- Professional Footballer Dream Shattered…Aged 19, told by Gary McAlistair I was no longer needed at Coventry City FC. From age 4 all I had wanted to be was a professional footballer. Took me 6 years to truly appreciate the lesson and blessing in this. Lesson – although I wasn’t meant to be a footballer…my time there taught me more about leadership, communication and people skills than any qualification ever would, that are invaluable assets now as a coach.
- Missing a phone a call from Men’s Health Magazine and calling them back a week later…10 years ago I had a voice mail to say I had made their Cover Model Competition final. I took for granted they would call back. I called them back 7 days later only for them to say they had given my place to somebody else as I’d called back to late. Lesson – time stands still for no body, if you do nothing, nothing will happen. Thankfully I won the following year, and was more appreciative for opportunities that followed.
- Rupturing my bicep tendon…I was working 60 hours per week, lifting/boxing training as much as Anthony Joshua, sleeping 5 hours per night, before tearing my bicep off the bone sparring. Distraught at the time, I still fought the fight half an arm down but got through it. Lesson – A lesson will keep repeating itself until you do something about it. Sleep had been my Achilles heal for years, that I continually ignored often causing injuries/personal stress. When I had no choice but to sleep more to help make the fight, I slept 7-8 hours. Your mind is extremely powerful and your body will follow.
I felt incredibly low at the point of these things happening.
On reflection, they all helped me grow personally, emotionally and serve better as a coach.
The next time you fail, or something simply goes wrong…take time to reflect, learn, and ask yourself what path or action it is steering you to.
There is a blessing in every ‘failure’.
The most successful people on the planet have failed.
The most successful people on the planet learn, take action and come back to prosper.
- Lifestyle
3 of “My Biggest Life Lessons”
- By Kirk Miller
