Hi. I’m Robert – father, husband, author, wannabe philosopher, wannabe many things…deep thinker, big dreamer.
Why am I here? What brought you here? We all have our stories; right? To think, every decision you have ever taken has led you to this page. Scary isn’t it? The bottom line is that we all are where we are today due to the decisions and actions we have taken to this point. Sounds common sense, but sometimes common sense is not so common, with this consequence of actions, a lesson learnt too late in life. You see, I pretty much have taken so much for granted in the past. You do that when you are young and healthy and a bit; dare I say – stupid. Well, I am not so young anymore and unfortunately not so healthy anymore as well. Not so stupid anymore too – but don’t ask my wife that!
What happened to me, you might ask? Well, my life recently change dramatically. I got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the ripe old age of 40 (T1D usually is associated with adolescence). Unknown at the time that being diagnosed at such an older age is uncommon; what probably is even more uncommon is the fact that I got diagnosed on my wedding day of all days. As a typical bloke – at the time I thought nothing of my symptoms leading up to that day, thinking that it might just be wedding nerves. But, I was told that if my wife (of two hours) – and me with a blood sugar level of 33; did not phone the ambulance; I was minutes away from a diabetic coma and who knows what after that…Not many people can say they had an ambulance for a wedding car. Pretty cool actually…
Being diagnosed with T1D changed my life in so many ways. Not only do I have to inject myself four times a day with insulin just to stay alive; but having to learn about nutrition, carb counting, and no more Red Bulls; made me finally realise how special but delicate life really is and how quickly it can change. Tbh – I would go as far as to say that diabetes saved my life! Paradox right? Even though alive; I did not truly live life to the full. Why do we have to wait till a disaster hits to start appreciating the amazing opportunities we have? But, it is what it is for me and doesn’t need to be for you! This life-changing event gave me a new thirst for knowledge; a drive to become a better version of myself – the best version of myself; always aiming for higher standards and never settling for average. To only ever be content with the outcome, when I know I did my very best. Daily reflection on positive thoughts and improvement philosophies has played a huge part in establishing my new aspirations.
So, where am I today? Well, over the last few years I have read, listened to and studied well over 300 books on philosophy, psychology, self-help etc. They say that reading a good book is like having a conversation with the author. I then had the privilege of having had some truly inspirational and in-depth conversations with some of the greatest thought leaders in history. Awesome right? Reflecting deeply on these conversations allowed me to focus my energy fully on areas that required attention; which there was plenty of and still is.
SO WHY START THESE SUMMARIES?
I don’t consider myself a guru at anything. My newly found objective in life is to know a bit about a lot of things and not a lot about one specific thing. It goes against some methodologies that one needs to specialize in a specific area, but that is not for me. I am working on a personal mission statement and at the moment am a bit stuck as it just reads “I aim to ___” The space to be whatever is important to me. My aim can be to be grateful for something, to be contributing to a stranger’s life, to be a great father, husband, employee, boss etc. Every day many of the same things, but every day something new; every day to have a challenge, to dedicate my life to learning, to go to bed wiser than when I woke up, to never retire and always improve.
I realise now, that time is my most precious asset. Therefore, how I spend my time, becomes my highest priority. Now, knowing how quickly life can change; my biggest fear is a life unlived. So, spending my time purposely has become my obsession.
The aim of this blog is not to see how many ‘Likes’ I will get or how many followers or feedback posts I have. That is vanity or ego. If one entry helps one person think or do something in a more positive way than before; that is great and helps me towards my ‘contributing to other’s goals.
My main aim is rather a sanity check; to have a reference point for my own self-development, a one-stop-shop I can refer back to time and time again of things I read and found interesting; experiences I had and want to share, video clips I’ve seen and want to archive, new habits I want to create.
I believe for something to become a habit; one needs to be reminded of it constantly; think of it constantly, do it constantly and eventually, it will become a habit. I hope this blog might help you in establishing some new positive habits as well; therefore encourage any response to any entry to start a healthy discussion or debate.
Our best days are still ahead.
Have fun!