On Saturday I took an early morning trip across town on the Tube.
(that’s the affectionate name us Londoners give to the London Underground)
When I got to my stop in deepest, darkest South West
London, I jumped off the train and started walking along the platform.
As I walked, I tapped my left trouser pocket.
Nothing.
Then I tapped my right pocket.
Nothing.
My heart skipped a beat.
Where was my iPhone? I could’ve sworn it was in one my trouser pockets.
I tapped my left pocket again, then my right. Still empty.
I spun round
and as I did, a voice called out:
“Mate!”
Two carriages down, where I’d stepped off the train, stood a guy waving a phone in his hand.
My phone.
That’s when I heard the unmistakeable *beep beep beeping* sound which any Londoner will tell you means the Tube doors were about to close.
And this
random guy was still standing on the train with my phone in his hand.
Obviously this wasn’t his stop.
All of a sudden, an impulse came over me.
“Throw the phone” I shouted.
The guy hesitated. The phone was still in his hand and the train doors were sliding shut.
In half a
second, the doors would be closed.
“Throw the phone!!!” I yelled.
And like a professional bowler launching a bowling bowl down a bowling lane, the guy quickly swooped his arm in a 180 and hurled my phone straight
onto the platform.
Then the train doors slammed shut.
As the train picked up speed, I glanced into the carriage where the guy was standing.
He was staring back out.
“Thank you” I mouthed.
He gave a thumbs up, huge smile on his face and mouthed back “Yes bruv!”. Then the train disappeared
into the tunnel.
What a lucky escape.
And best of all?
When I picked up my phone,
it didn’t even have a scratch.
I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that guy.
He could’ve spotted my phone then ignored it or pocketed it. The carriage was almost empty so these would’ve been easy.
But he didn’t.
He was kind instead.
You know that Gandhi quote “the best way to find
yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others?”.
This whole episode reminded me of that.
The quote also sums up why I got into coaching.
I felt stuck, directionless and completely unfulfilled for much of my 20s.
To fix this, I tried everything from yoga, to mindfulness classes, daily affirmations, cold showers, reframes, meditating, exercising, positive thinking and therapy. Not to mention reading 100+ self-help
books.
Some of these activities helped. Kind of. It wasn't easy to tell if they were helping or not.
So I kept going.
I was so fed up that when I eventually stumbled on an approach 10+ years later that actually worked (The Inside-Out Understanding), I had a deep & genuine desire to start sharing what I’d learnt.
I still do.
It’s why I ran 10 weeks of Mindset Workshops for colleagues at work.
It’s why I ran a webinar on overthinking last month.
It’s why I’m going to
run another webinar called Decisions on Demand this month (more details on the way).
And it’s why I coach.
Are you curious about my coaching?
Yes bruv!
More info here if so:
https://waitinglist.followingfulfilment.com
That’s all for today.
- Tom