couple of half days during the week would be perfect. My biggest reward is helping people fulfill their full potential, getting them out of pain and allowing them to lead an active life. I will always believe health is your greatest asset.

But I also love the interaction with my patients and staff, who are really my extended family. It is the family we get to choose. Having that connection with people is a part of the human make-up, and I get to do that everyday at work. I don’t ever want to stop doing that.

The problem with being a Chiropractor is, it a very physical job, and as you get older your body does start to wear out. You then add in my past with football, accidents and injuries (the stupid boy shit) and overtime, it takes it toll and the body fades even faster.

As a result of all this, I decided to have a back-up plan for when my body starts to give up on me.

I love health and well-being, I love teaching and I love public speaking. So, I had to try and figure out what and how I was going to structure in for the next possible chapter of my life.

Last year I put together a health and wellness seminar that I could run anywhere. It incorporated me speaking about various aspects about modern society, the food we eat, the medication we take and various other aspects of health and wellness. I invited others to talk about their profession including a Naturopath, Acupuncturist, organic food expert, essential oils expert and I spoke about Chiropractic.

This seminar went well and will I run more of these in the future. But I needed another way to be able to have that interaction on a consistent level where I was helping people on a one on one basis, or in a group. This is when I researched and decided to study life coaching. This is when my journey took a massive left turn.

I had to travel to Brisbane on 6 occasions during the year to complete each of the 6 modules. Most courses you do in the Chiropractic world are on a Saturday or Sunday, occasionally on a Friday, but “Coach” was on a Thursday & Friday.

I expected to go in, have a few lessons, learn a few techniques, maybe do a little bit of role playing. Oh My God, I couldn’t have been more wrong. It was intense from day one. During the sessions you were coached, processed, called out, exposed, stripped down and continually challenged.

And I was exposed and called out and uncomfortable most of the time.

Then you went home and had to coach one of your class mates for 5 x 1-hour sessions (each module), and be coached by another fellow student. On top of that, you had a mentor coach who also coached you for 3 x 1-hours sessions each module.

Reports had to be written. You had to sit and confront your student coach or “coachee”, advising them how to improve or adapt etc. It was harrowing, very difficult and always confronting.

Very early on I realized, thanks to a wonderful fellow student, I had never truly dealt with my “shit” and I needed to do so immediately. He called me out on it, and it hit me hard. But he said “Coach” was not going to cut it, I had to go deeper. So I bit the bullet and went to a men’s only personal development “retreat” called “Real Man 1”.

I want to pause for a minute to explain how this all fits in. Real Education is an organization that incorporates many different courses. “Real Coach” is the coaching course, Real Man 1 & 2, Real Woman 1 & 2, Real 3, Real Life Design, Real Relationships, Real Teens, are all a part of the Real Education umbrella. There are a couple I probably left out.

Murray Masarik is the Facilitator on most of these courses, including the “Coach” & “Real Man 1” courses I completed. I will be going back and doing “Real Man 2” in a few weeks.

So, let’s back to the story. As you are aware, after completing Real Man 1, my life changed overnight. But “Coach” allowed me to grow even more. I wrote in my “Rock Farming” blog, it allowed me to work through the other little stuff that started to bubble to the surface. My wonderful colleagues - my fellow students, coached me through and helped me understand who I truly am. I am lucky enough to call these people my friends.

Due to my revelation about me and my mental health, my direction changed. I wanted to make a difference in the perception of mental health, especially when it comes to men. I want to change the views of what a “Real Man” is. I want to help others in this area and changes lives for the better. I want to help people understand themselves, because as one of my colleagues said, “Allowing someone to truly know and understand themselves, is one of the greatest gifts they will ever receive”.

Was my journey to the destination what I expected when I started? No. Not even close. It was so much harder and challenging than I thought would ever be possible.

Was the destination where I expected I would end up? Absolutely not. But it is so much better and even more exciting than I could ever have dreamed or imagined.

Sometimes what you expect or imagine is nothing like the actual journey or outcome. That is what makes life so great. So sit back, enjoy your journey and embrace your destination.

I know I can’t wait for this next chapter in my life.

Is it just a backup plan now? No!! I will be jumping in with both feet immediately.

Does this mean I have changed my view on my Chiropractic work? No, that will never change. But now I have TWO passions.

I just want to finish this blog by saying a big thank you to my fellow “Coach” graduates who have all made such a massive impact on my life in such a short time. I know we are spread-out all-over Australia (and one in Germany – yes, she flew from Germany each time to attend every module), but I am only a phone call away of you ever need me.

And I want to dedicate this blog to Murray. Your vision, purpose and mission in life has changed my life forever. I have seen first-hand both in “Coach” & Real Man 1 how you change people’s lives, how you bring people together and form tribes & communities. You have an amazing talent and I think I have even described you as a genius at what you do, and I look forward to working with you “on crew” very soon.