Henry May spent his childhood playing with LEGOs. He loved the outdoors and harmless mischief. He thought his life was pre-ordained. He thought our paths are set for us.
This all changed the summer he joined Teach First. The two years he spent here, changed his thoughts on the education system and his role in the world.
After his time at Teach First, and a short stint at Procter & Gamble, Henry took a trip to Colombia through Teach Colombia and fell in love with the country. But he also heard horrible stories about the public schools there.
These were the driving forces that pulled him to leave everything he knew in London and to start CoSchool in Colombia.
In this episode Henry talks about why well respected jobs aren't always right for us, why good ideas take time to develop, and why you need to stop waiting and put your ideas into action.
Respected Jobs Aren't Always the Best For UsIf you ask most people what they want out of life, one thing they will mention is a good career. They want a safe job at a well established company. They want stability and security. But that doesn't mean a job at a well respected company is right for everyone.
That's exactly what Henry found out while working at Procter & Gamble. While most people would be overjoyed to have a job at a company like P&G, Henry found it frustrating.
"It was such a different world from this real life, hard hitting world of being a teacher in a school in South London. To then be found in an office talking about selling razor blades, nappies, shampoo. I just couldn't connect with the deeper purpose. I really respect an organization like Procter & Gamble for the success that they've had, for the benefit that they bring to the world... however I found it very frustrating to see so many intelligent, capable, caring people there who were using all of that talent and all of that brilliance to sell 1% more shampoo than their rivals."
Just because a company is a good business, that doesn't mean it's the right fit for everyone. Sometimes our hearts just aren't into it.
"Ultimately that's the bottom line in an organization like that. They do a great job of developing people, and growing leaders, and making some fantastic business people, but I was a mismatch in terms of where my heart was."
Sometimes Good Ideas Take Time to DevelopIn the modern age, we want things to happen instantaneously. We have been conditioned to expect instant gratification. But sometimes good ideas take time develop. Sometimes we need to think things over before they can become a reality.
That's exactly what happened to Henry. His dual passions for Huracan FC and CoSchool were on completely different journeys, but after thinking about it for a few months, the ideas converged.
"They were separate dots on... different journeys of my life that didn't make a connection immediately. There wasn't intentions. It took a process of reflection and iteration, and three or four months initially of thinking 'Am I going to focus on the Huracan foundation? Is that my thing? Is that what I am going to do? And eventually CoSchool was born out of this process of stopping."
We're always in such a rush to get our ideas off the ground that we don't give them time to breath. That's why Henry advises aspiring entrepreneurs to spend some time thinking about their ideas.
"I think that if there's something that I learned from that, there's something I share with other people, with friends who are thinking about doing something entrepreneurial, the value of stopping and stepping outside of the white water, not just for a day or for a week, I mean I did it for three months. I gave myself the time and space to think, to explore, to consider, to evaluate, to analyze. I think out of that space, was the birth of probably my greatest moment of creativity."
[Replay] Kim Nicol on Her Journey into Mindfulness, How Mindfulness Helps High Powered People, and the Many Ways She Teaches
[Recap for Episode 82] Erik Kruger on Lessons from Failure, Letting Principles Guide You, and Creating Value for Your Audience
82: Erik Kruger on Lessons from Failure, Letting Principles Guide You, and Creating Value for Your Audience
[Recap for Episode 81] Ja-Nae Duane on Vulnerability, Staying in Touch with Creativity, and the Power of Mindsets
81: Ja-Nae Duane on Vulnerability, Staying in Touch with Creativity, and the Power of Mindsets
[Recap for Episode 80] Angela Ferrari on Believing in Yourself, Having Fun, and Struggles and Success
80: Angela Ferrari on Believing in Yourself, Having Fun, and Struggles and Success
[Recap for Episode 79] Henry May on Leaving His Respected Job, Letting Ideas Develop, and Taking Action
[Recap for Episode 78] Kristen Fagan on the Downside of Perfectionism, the Power of Play, and Following Your Intuition
78: Kristen Fagan on the Downside of Perfectionism, the Power of Play, and Following Your Intuition
[Recap for Episode 77] David Smooke on Taking Incremental Steps, Community Building, and Unleashing Your Potential
David Smooke on Taking Incremental Steps, Community Building, and Unleashing Your Potential
[Recap for Episode 76] Melissa Dinwiddie on Being Happy, Making Time for Creativity, and Sharing Your Work
76: Melissa Dinwiddie on Being Happy, Making Time for Creativity, and Sharing Your Work
[Recap for Episode 75] Kerry Burki on Listening to Your Younger Self, Learning to Say No, and Shifting Your Mindset
75: Kerry Burki on Listening to Your Younger Self, Learning to Say No, and Shifting Your Mindset
[Replay] Mike Roy on the Common Myths Artist Believe, How to Overcome Those Beliefs, and Finding the Perfect Niche for Your Creative Business
[Recap for Episode 74] Dave Conrey on the Importance of Connection, the Keys to a Creative Business, and Getting Started
74: Dave Conrey on the Importance of Connection, the Keys to a Creative Business, and Getting Started
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