Saturday 21 May 2022

Sitting on a window seat on an aeroplane without a window and a broken television not allowing me to watch the films that I was excited to see. If this had happened a few years ago, I would have been angry and complained. Absolutely, it is frustrating. I was looking forward to seeing ‘The Batman’ and ‘Liquorice’, films that I know my wife doesn’t want to watch and this gives me the only time to see them. But today, I feel content. A nine hour flight has given me to the opportunity  to reflect on the last time I was on an aeroplane. So much has happened to me and the world since June 2019 and in some way it’s gone past in a flash, but it’s been far too long since I’ve been to the beautiful country of Kenya.

In June 2019, the last time I was on an humanitarian trip, it was still six months until I even thought and launched ‘For Men To Talk’. At that time, and apart from being a good husband and father, I didn’t know what my purpose was in life. What did I want to do? How can I make a difference? For two weeks a year, helping the children of Nakuru in Kenya every year, building classrooms for future generations and playing sports with the kids is incredible and does indeed make a difference, but what did I want to do for the other 50 weeks of the year?

Now I’m looking back at how proud I am of every single man, no matter if they’ve come once or to every meeting, opening up about their mental health and how it is effecting them. Coming up with ideas, changes and support for each other is inspiring and seeing their friendships forming is a beautiful and special thing to be a witness of.

Self esteem has been hard for me to control. But I’m learning to be proud of myself. Something that I have been working on all my life. In 2022, I’m starting to do that. I’ve worked extremely hard to get ‘For Men To Talk’ to a place that it is now. We will have a total of 109 meetings this year. 109 meetings that will give men an avenue to talk about how they are feeling and I am extremely pleased and proud of myself for what I have achieved in these two a half years and what we as a collective will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.

I’m also proud of ‘The Mental Health Moles’ book that I have designed and written. The feedback that I have received is that people are really resonating and understanding the mental health issues that the moles discuss. Alex Hughes, an incredible man from Shifties, says “Don’t ask you don’t get”, so I took the opportunity to ask an air hostess to take a photo of the book in the cockpit and the end result is stunning.

Finding a purpose is liberating and fulfilling. I believe that I have finally found that calling that I have been searching for all my life. That’s why at this present time, because that may change, I am content. I also know that with time and commitment, there is more to follow, which is extremely exciting.

So find your own purpose and be willing to work as hard as possible to achieve it.

Tomorrow is a new day, Naroibi to Nakuru.