ABOUT PAUL
By Paul
Aside from living at a time when the internet exists, my biggest privilege is that I was born into a big family in South Africa. As a kid, I knew little of apartheid and South Africa's political history, but there is no doubt that I indirectly benefited from many years of incredibly unethical policy making. In the end, South Africa's political instability was the reason my parents decided to bring me and my brother to the UK, and it was there that I spent much of my childhood and adolescence.
Although I felt like an outsider a lot of the time (hardly a unique experience), growing up in London was great for the creative in me, and I developed an interest in a lot of very nerdy things. Along with that, I also really enjoyed spending my time being active...
My dad played a big role in inspiring this part of my life. He ran marathons, played rugby, competed as a bodybuilder, and was active well into his later years. Eventually cancer had it's way, but I learned from him that not only is it possible to stay fit and active throughout life, but also that life goes by very fast; so why not spend it doing the things you really enjoy?
Knowing what that would look like wasn't always so clear, but I knew learning and change were possible thanks to some important lessons my mom gave me. She showed me that not only are there several areas of life that are important to focus on (health, relationships...), but most importantly, all of them are open to change. Nobody has to stay the same; including me. Just because I couldn't do something now, it didn't mean it had to stay that way forever...
Soon after graduating university, I took the opportunity to teach English in China, earning about £400 a month. Although I definitely didn't want to be broke my whole life, it was very important for me to ensure that I wasn't just working for the sake of money. I had plenty of learning still to do, and I needed to challenge myself and have valuable life experiences.
After two years of being in China, I decided to channel the entrepreneurial spirit I was surrounded by and commit to learning how to make a business. Being introduced to the world of online education played a huge role in helping me figure out how to make that happen...
It's a pretty simple business model overall; share what you're knowledgeable about with people who are interested in learning it. It's the best way I've found to make a positive impact, while also being free to spend my time doing what I enjoy.
So, with that insight, I once again immersed myself in new learning; I spent time learning how other people were already succeeding, and I began to form a clearer and clearer picture of how I was going to make it work for myself too.
The biggest challenge of it all (aside from the technology and inner work) was deciding exactly what it was that I wanted to share. I still had a lot of work to do on myself, and as with any business, trying to provide a solution for everyone is not a good approach....
What I realized along the way, however, was that part of my resilience and determination to succeed came down to the fact that I was enjoying what I was learning.
The fact is, when you enjoy the learning process and the rewards you get from it, it gives you the mental freedom to follow whatever lifestyle direction you want. If you like learning and growing and the direction you're heading in, not knowing something (whether it's a cooking technique or a completely different way of thinking) isn't a permanent roadblock - it's just a matter of finding answers and applying insights...
And that is what I decided I wanted to share:
LEARN WHAT YOU NEED TO LEARN, SO THAT YOU CAN LIVE HOW YOU WANT TO LIVE.
We are lucky to live at a time when the world's best teachers of almost ANY subject are accessible to pretty much ANYONE. Without needing to travel ANYWHERE, education that simply would not have been available a few decades ago is yours today if you choose it.
My goal (and the goal of Elephant Garden Education) is to help people focus on what's important to them offline, and to use the incredible resources available online as a way to reach their goals faster.
So, if you're eager to make pro-active change and you'd like a bit of insight on how to do it, I hope my experience can help with getting the experiences you want.
Paul F. Creedy
