At this time I believed what so many people believe of themselves. I wasn't good at these subjects and there was nothing I could do to change that. I just happened to be very good in the Humanities - and that was that.
Change of plan. If I couldn't have my dream job then I wasn't staying at school. I hated it and could see no future in it. So I left. Not one of my better decisions - a decision based on limited information and limiting beliefs about what I could and could not do.
Fast forward a few years and opportunity knocks. I was given the chance to return to school and complete my Year 12 - in Humanities of course. Then on to University to complete a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Philosophy) and Post Graduate Diploma of Education; still in humanities of course. I still operated under the illusion that I was only good at humanities and not science.
During my third year I was fortunate enough to have a truly inspiring lecturer who opened my ideas to what was possible. More importantly one of the books he recommended (The Tao of Physics, by Fritjoff Capra) opened my eyes to the whole world of Physics and Eastern wisdom. It was one of those defining moments in my life. I can still remember sitting in the Bourke Street Mall reading it.
Please do not misunderstand, I didn't suddenly want to rush off and do chemistry, physics and maths. What it made me realise was that there was a whole world out there that I had not yet accessed and my hunger for knowledge was ignited. No longer would I be restricted by self imposed limits. From this point forward I developed a thirst for knowledge.
I completed my BA and Dip Ed and then went on to complete a Naturopthic Diploma and and a Practitioner Diploma of Acupuncture. Many years later I would begin a Masters degree by research (Department of Psychology, Victoria University). However, academia was beginning to wear thin by this stage, so I walked away from this one. I kept harking back to one of my favourite Philosophers (Aristotle - the practical Philosopher) and began searching the "real world" for more practical answers to my questions.
This all grew out of those four incredible years at LaTrobe University. I met some incredible people (it was the 70's of course); the Human Potential Movement was just taking off and the questioning of current paradigms was well under way. I listened to many great speakers, read some incredible books, attended some fantastic talks, seminars, presentations and courses. My journey had begun - a journey I am still on today.
Fast forward a couple of decades and 42 days of intensive training in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and my Life Coaching practice was born. To say that the piece of paper qualified me to do this work would be a rather arrogant statement. In fact, it is the decades in between - my own life experiences and my eternal optimism about human potential - that gave me the practical know-how I use in my work today. What I have learned along the way is this: we have choices and if we believe this then we will make better decisions.
The journey doesn't stop there - it never stops. For the past couple of years I have been researching brain plasticity. The layers just keep getting deeper, more complex and ever more exciting. I'm in my mid fifties and I don't think I will ever lose that child-like curiosity for knowledge and understanding. Each new exploration just further confirms my belief that anything is possible.
So, when we work together it is on the understanding that we are exploring what is possible - for you.
Regards
Greg