My Story & Difference

My Why

I want to continue to use my skills, experience & maybe “a little wisdom”, to help others in whatever capacity that might be.

My aim is to be the very best that I can be, serving others in my various roles, as husband, father, friend, and coach.

My Core Values

Like most people, I subscribe to the basic core values of life such as honesty, respect for others, and integrity …blah, blah, blah the list goes on.

Currently I’ve picked these 3 core values because they are crucially important, tough to master and work in progress for me.

• Be curious and open-minded - before rushing prematurely to conclusions or negatively judging others
• Strive to be accepting and empathetic when engaging with anyone.
• Practice ongoing incremental improvement - as I said in one of my posts - You Can Teach an Old Dog New Tricks!

The Story Behind the Butcher

You may be wondering where the bizarre name for my website came from. Here’s the genesis of that name, which explains why I have always had such a strong belief that one of the most gratifying things we can do for anyone, regardless of age, is to let them know we believe in them, particularly in moments when they doubt their own competence or potential.

Here’s my story. I had just turned 17 when I arrived back at Churchill, a well-known senior public school. It was at a low point in my academic life. I had just transferred from St. George’s College, a private school where I had ignominiously failed all my school leaving exams. My mother went to the school to try to find out what the heck was going on. There, she encountered my French teacher, who, when asked what the future held for me, told her, “Your son won’t even make it as a butcher!” The message was a blunt opinion that I was a no-hoper. Not surprisingly, arriving at my new school, I felt apprehensive and beaten up, but I also had the resolve to dig myself out of the hole I had dug for myself. As nobody at Churchill knew me, I had no “bad boy” image to live up to. This would give me the chance to recommit myself to getting my act together. It was reassuring to feel that I had just been given a clean slate.

Two teachers at Churchill made significant contributions to my academic turnaround and self-image. The first was my geography teacher, a gentleman by the name of Pete Snyder. He was passionate about his subject matter, which was reflected in the enthusiastic way he taught us. He wanted the best for his students. He showed everyone respect, and we reciprocated.

A second teacher, Mr. O’Brien, made another positive change to my self-perception when he asked me one day, out of the blue, what university I was applying to. To be asked this question was a shock to me given my previous academic failures. The thought of attending university hadn’t even crossed my mind, let alone the notion of picking one. But here was a teacher who thought that I was automatically headed to university. His regard for me, in turn, was the catalyst that gave me the confidence to think that maybe I did have the potential to go further in my studies and in my life.

Both these teachers, whether consciously or unconsciously, applied what has been called the Pygmalion effect. The Pygmalion effect is a psychological concept where high expectations lead to improved performance in a given area. Not surprisingly, I’m a big believer in the Pygmalion effect.