This Is Me!

Good afternoon and welcome to my first ever blog! My name is Connor and I live in London (not actually in London but the last London borough). Believe it or not I have a friend who calls me out on that! I am super excited to start this blog - it has been something I have always wanted to do (OK maybe not always - I can't imagine 5 year old Connor blogging!). I thought what better way to kick off than a chilled, relaxed introduction about me and my life (if you're expecting glamour and mic drop moments you might be disappointed).

Some people would call me boring. Others might call me old fashioned. Why? Well. Let's start with golf. Typically seen as an 'older person's' game. I started playing golf when I was around 5 years old. I remember my dad taking me over to a local pitch and putt. Most people that age would fall in love with kicking a football round the park. But me. Nope. All I wanted to do was hit that little white ball from tee to green,  then get frustrated when it wouldn't go in the hole. Nothing changes - trust me. Some 19 years later, I have managed to achieve an 11 handicap, as well as 12 major competition wins at the club where I am a member. Not bad is what you're probably thinking. But I never think about the ones that I've won. It's all about the few that slipped by or that I missed out on by a shot or two. That's one thing you'll get to learn about me. I am very hard on myself and always expect something special every time I tee it up. Sadly, we can't always win.

I had a solid school life where I made a number of friends who I still see regularly now. I was always very quiet and hard working - it earned me the 'teacher's pet' tag in a lot of classes. But you know something, I was proud of that! Being someone the teacher could always trust for jobs, always handing homework in on time (often early) and generally being a top achiever across the board. It's very rare I blow my own trumpet so please forgive that little rant! Did I enjoy school? Yeah. I suppose I did. I was very lucky to have many supportive teachers who would always push me to become a better version of myself. And I loved hard work. I mean really enjoyed it. Give me a piece of coursework and a deadline and I'd be submitting 5 or 6 times trying to improve my score. Probably drove the teachers mad. They probably thought "Not Connor again! Is 49/50 not good enough for him?" Sorry teachers, but I only strive for perfection. 

And when I left school aged 17 what did I do? That's right. I went straight back to school! Teaching and developing children was always something I had a great passion in. I should probably thank all my teachers for that one. An apprenticeship and a 2 year placement led to a job at a local primary school which is where I call my second home now. Lots of people my age want to get away from school and everything that goes with it, but for me watching a child grow within themselves and knowing I have helped towards that, there is nothing more personally rewarding and satisfying than that. 

So now you know some of my life story and why I did what I did, who am I? Who is Connor as a person? Who is Connor beneath the clothes? Beneath the skin? Well. Everybody you ask will have a different opinion about me. Some good. Some bad. Some indifferent. However, I like to see myself as a person to turn to for help. I love my friends and would go to the end of the Earth to help them in any way I can. I am a very honest and straight up person. I say what I think and I mean what I say. Trust me, that gets me in some deep water sometimes but I always try to be true to myself. If you ask me a question and don't like the answer, it's your fault, not mine. Loyalty is a big thing for me in life. Everyone is human and should be treated as such. Be kind to people. I try to be. Yes it can be hard, especially if someone has not been kind to you. However, I believe in forgiveness. In second chances. In putting myself in other people's position. Everyone goes through different experiences in their lives. I don't know if these are good or bad. My actions could affect the livelihood of another. I just hope these are helpful and add value to the existence of another person. 

I can also be a very random and spontaneous person. Sometimes I surprise myself with things I do, things I say or places I want to visit. YOLO (otherwise known as you only live once) is my number one motto. Don't be afraid of life. It's too short to question your decisions. I wish I could go back to the age of 16. I was too withdrawn and self conscious during my latter teenage years. I would be in on Friday nights watching golf on TV instead of being out having fun with friends. I would spend my Saturday and Sunday playing golf by myself and watching football by myself rather than enjoying these experiences with family or those with a similar interest. Only when I turned 21 did I start to change for the better. I had a 21st birthday party! That was a massive deal for me at the time. I wasn't into parties or going out or being in large groups of people. Spontaneous me just decided one day that I wanted a big party. A live band, a massive function hall, food, cakes, balloons, banners, presents. I was the centre of attention. Most people would love that. That was my nightmare! What was I doing to myself? Let me answer that one. I was becoming a new me. A better me. A better Connor. Do I regret it? Absolutely not!  Ever since that night, I have tried to live life to the fullest. Put myself outside my comfort zone every day, trying to make the most of life while I can. YOLO!

Well I think I've given you enough details about my life for today. Hopefully you know something now that you didn't know before reading (duh - of course you do. This is my first blog).

If you have enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it (I'd probably cry if you didn't), then please come and check out my future blogs. I will be posting every Monday and Friday at 5pm for your entertainment (and my own - obviously). I know most bloggers have a niche, an area of expertise or particular interest. But for now I want to write about things that I like, what interests me, what I have a strong opinion about. Also, feel free to comment any thoughts about my blogs - I would love to hear from you all. Please also feel free to comment any suggestions for future blogs. If it meets my criteria then you may see your idea featured in a future post. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this. It honestly makes me super happy I can now finally start blogging. Following a dream of mine. Making the most of life. Sound familiar...

Connor

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