I remember when I was growing up, my parents used to become vey annoyed with me when I stated that I could not do my homework or could not do other things I had been asked to do.

They would respond with the advice that I could do anything in life as long as I believed in myself and as long as I was willing to work very hard. My dad would state that the word can’t does not exist in his vocab and that he always thinks in a “I can do” manner.

He worked very hard to make me understand and to take on board this message, which would eventually prove to be a valuable lesson for me to learn. It has helped me to achieve many things and to also overcome some of the issues I had in my life.

School and employment

I was not the brightest student at school and as previously mentioned would often say that I could not complete the work through my lack of belief in my own ability. I actually worked my socks off and eventually left school with some very good grades; my parents were very proud. I continued this success into my work life and became a successful upvc front door salesman as well as offering poster printing. 

Stuttering

From the age of four I had suffered with the speech impediment known as stammering or stuttering. By my early twenties I had had enough of this struggle and went about trying to overcome the stutter. I had superb support from my family who would always pick me up when I was feeling down and who also continued to ram home the message of never giving up.

After nearly a year of working and practicing very hard I managed to eradicate the stutter which is my biggest and proudest achievement in my life. Life is now a lot easier!