My Story...
I can truly say I live an extraordinary life with my family!
I still own and run a number of successful enterprises along with my other passion - sport. I coach sports and sports stars to focus on their goals and dreams. I also work with troubled families and help them work through the so called behavioural issues with young teens. The biggest buzz I get is when I see a parent and teenager hug after walking in to my office, arms crossed and that “I don’t want to be here” look etched across their faces!
The other area that I work in with people is that crucial work/life balance. It is hard in this fast paced world, but it is very possible to have it all! The key difference in the way I work with people is I work on the “HOW TO” – not just the hyped up ‘WHY’
With a strong business background in various industries I quickly understood the need for work/family/life balance. I strongly believe that the key to the success of balance is by obtaining self-awareness. To really understand the theories I went back to school. University gave me the knowledge and the tools to formalize this learning which I could then start to use as a substantial tool that I could use in my own practice.
So that’s me in a nutshell. I have a wonderful family – because I choose it to be so. I enjoy what I do and that earns me a fulfilling lifestyle both mentally and financially. I make a difference by empowering people to make change.
I have it all which is why I live for my personal saying
“Bring it on the World!
Because I am ready and willing and able… ARE YOU?
I know that you are important and that your life matters. I want to help you in your journey of change and self discovery. You can email me anytime to tell me your story of change by emailing me at kevin@kevinmayall.com Please be aware, I do receive hundreds of emails every day so it may take some time for me to respond, but believe me I will!
I look forward to hearing from you
Kevin
Bring it on the World!
Here's a little bit about me and how I got to where I am. This isn't me showing off. it is me telling you how I started out and how ordinary I am. I just choose to do extraordinary things with my life... that you can do as well.
I was an ordinary student and at the end of High School I went and got a job at a seed company called Yates and worked in the Warehouse. I enjoyed earning money but something was niggling away at me. I knew there was something else out there. I just didn't know what...
I did know that I didn't want to work on the family farm where I grew up... until Dad came to me about 18 months after I left school and asked me to work on the farm with him. For some reason that I am yet to explain, I said YES... even though A) I had no idea what I would do on the farm , and B) I didn't want to be a farming guy all my life...
I started on $150 per week which back then was a moderate income.
From farming I learnt a lot about how things work, the environment and the management of resources, harvesting and sowing seeds. I learnt about the community and being part of something bigger than me.
Dad came to me a few years after that and told me he wanted to save some time and didn't want to deal with me as a paid employee anymore so a simple way of dealing with that was to go on a share basis. I would be paid a % of the turnover of the farm but I would have to pay my own taxes and look after myself - kind of like being a business....
...this was a huge and significant point.
I learn't instantly that the smarter I was then the more I could increase my income.
I went looking for the 'extra mile' . I started to see ideas occurring. I didn't always worry about how to make the idea happen, I just had an idea and then just kind of went for it...
...I didn't know at the time that this was the absolute key to my success..
I ended buying the cows from the farm. I was not gifted anything at all- I earn't it and paid market rates. In NZ, the tax department makes sure that you don't get away with much which is only fair.Because I was able to own the cows, I was then in a position to take over the farm. I am grateful to my dad for the opportunity.
If I was ever GIFTED one thing it was simply the OPPORTUNITY.
I paid for the farm - well over $1million NZ Dollars....this was funded with a mortgage. And well damn - I was in it up to my neck in debt. But it was my idea and it was an opportunity. I already had a track record of making an idea happen so why not this I kept asking myself.
I saw different ways of doing things. I knew that the dairy stock in NZ could be better. In those days our cattle were seen as a just a revenue source. I saw the cows as something more... something that was important, that was dependent on me for good care.
After some research and I came across a woman that was a world expert in dairy nutrition and farm systems. By using her expertise and her knowledge I made a huge change.
This INVESTMENT - don't forget I am already in debt well over $1million and I was about to invest more money - was huge.
The banks hated me, this was new. It was outside the norm at the time. It was different. I had to convince the bank to give me more money. I had to find someone that believed in me. (something that keeps reoccurring in my life ) I found that person. I paid this woman for her expertise. I was prepared to invest (notice I don't say cost!)
We had hurdles to overcome. We had major issues that tested my beliefs.
But I held true to my goals and dreams.
I knew things were changing when others around us started to see the differences happen. The doubters started asking questions. Our production and profit went up considerably and in the face of some negative weather aspects. Our vision paid off in the form of increased production and income.I kept on reinvesting in assets that would make me money. I reinvested in the farm. The fact that we kept reinvesting into our vision meant a continued focus on growing our income and assets.
Then it all turned upside down...
I broke my ankle one day - I jumped a fence and didn't spot the broken post under the grass....
But this turned out to be another OPPORTUNITY. It gave me a chance to go out and explore other parts of my life. I went onto to study Coaching and Behavioural Sciences at University part time. I was no use on the farm for a while and with managers in place things were OK on that front.
Then we had a bad year with stock. The bank got bought out and our new rural bank manager couldn't see my vision. It wasn't looking good - so I did what I have always done... I went looking for another dream supporter. I had being doing the coaching study and had started to see that things could in fact be different....thats when I made one of the biggest most momentous decisions...
I put my next dream into its action plan and started a new venture:
I met with a new bank manager - his first suggestion to me after hearing my dream (to have more time) was to say "So why don't you sell the farm"
I made the notes as to what resources I had who could help me (this is part of the programmes I coach now...) and found that I had all the pieces already to make my dream a reality.
If I was going to sell the farm I was going to change a lot of peoples lives - not just my own. My wife Julie; my mum and dad who still lived on the farm. They had built this farm and here I was wanting to sell it. How could I have been so selfish!!
Because I had done the coaching that we as a family could have it all- why ? Because I knew it was possible.
What we did with my families full blessing - was to go sell our farm for a good profit. We then went out and bought another farm - just in another country - Australia. This meant that I could work my new dream (coaching and helping others achieve their dreams) so I put my money where my mouth was. Dad said to me a few months later "I didn't know life good be this good"
My own fears of what I thought my parents my feel was not real - I took the risk and found out what they wanted instead of assuming that i would know what they wanted.
A BIG MISTAKE that many people do without really thinking.
I still own that farm in Australia - in fact we won another high performance award in 2006 and that farm is just an extension of my dreams
I have not just sold an asset to focus on something else - I have added to my dream pot to make my life more fulfilled and more dynamic. I still run a couple of other ventures as well...
I am living my dream life - the coaching study made me focus on my life!
This is a coaching program that I have enhanced and formatted for you. So you too can have the life you want.
You Can Have It All!!
