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."
[Recap for Episode 73] Logan Nickleson on Misunderstandings About Marketing, Finding Your Audience, and Using Psychology to Your Advantage
73: Logan Nickleson on Misunderstandings About Marketing, Finding Your Audience, and Using Psychology to Your Advantage
[Replay] Lee Moyer on learning from others, dealing with criticism, and his Kickstarter game
[Recap for Episode 72] Amy Oestreicher on Being a Detourist, Being More Capable Than We Think, and Taking Risks
72: Amy Oestreicher on Being a Detourist, Being More Capable Than We Think, and Taking Risks
[Replay] Katy Walker and Joel Mejia on Taking Action, Working with Limitations, and Empowering Others
[Recap for Episode 71] Cassia Cogger on Being Open to New Ideas, Avoiding Complacency, Being Consistent, and the Art of Simplification
71: Cassia Cogger on Being Open to New Ideas, Avoiding Complacency, Being Consistent, and the Art of Simplification
[Recap for Episode 70] Kent Sanders on Taking Breaks, the Obstacles That Hold Us Back, and Changing Our Money Mentality
70: Kent Sanders on Taking Breaks, the Obstacles That Hold Us Back, and Changing Our Money Mentality
[Recap for Episode 69] Bob Baker on Following Your Curiosity, Being Persistent, and Finding Success as an Artist
[Replay] Tim Lawrence on Growing Through Adversity, Minimalism, and the Power of Listening
69: Bob Baker on Following Your Curiosity, Being Persistent, and Finding Success as an Artist
[Recap for Episode 68] Kym Dolcimascolo on Creating a Plan, Knowing Your Audience, and How Artists Can Change the World
68: Kym Dolcimascolo on Creating a Plan, Knowing Your Audience, and How Artists Can Change the World
[Replay] 44: Sarah Jackson on Making a Positive Impact on Immigrant Families, the Power of Small Steps, and Why You Need to Just Get Started
[Recap for Episode 67] Marcella Chamorro on Letting Go of Ego, Getting Into Creative Flow, and Becoming More Mindful
67: Marcella Chamorro on Lettting Go of Ego, Getting Into Creative Flow, and Becoming More Mindful
[Recap for Episode 66] Charlotte Eriksson (The Glass Child) on Facing Obstacles, Knowing Yourself and Your Fans, and The Importance of Your Why
66: Charlotte Eriksson (The Glass Child) on Facing Obstacles, Knowing Yourself and Your Fans, and The Importance of Your Why
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