Photo by Frank Boston, used under Creative Commons licence.

So… do you measure up?

I’ve talked so far in my blog about success… motivation… passion…. purpose. But I know about the times when you don’t feel purposeful.  When you feel lost and confused, not sure which way to go. For a long time, when I was young, I felt that I just didn’t measure up.

I grew up in Lewisham, south London, in the 1970s. There were some rough and difficult times.  Back then if you didn’t do boxing or judo, it was hard to survive on the streets, where you had to be tough and you had to be able to handle yourself. If you couldn’t look after yourself. It was easy to get led down the wrong path.

My passion for taekwondo caused some problems between me and my father

My parents were looking for something to give me focus and direction in my life – and that’s how my journey in taekwondo began. But of course, it wasn’t straightforward

Right from the start, my passion for taekwondo caused some issues  with my dad. He was proud of me, but  – like a lot of dads – he also had some pretty clear ideas of what he expected me to do. He was a martial artist too, and had also been all-Jamaican boxing champion. We were a sporting family and I knew that I was expected to take up a sport and do well in it.

Back then, there was more to sport that just getting fit or having a social thing going on with your friends. When my dad was wanting me to get into these sports, he knew that what we were really talking about was lifeskills, a way of keeping me safe. You had to be tough. It mattered.

And for quite a long time, I didn’t seem to be measuring up.  It didn’t feel good – and it taught me some interesting lessons which I’d now like to take a closer look at in my next blog.