Photo Credit: Cathryn Lavery
Why do I write? Because I can’t sing, dance or act.
Seriously though, I can talk, if someone was willing to listen, gave me a topic; I could talk for days about it.
I realized quite early in my life that I liked being in front of an audience and talking but not so much acting but teaching, coaching, instructing and mentoring.
I have a fond memory of high school where I was backed into a corner and had to stand up and be counted.
I think it was grade 11 or 12, our Biology teacher gave the class the decision of forming their own groups for the assignment on blood.
I wasn’t in class for this decision and was placed a group that seemed to be made up of the top students in my class, being in the top 5 of my class this was a good place too be but not everyone in that group liked me. You see, I had this unlikable ability to beat them at every test without studying; in any subject, and their only answer to this was that I was cheating. This would probably have been my last choice was I in class.
I belonged to the athletics team and because of training I missed a lot of group meetings and work on the assignment and the group had made the decision to kick me out but would only inform me the day of the presentation.
What they didn’t account for was the fact that one of my best friends was in the group and she informed me the night before the presentation.
That night I stayed up all night reading about blood and doing my research. I wasn’t even fuelled by getting a good grade for the assignment I was driven by the fact that I wanted to beat them…again.
The next day the bell rang and we were in home room and my group called me one side and informed me that they had made the decision to remove me from the group; I guess they were expecting me to panic and beg them to reconsider instead I told them I understand, I had missed the meetings and work on the the project.
So I thanked them and wished them well in their presentation. The look of shock on their faces was priceless.
When 4th and 5th period came around it was time for Biology and the group presentations. All the groups went and presented their assignments.
Then it was my group’s turn, they explained to our teacher that they had removed me from the group, he turned to me and asked what I would be doing about this and I said I accepted their decision and will be presenting my assignment alone.
Little did he know that I had already spoken to the other groups and when I went up to present my assignment they would act like a normal Biology class.
Oprah and other talk shows were everywhere back then i.e. TV, magazines, etc. and my group decided to present their assignment as a panel of experts on a talk show and they did extremely well and my teacher and class loved it.
When they were done it was my turn, as they walked passing me with the smirks on their faces I felt this enormous amount of energy surge through my body. I unzipped my track top and removed it to reveal my school uniform with a tie I had borrowed from another teacher.
I proceeded to present my assignment by imitating my Biology teacher. My class and teacher loved it, in fact, we did so well that the next day we were asked to do our presentations in front of the whole grade including our other teachers and the Vice Principal.
I love it, I loved standing up there and talking, fast forward into the future and I find myself working at my dream job instructing at a survival center teaching people how to survive out at sea or during a helicopter crash.
You ever have that job where you wake up in the morning wanting to go to work? This was it for me. I spent my days in class, in the pool or out at sea and I loved it! Every day was a new challenge, a new rush and I went back for more every day.
Bonus was that my students were enjoying themselves as well and I still run into pass students who thank me for the class I delivered or remember something I said in class that still remains with them years later.
My need for more money, job security and a means to provide my family with what they need and want, saw me leave that job but constantly thinking about it.
I’ve had other opportunities to speak in front of an audience and each time it has been the same, an amazing energy rush filled with excitement.
So why write, because I can’t sing, dance or act.
I write because it gives me a voice, I can see myself standing in front of an audience and delivering what I am writing.
Writing allows me to channel my thoughts in one direction and hopefully one day I can look back at what I wrote and present it to the world.
I want to make a positive change in peoples’ lives and if I can do that by starting with one person, I will do that.
I read somewhere that you need to love your work because it’s where you spend most of your time but you also need to do something that helps others.
I hope by writing and one day presenting I can fulfil this.
Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is, treat a man as he can and should be and he will become as he can and should be
Why do you write? Leave it in the comments below.
