Leap and Grow Your Wings - Insights From a Motivational Speaker

“Leap and grow your wings on the way down”

There’s so much good about this classic quote by Les Brown

and there’s so much wrong with it

and I say this

because I actually tried it

and it wasn’t all clouds and rainbows

my wings didn’t unfurl and catch the winds

 

I’ve got a better suggestion for you

granted, it’s not as poetic

but it is very worthwhile you knowing about.

 

this idea

this suggestion I’m sharing

it’s genesis was in a tough school in England

called Drayton Comprehensive

 

How tough?

Do you know the celebrity cook Gordon Ramsay?

From the Hells Kitchen TV shows?

with the really angry foul temper

well he went to school there

so imagine a school full of foul mouthed

little Gordon Ramsays running around

and that’ll give you an idea

 

How tough was this school?

This school had it’s own policeman stationed at the school

that was his office

that was where he turned up to work every day

his name was Police Constable Graham Waddington

but between you and me

we’re going to call him PC Waddington

from here on

 

 

The reason I was there

was that in my former career

I was a TV cameraman

and I was once shooting a documentary

on Restorative Justice

that’s making offenders of crime ... 

come face to face with the victims of their crime ... 

to help them 'own' the consequences of their actions

As part of that

I was filming this policeman

PC Waddington

talking to class of 15yr olds

about taking responsibility for their actions

about the problem the school was having with  'aerosol sniffing’

that’s getting high on the propellant fumes from cans of deodorant believe it or not

 

I was at the back of room filming

He was at the front

 

Wow, what a skilled communicator this guy was

full of genuine empathy

he didn’t talk at them

he didn’t talk above them

or below them

he talked with them

and he had them under his spell.

 

The bell rang

and as the chairs and desks scattered

in this big show of disrespect for authority and order

I saw something

and I was the only one who saw it

amidst all this chaos

 

I spied 3 students

covertly taking aerosol cans from their bags

and quietly leaving them on the table.

 

WOW.

One man

in under 30 mins

was able to stop 3 kids

putting harmful things up their nose that day.

 

I say wow because I had attended the launches

of many multi million dollar government programs

all well meaning enough

but they just kept failing

 

and here

one man

used direct action

and got results.

something went off in my head.

That was THE MOMENT

that I knew I wanted to be standing

in front of kids

just like he was

using direct action

in a way to somehow make a difference in their lives.

 

I had no idea

how this going to happen

I just knew it was there

and it continued to percolate away in my brain

 

Around the same time

I was working on a documentary

on Australia’s first philanthropic family

 

Philanthropy is not as well understood in Australia as it is in the USA

We are relative latecomers to the idea

and there’s a reason for that

Countries like Australia

that have a robust social security system

there is a collective mindset of the population

that thinks the government will catch people

if they fall through the cracks

Societies without a strong social security system

have looked to the individual

with a social conscience

and a fat wallet

to solve problems.

 

So when I was out an about filming

if the chance arose

especially

with … say…

a CEO of a big institution

I would start a conversation about philanthropy

and I generally got 2 responses

 

1. I’m not all that familiar with the whole concept and process
2. yes I am interested but I want to get involved when I retire

 

and I used to think to myself

why not get involved now

while you’re still in a position of influence and control

while you’ve still got your hands on the levers

you could really effect some change

using the might of your institution

this all fell on deaf ears

 

and I got to thinking

if you can’t teach an old dog new tricks

then get a hold of the next batch of puppies

and teach them

 

so I got this idea to teach the concept of Philanthropy

to primary school aged children

I worked for 2 years to take this concept to reality

It was all based around a live school assembly show

I was using magic as a hook

 

I mean …

if you want to get a kids attention

just say who wants to learn a magic trick

and watch the hands shoot up in the air

 

It was an 8 month process to get this approved though the state government education board

 

All that stood between me and this being very real

was the fact that I was still a cameraman

I had been for a quarter of a century

It was my ‘life’

It was who I had ‘become’

and now I was faced with one of the biggest decisions I would ever make

 

I couldn’t be that version of myself

that PC Waddington triggered within me

the person standing in front of kids and effecting change in their life

and

at the same time

be a globe trotting cameraman

 

and that meant one thing ... a moment of clarity

 

I had to stop being a cameraman

and to even think that was heresy,

it was to betray everything I had worked towards for 25 years.

It defined who I was.

 

but I had exhausted every avenue of procrastination

I had to make a decision. 

I remember where I was…

 

I sat on my kitchen bench and cried.

I actually grieved for my career

This was one of the biggest calls I had ever made.

 

So I made the big leap..

 

I took my philanthropy program to the world

The government thought it was a good idea

parents thought it was a good idea

The schools said we love the idea

 

but we’re not going to book it

it’s a very valuable thing for a child to understand

but we have no time for it

we need maths programs, science programs

have you got any of those?

 

and I learnt my first lesson in business and marketing

never open a restaurant unless you’ve got a hungry crowd

 

it’s folly to try and sell something to people who simply don’t need or want it

 

I got this program into schools for 18 months

but I had to push push push

there was no pull

eventually I retired the program

I was wiser but I had no income

and I realised you can’t live on air.

 

I repackaged all my magic skills

and became a children’s entertainer

 

Another zig

in my zig zag through life

 

I have no regrets about any of that

none

but I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone

not now that the online world has created

a wonderful safety net

that lets you leverage your job security

and your existing income

to finance any changes in your life

 

It’s so easy to now to walk the tightrope of career change

and not be worried about falling

 

You can start moving

towards a tailor made career

while still having security

 

You may find

that you can stay in your current job

and run an online business part time

and that will work perfectly

 

You may find you can go part time in your real job

and part time online

 

There are so many options available now

 

You simply don’t have to leap and hope to grow your wings

Now days, it is so easy to test any idea of you might have

 

if you have an idea for creating an eBook

let’s say on how to look after your elderly parents

or a video training course on everything you know about making model sailboats

 

To test these ideas

It’s as simple as buying some Facebook ads

and on the ad you say

 

Are you suddenly faced with looking after elderly parents for the first time? Need help?

then people click on this ad

and it takes them to a simple website that you have made

on this website is a form

on that form it that says

What’s the biggest struggle you are having right now

looking after your ageing parents?

let me help you.

 

If people show interest and start asking you questions and giving you their email address to reply

you know you’re onto something

 

if not ,

then nows the time to abandon that idea

and move onto another.

 

This may sound simple and unsophisticated

but that’s about it

 

What I’ve just described could be done in one week for $100

 

compare that to the 2 years lead up

and self destruction of my career

that I did

 

Again I have no regrets

but had I known

what I know now

what I’m sharing with you

I’m pretty sure I would have done it differently

 

What I really want you to understand

is not only is there opportunity waiting for you

there’s safe ways for you to test the waters

so you don’t have to jeopardise your family’s security

 

I can show the process

I can show you how to start

or you can find someone else

you feel more comfortable with

 

Just know

that there’s no reason for you

not to not consider this

as a very real way

to create an extra pillar of support

for you and your family.

 

Summary: The passage critiques the popular advice to "leap and grow your wings on the way down," emphasizing that while bold leaps may sound inspiring, they aren't always practical. Drawing from personal experience, the speaker describes how they left a successful 25-year career to pursue a new passion, which didn’t immediately succeed. Instead, they suggest a more cautious, strategic approach to career change in today’s digital world, where side projects and online ventures can be tested and grown safely without risking financial security.

Lessons Learned:

• Bold leaps in career change can lead to difficult outcomes.
• Test ideas cautiously before fully committing to a major change.
• The online world provides a safety net for exploring new ventures.
• Career changes can be approached incrementally, balancing security with new opportunities.
• It's important to understand your market's needs before launching a product or service.