I made a deal with myself. To never waste precious time. To start doing everything I could to discover what I loved. And to help others do the same along the way.

Time to discover

I’ve met many people who’ve experienced epiphanies. Moments when a sudden realisation motivates change and influences the course of their lives. Not many report it happened to them in childhood, but it did to me.

When I was 14 and on a school trip to China, I contracted swine flu. During treatment in Beijing, I was moved from one hospital to another. Trouble was, nobody told my teachers, so for 24 hours I was on the missing list. I even made the news.

But here’s the thing. When I was lying there alone with a potentially life-threatening illness, it struck me just how short life can be. That you never know what’s round the corner. So I made a deal with myself. To never waste precious time. To start doing everything I could to discover what I loved. And to help others do the same along the way.