Over the last couple of days, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on some of the threads from my childhood and how they've shaped the father, husband and man I am today. When I look back, I genuinely think I was a good kid. I loved adventure. BMX bikes, skateboards, rugby, riding motorbikes, building things, getting dirty, disappearing with my mates until the sun went down. I was curious, energetic and always looking for the next bit of excitement. But underneath all of that was a young boy who carried a lot of anger. I reacted quickly. I remember kicking a hole in a classroom wall after getting into trouble. I remember stealing Mum's wedding ring and trying to sell it at school, having absolutely no understanding of what it meant or why it mattered. Looking back now, those moments weren't because I was a bad kid. They were moments of pure immaturity, confusion and emotional reactivity that I simply didn't have the tools to navigate. However the decisions I made then led me on a path. I changed schools more than once when I was young, and then at thirteen, just as I'd found a solid group of mates and started to feel settled, Mum and Dad came home from a trip to Oz for an aunties 40th and told us we were moving to Australia... Within a month they sold everything, packed a shipping container and started again in a completely different country. When I really sit with that now, I can see how much adapting I did as a young bloke. Every time life changed, I learnt how to fit in. I became the chameleon. I learnt how to read people, connect quickly, make friends and find my place wherever I landed. For a long time I probably saw that as survival mechanism, for sure. Today I see it as one of my greatest gifts. It allows me to connect deeply with people from all walks of life, and it's become one of the foundations of the work I do with men and in my community and in business. My dad worked incredibly hard. He was always building something, fixing something or working in the motorcycle shop. Some of my greatest memories are wrapped up in that freedom. Riding bikes around town, hanging around the workshop and exploring the world. I also remember crashing one of his little motorbikes and getting an almighty spray. At the time it felt terrifying. Now, as a father, I understand that he was doing the best he could with what he knew. I can also see parts of him in me now. There are qualities I carry forward with gratitude, and others I've consciously chosen to soften.

If you follow the path this is what is waiting for you. Keeping it simple so your partner and children want to be around you for life.