...Immersing myself with the physical challenges, the charities I support, and now the British Inspiration Trust (BRIT), provides me the passion to live my life driven by positive thoughts. I don’t dwell on the past and know how lucky I am to be alive. Living life this way is my mechanism for moving forward and dealing with what’s going on in my head. The life I live allows me to surround myself with all the positives, the wonderful people I meet and most importantly, the Young People who unknowingly, provide me with the drive and determination to make the most of every day.
I hope that I leave all the people I meet feeling happier than before they met me. Recently though I’ve been given a few gentle nudges and encouraging words to take a break. I have a feeling I have completely immersed myself in BRIT and talk of little else and that there may have been occasions when I cannot stop thinking and talking about BRIT. Well, to be honest, I think I talk about BRIT all the time and when it’s time to relax, it may not always be what people want to hear!
In my defence, BRIT is my life; in fact it is not BRIT that is my life, it is those Young People whose journeys I can relate to who I want to ensure find their self-belief. BRIT is not about fundraising, re-inventing support or duplicating effort. BRIT is about finding a way to bring British Charities and Support groups together and sharing the very best way to support Young People and to champion what they do and offer. I need £15m to build a Centre for the charities these Young People are part of, but I am passionate about finding a visionary way of building a Centre full of positive thinking, inspirational stories and full of inspirational people. BRIT will happen and I am about to embark on partnering with over 2000 corporations and individuals who will build this Centre of Inspiration with me. BRIT is not about fitting in with individual CSR Strategies, but about inspiring Young People by building a legacy with support from partners who understand and appreciate this visionary approach. I cannot help driving this vision forward, however I did agree to take a break over the bank holiday weekend and recharge which brings me to the main focus of this entry....
…Do not be afraid to share how you feel. I want to be strong for others because so many have been strong for me. When some one says I have inspired them, I feel the need to continue, not to let them down. This resulted in the physical challenges I embarked on until last year when it hit me that it is now about empowering others to share just how inspirational they are. Any future challenges I undertake must empower Young People and include them. Embarking on a personal challenge would be selfish, not selfless and I would rather leave this to those that have the profiles to raise awareness of a specific cause. So, back to the reality of being afraid and not being afraid to share how events can make you feel.... |
| Credit: REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal |
...Accompanied by two of my very close friends and a few hours after arriving in Marrakesh on Thursday, I heard the explosion at the Jamaa el-Fnaa Square that resulted in the deaths of 15 and 10 wounded. It took some time before it was confirmed that the explosion was a terrorist act. The news was devastating. Firstly, one cannot think of how dreadful this loss of life was and my sincere condolences are with every family and with every nation who lost their loved ones. Secondly, and perhaps it might seem selfish under such circumstances for others, but I cannot begin to describe how vulnerable I have felt over the past few days.
There are many thoughts and emotions I have been thinking of and working through. Walking with a stick draws attention, however I feel more comfortable now to field questions of why I need to walk with the stick; I no longer feel this is an invasion of my privacy when asked and I remind myself of how lucky I am to be walking with a stick. Avoiding the swimming pool and always wearing trousers is because I do not relish the thought of people looking at scars or my legs now that they lack muscle definition and my body has changed since being injured. I’m not being vain: this will just take a while and this is the first time I have found myself in this position. I’ll get there and I will begin to appreciate that this is now me, I should be thankful and that I need to move forward.
Sadly, I haven’t ventured out since Thursday except a very short walk to a restaurant close to where I am staying which I found uncomfortable and vulnerable. The sound of the explosion heightened my senses and memories of the night I was injured following the rocket attack have flooded back.
Serving in Her Majesty’s Forces was an absolute honour and a life I felt proud to live. In my mind, I have now left that life behind and I think it has been healthy to do so. I have seen the need for support for Young People who live similar difficulties to that of our wounded and I believe they should receive the same support. Whilst I continue to support a number of military charities, dropping my rank title and immersing myself in supporting Young People has been an absolute privilege and a life I will live with immense pride and passion. The Moroccan hospitality has been wonderful and I should have walked out, experienced the beauty and culture of this stunning city, but I cannot. I know that the explosion has reminded me that I am still on my journey and I am still dealing with all the feelings I hide away. What I can do though, is share my feelings and try and explain what I am thinking. This is of course my way of dealing with the situation for my benefit, but what I hope I can do is explain that some journeys can take a long time to heal. I would encourage anyone who harbours strong emotions, difficulties and memories, to share them when they are ready to. I believe it is absolutely natural to be afraid and never to feel embarrassed to share how you feel.
This is what makes us who we are and this is what makes us stronger within ourselves and what makes those around us understand us better. Never be afraid to open up and ask for support. I know I am driven, that I am on a mission and I remain absolutely open in my motives for living the life I do and acting the way I do. I am confident that those who meet me understand that my mission in life is to use every influence I have to bring charities closer together and to ask charities for their expertise to build a Centre they can utilise that will support Young People who need self-belief. My aspiration is to inspire Young People together and I believe that every Inspirational Figure in Great Britain when asked to pledge 24 hrs of their time to share their inspiring stories with Young People will step forward because they too, I am sure, have felt afraid and are not embarrassed to share how they have felt during their journeys.
You are never alone and always share how you are feeling.
Phil
Serving in Her Majesty’s Forces was an absolute honour and a life I felt proud to live. In my mind, I have now left that life behind and I think it has been healthy to do so. I have seen the need for support for Young People who live similar difficulties to that of our wounded and I believe they should receive the same support. Whilst I continue to support a number of military charities, dropping my rank title and immersing myself in supporting Young People has been an absolute privilege and a life I will live with immense pride and passion. The Moroccan hospitality has been wonderful and I should have walked out, experienced the beauty and culture of this stunning city, but I cannot. I know that the explosion has reminded me that I am still on my journey and I am still dealing with all the feelings I hide away. What I can do though, is share my feelings and try and explain what I am thinking. This is of course my way of dealing with the situation for my benefit, but what I hope I can do is explain that some journeys can take a long time to heal. I would encourage anyone who harbours strong emotions, difficulties and memories, to share them when they are ready to. I believe it is absolutely natural to be afraid and never to feel embarrassed to share how you feel.
This is what makes us who we are and this is what makes us stronger within ourselves and what makes those around us understand us better. Never be afraid to open up and ask for support. I know I am driven, that I am on a mission and I remain absolutely open in my motives for living the life I do and acting the way I do. I am confident that those who meet me understand that my mission in life is to use every influence I have to bring charities closer together and to ask charities for their expertise to build a Centre they can utilise that will support Young People who need self-belief. My aspiration is to inspire Young People together and I believe that every Inspirational Figure in Great Britain when asked to pledge 24 hrs of their time to share their inspiring stories with Young People will step forward because they too, I am sure, have felt afraid and are not embarrassed to share how they have felt during their journeys.
You are never alone and always share how you are feeling.
Phil