From Struggle to Know-How: Why I Do This

   On one of my last days at school, aged 16, one of my closest mates turned to the English teacher and said,

“Miss, I can’t read or write — and I’m about to leave school.”
 She replied,
“It’s like a disease.  It’ll come to you as you go through life.”

That statement stuck with me — not because it offered hope, but because it showed just how little understanding there was about how to teach.  There was no disease, no label needed.  What was missing was a proper method — one that works.   Teachers just didn’t know how to help us learn.

A few months later, I joined the British Army.  I did well for six years — but not through intelligence, just brute force and determination.  After leaving, I hit a wall.  Again and again.  I wasn’t lazy.  I wasn’t unwilling.  I just didn’t know how to move forward.  It was frustrating.  It was dark.   And it felt like I’d been left behind.

Then something changed:  I learned how to learn.

Once I understood that, everything opened up.  I now write books.  I write computer code.  I can read about anything and make sense of it.  It’s not hard — in fact, it’s fun.  It’s empowering.  And it’s incredibly rewarding.

Now, I dedicate myself to helping others find that same switch, because once you know how to learn, you can become who you want to be.