Life as an Executive
Jan 18, 2020Growing up, I wanted to be an actor.
I realized this when I was 7 years old. Brother Kelvin spotted my talent before I did. I was going to Marist Brothers in Eastwood, and we had an end of the year opportunity to present a play.
He cast me as the lead, and I fell into the part naturally. For the first time, kids who had ignored me started saying hi. I guess that was my first 15 minutes of fame, and I loved it. I also got to leave the classroom to go and study, and that was a gas.
My dreams continued, and I left school at 15 and started being an usher at a local repertory theatre in Sydney run by Hayes Gordon. While I was there, Brian Syron – Australia's first Indigenous feature film director – spotted me for a part in Dimboola. It made my career.
Then I discovered Alexander's Discovery, and my life completely changed.
Here I am today, a teacher and an executive – something I never imagined in my childhood. I don't regret it, but I do miss performing. Nowadays, I plough my creative energy into others.
I found out I am good at creating new possibilities for people, out of what they already have. In Japan, I used to drive my staff nuts. I kept coming up with new creative ideas, and they were still trying to process the ones I had the week before.
I had to learn to moderate my creative zeal and become more of a sober executive. I started reading books like Peter Drucker’s "The Effective Executive" and Jim Collins "Good to Great".
Life as a teacher and executive is very different from life as a creative artist. In a way, it helped me develop conscious, constructive thinking to use Alexander's Discovery for others.
Nowadays, I let my creativity flow to helping others.
I started ATSuccess originally overseas, as I wanted to share with other teachers and trainees the simple ways you can improve your communication to gather more students and secure your livelihood.
Having a family of two children – and no other way to earn my living – meant that I had to find effective ways to make a living as a full-time teacher of Alexander's Discovery.
I managed to do that, and I have a lot of experiences to share if you are feeling a need for more support and a clearer direction.
My ATSuccess Foundations course has opened up again after an almost two-year hiatus. If you need coaching and direction, give it a look.
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