Ian Usher Joins Us On The Steve Jobs Inspired Join Up Dots Podcast
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Introducing Ian Usher
Ian Usher is today’s guest joining us on the Steve Jobs inspired Join Up Dots business coaching podcast.
He is an example of someone who took massive action and then kept adding to the momentum.
A man who created by that one act a desire to change their life forever.
A few years back in 2008, he made headlines across the world when he auctioned his entire life.
His car, home, job and friends all went on eBay, after his marriage collapsed six years after leaving the United Kingdom and setting up home in Australia.
He earnt £192,000 and instead of settling back into domestic life with the sudden windfall went for adventure.
However instead he decided to set off on a path which must have been barely a thought even a few months earlier.
He took the proceeds and made a fresh start, travelling the world armed with nothing but a list of life-goals.
Good for you Ian Usher!
How Did The Dots Join Up For Ian?
Over 100 weeks he tackled 100 goals, which included meeting Sir Richard Branson, running with bulls, cage diving with great white sharks, and even joining the Mile High Club.
Now after owning and living on his own island off the coast of Panama his life is even more eclectic.
This you will hear on another episode of Join Up Dots is now owned by Graham Hughes, the first man to visit every country on earth.
He has become a popular speaker, writer, adventurer and traveller.
His life seems a world away from his childhood in the North of England.
But is it?
Did he always have this adventurous spirit as a child?
Or was his life just waiting for the right moment to find his unique and authentic calling?
Well let’s bring onto the show to start joining up dots, as we discuss the words of Steve Jobs in todays Free podcast, with the one and only Mr Ian Usher.
Show Highlights
During the show we discussed with Ian Usher, such weighty topics such as:
How his love of adventure was fuelled by his Dad, who even went skydiving with him at the age of 16!
The reasons he rarely had a real job, with the longest lasting only 3 years!
Why tacking the wall of death was one of the greatest challenges that he overcame on his life list!
How diving with Great White Sharks off the coast of South Africa was an experience which was less than inspiring to say the least!
And lastly……….
How he wants Ewan McGregor to play him in the story of his life, and not Tom Hanks (even though Mr Hanks is a fine actor)
Products By Ian Usher
How To Connect With Ian Usher
Return To The Top Of Ian Usher
If you are inspired by Ian’s conversation then why not check out his next appearance on the show, Taylor White, or listen to another “Bucket list” expert with Danny Dover
Followed by Danny’s next appearance too.
Audio Transcription Of Ian usher Interview
Intro [0:00]
When we’re young, we have an amazing positive outlook about how great life is going to be. But somewhere along the line we forget to dream and end up settling. Join Up Dots features amazing people who refuse to give up and chose to go after their dreams. This is your blueprint for greatness. So here’s your host live from the back of his garden in the UK, David Ralph.
David Ralph [0:26]
Yes, hello that world. How are we all? Are we rocking and rolling in Join Up Dots land where you should be because the conversations this month have been off the scale. I love them. And I actually listened back to my own shows. I know that sounds a bit weird, but I actually do and I get inspired by them. And I’m actually the person you know, with my guests churning them out. So we’ve had some great stuff and we’ve got a guy on today, who is going to deliver another Beltre in the Join Up Dots stable I’ve been chatting to him already. And to be honest, I didn’t even want to press record. I just want to keep on talking to him because he fascinating stuff. He is a man who is an example of someone who took massive action and Ben kept adding to the momentum created by that one act to quite literally changed his life forever. A few years back in 2008, he made headlines across the world when they auctioned his entire life he’s car home job and friends on eBay. After his marriage collapse. Six years after leaving the United Kingdom and setting up home in Australia, he had 192 grand and instead of settling back into domestic life with the southern windfall, instead decided to set off on a path which must have been unthought of even a few months earlier. He took the proceeds and made a fresh start travelling the world armed with nothing but a list of life goals. Over 100 weeks, he tackled 100 goals, which included meetings of Richard Branson, running with balls, cage diving with great white sharks, and even joining the Mile High Club. That’s one thing your kids to ask the mom and dad about. And now after owning and living on his own island off the coast of Panama and becoming a speaker, writer, adventure and traveller, his life seems a world away from his childhood in the north of England. But is it though? Did he always had this adventurous spirit as a child? And was He’s like, just waiting for the right moment to find a unique and authentic calling? Well, let’s find out as we bring onto the show to start joining up, does the one the only Mr. Ian Usher, how are you?
Ian Usher [2:21]
I’m great, David. Thank you. Well, that’s quite an introduction. Thank you very much.
David Ralph [2:25]
Did you do listen to those introductions? Because everyone always says to me, I’ve had quite an introduction. Like it’s not actually them. But do you listen to it like it’s a third party? Or do you actually go Yeah, that’s right. Yep. Done that done. That done that.
Ian Usher [2:40]
is interesting to listen to. Because
I do think, yep, done that yet. That’s me. I did that. But it’s when I look back. Sometimes it’s almost hard to believe all the things that I have done and there is sometimes a little bit of an area of unreality about it, but I’m continuing to deliver and adventurous and in interesting life. So it certainly Yeah, my life certainly has changed quite dramatically over the past few years.
David Ralph [3:08]
But I’ve been looking back over your whole life looking at your sort of childhood and I’ve been stalking you in basically. And there’s a lot of kind of adventure in your life. Even as a young child in the north of England, it didn’t seem to be like you was somebody that was ever going to settle and be a bank manager.
Ian Usher [3:27]
No, I don’t think so. And my parents certainly are to thank for a lot of that. My my mom and dad took us skiing, we went to Catterick ski slope, the dry ski slope and learn ski and from around the age of 10. We would go on adventure activity holidays to the lake tourist district, where I sort of discovered a love for climbing and canoeing and orienteering and all that sort of outdoor stuff out in the hills and the mountains of the Lake District. So certainly the the early upbringing and my my dad, particularly, I guess, is that venture aside, I had a big impact on the things that I like to do early in life.
David Ralph [4:08]
And then do you do obviously you remember your dad, but do you remember your dad doing anything sort of, to quote a phrase mad because some of the things you’ve done are mad, so and what’s made the headlines because they are slightly mad.
Ian Usher [4:22]
So I was your dad? Yes. Yeah. He was. Yes, he was. I guess his friends would would always describe him as slightly eccentric. He was an adventurous dad. And when on my 16th birthday, I wanted to do a skydive, which was under this sort of round canopy, the old style, army round Caribbean parachute, canopy parachutes. My dad came along, he said, No, I’m coming. I’m doing it as well. So on my 16th birthday, it was a father and son. parachute jump. He had, he always had a motorcycle. I can remember as a kid, there was always motorcycles about. He went to around southern island on a bike he went across to Eastern Europe, and travelled around on a motorbike in Eastern Europe. So yeah, he was he was always adventuring. And he was always an inspiration to me. Your dad’s first name was an Indiana and he and he’s just kind of like an abbreviation of fat because that doesn’t sound like my dad at all. You You certainly had an unusual dead compared to the people, but I know certainly. Yeah. Now my dad’s first name was actually Foster, which is an old old family name. And for four generations, the firstborn son was called foster OSHA. But my dad, he hated it. He said that he always said, you know, someone was, what’s your name? My name is Foster. And it’s a no, no, I meant your first name. And he took God is my first name. That’s an unusual first name, you’d have to go into this. He said, you could never just say my name is Foster. So often when we went on holiday, he would, he would say that his name was Frank, and he would just introduce himself as Frank. And but my mom kept calling him fast. And people thought it was that then why does she not know her husband’s name when they’re on, on holiday together? So I think people just assumed my mom was having an affair when we shouldn’t when she was on holiday, because she didn’t know his name was Frank, when he introduced himself as such.
David Ralph [6:15]
I have the same problem with my name. My name is David Ralph. And you would basically that the Christian name is the one that comes first. And the surname is the one that comes afterwards. But the me
Ian Usher [6:27]
Yeah, you put a comma in a could be David comma, wrong.
David Ralph [6:30]
Yeah, I could, I could actually be neither. And the amount of people will come back to me and say Hi, Ralph. Hi, Ralph. And yes, especially Americans, there must be a lot because the only Ralph that I really remember are the the bloke from happy days. And, and the piano playing Muppet.
Ian Usher [6:48]
Oh, yes. Yeah,
David Ralph [6:49]
he was Ralph as well. When he died. He was the dog one, wasn’t it? Yeah, that’s right. Yeah. So yeah, we had that same connexion with the sort of weird names. So I would say, looking back on your childhood, because you were up in the north of England. Yes, it’s a kind of cold climate, the north of England once you get past, but anybody out there who doesn’t know the United Kingdom, you basically go past the sort of middle of the country. And when it starts getting cold and dreary, and once you get once you get so up the top, you don’t see sunshine at all. And a lot of people still thrive on the outdoor life up there, even though the climate isn’t particularly good all the time. And that’s that toughen you up.
Ian Usher [7:37]
I guess it does a bit. Yeah, I believe for some of us on a Wednesday this year up north is they just not to just have to help us do. It’s beautiful up there as well. You know, we’ve got the hills and the Lake District and the Dalles areas and the North Yorkshire Moors and further up, you know, into Scotland. There’s just some amazing outdoor, not facilities, I guess, just sort of outdoor places to go and enjoy. We had a, there was a little ski slope, a winter ski slope, just up the Dalles from where we lived and you could drive up on a Sunday. And they had a tractor and they just ran a big long rope off the flywheel of a tractor motor, and it dragged you up the hill with the skis on through the snow up to the top. So yeah, they have got possibilities of fantastic up there. But it is, as you say, it’s not it’s not gone. Well, it’s certainly been colder up there. So it does toughen you
David Ralph [8:30]
up. Did you do miss it? Now your life is so exotic, and you’re whizzing around to these these exotic islands and places is a big part of that kind of area. I suppose you never lose your sort of formative years. But do you sort of like Hank up a certain things that you had in the north of England?
Ian Usher [8:49]
And not really I like going back my mom still lives in Darlington so I do get back every time I’m in the UK, I get back up north and I lived on the coast at Scarborough idolising time and I get back there to visit as well. I still have friends in Scarborough. Um, I you know, there’s it’s such a big world and there’s so much other stuff to see out there. And and life I think is is just this forward journey. You know, it’s it’s no good. Looking back and hankering for something that was because change is inevitable. And if you go back, it’s never going to be the same again anyway. So I guess you could have a sort of more forward look them than a reward. Look, I think the thing I do miss is good. A good point of English beer, it’s very hard to get elsewhere in the world.
David Ralph [9:35]
It’s the simple things in life just like that, isn’t it that you never really sort of lose?
Ian Usher [9:40]
Yeah, absolutely. pint of pint of Timothy Taylor’s or you know, Theakston something or other? You just you don’t get that abroad, they don’t seem to brew quite the same way as they do in England.
David Ralph [9:51]
Because I I missed this kind of simple watching a simple programme without nine adverts in it.
Ian Usher [9:58]
Yeah, I haven’t I haven’t had a TV for years now. In Australia, I lived in Australia for a while the adverts would just they would put them in so quick fire towards the end of the movie that by, by the time you got to the crescendo of the movie, you couldn’t care less what happened to anyone, you’d, you’d seen so many adverts, and it’s the same here in the States, I’m in the US at the moment that I’d rather rent or download something and watch it without, you know, they can spin out a 30 minute show to an hour with the amount of adverts that puts in it.
David Ralph [10:30]
So So what does your mom think your mom would let back in Darlington? Does she kind of go? Go out? Go for it. Go for it. I’m really proud of you, son, or do you think there’s a bit of her that would like some to be closer to home?
Ian Usher [10:44]
Well, yeah, she she’d like to be closer to home. My brother’s out some working in Abu Dhabi at the moment. So we’re both pretty far flung. So we sort of, I guess, do a tag team system of going back to visit and try and get back once every year or every two years. So my mom has stopped asking me which, which is this is a big step forward, she has stopped asking me When are you going to get a real job. So I think I’ve made big progress there. I’ve just past 50 and she’s now stopped asking me when I’m going to get a real job.
David Ralph [11:15]
Have you had a real job because I know you had like a jet ski business and things like that in you in your past.
Ian Usher [11:22]
I’ve had a few real jobs but only on a very short term basis, I think I think I have a low boredom threshold for, for working and being told what to do by a boss. And my personal record is almost three years when I was in Australia, I worked in one place. I did have, I went to college and I did a teaching degree in Liverpool. And I just I, I hated the teaching practice. I hated the rigid school system and being sir and the shirt and the tie and all that sort of stuff. But I really enjoyed working with the kids. And when I finished college, rather than going into schools, I ended up working in outdoor centres and ended up teaching the stuff I enjoy doing, which was the climbing and the canoeing and the sailing and all of that sort of stuff, and and thoroughly enjoyed working with the kids. But in a much less rigid and less structured environments. That was a lot more fun. And I think you can teach them a lot more as well. You know, a kid, a kid learns pretty quickly about Sam responsibility and teamwork and cooperation, when you’ve got them dangling 60 foot over a cliff on on the end of a rope there. Yeah, pretty pretty quickly pick up the idea of teamwork. There
David Ralph [12:31]
is a funny whole thing that I’ve discovered through these conversations, because I am speaking to go getters, motivational people, entrepreneurs, they all seem to have this kind of concept now. And I agree with this, when when the first person said it to me, I went, yeah, I go with it. And now they they’re all saying it to me. And I’m having kids saying to me, I was speaking to a chap yesterday who’s like 16, and created his first business when he was four and things like that. And he says, but the education system is flawed, it doesn’t matter what country you are in. And it’s certainly if you end up being an entrepreneur, or somebody that takes risks like you have, I can see that it was, you know, it was an awful place in many ways to be there. Because it seems to be focused on educating and not inspiring, it’s almost a fear of you gotta get your qualifications. Because if you come out the other end, and you don’t get a job, you’re going to be on the dole, you’re not going to have any money coming in fear, fear fear, we’re actually we should be inspiring kids to be more creative with their outlook, and basically say to them, yeah, if you get your qualifications, that’s great, because that’s a key for you. But it’s not the only thing. There’s so many people out there now with the power of the internet, I’ve got the opportunity to earn money and have dream lives and, and travel and all those kind of things like never before, be inspired and challenge the status quo.
Ian Usher [13:52]
Absolutely. I couldn’t agree more, I think. I think a lot of you see it more here in the States as well, you know, with a college that it’s expected that everyone goes on to college afterwards. And what are you going to be, you’re going to be a doctor or a lawyer or a dentist, or what is it that you’re working towards. And the education system does seem to be tailored to churning out a sort of cookie cutter person who’s who’s designed to fit into a job in society, and that’s going to be our job for the next 40 years. And when you get to 65, you’ll get your retirement and life is going to be great. And because that’s when you get to do all the stuff that you’ve always wanted to do. And it really, I don’t think that’s the way it should be, you know, you should be, as you say, inspiring people to do what it is they want to do now, and somehow figure out a way to make that pay, you know, make make your your your passions and your enjoyment into what your life is about and, and somehow sort of parlay that into a business or an enterprise that pays you for doing what you love, then surely that that’s got to be a much better way forward in life,
David Ralph [15:01]
I’m going to throw this little concept into you. And I am going to sort of touch on your actual movements for your life, because that’s the important bit. But there’s, there’s so many themes that are coming out. And it would be wrong for me not to pose to pose them to you as well. But one of the things that have been coming out time and time again on the show, and I just want to see if it’s relevant to you is that when people say find your passion, find your passion in you never work again, most people will go, I just don’t know what I want to do. I know I don’t want to do because I’ve done it. And I haven’t liked it. But I don’t know what I want to do. And during the conversations I’ve been having, it seems to be that the things that we did as children, the real small things, if we were somebody that liked the outdoor life, and we liked exploring and all that kind of stuff, when we get to adult hood, we should be focusing in on those things, because that is our passion. And if we liked building as a kid, then we should be looking at building somehow. And the middle bit, going through education and coming out with that fear factor of just getting a job means that we forget what our passion is, although life has already told us. And most of us don’t find it again. And that’s what I’m trying to inspire in this these lessons, I suppose that lessons where we speak to people on a daily basis where you’ve already got the clues, you know, what you like it was things that you would do without getting paid. And that’s what you were doing as a childhood? What would you think about that?
Ian Usher [16:20]
Absolutely. I think the thing that’s very true. And Vanessa, my partner just said something very similar the other week, she said, she remembered when she was she was at school, she wanted to be a journalist she wanted to write. And her passion was for writing and storytelling, and it’s only sort of 30 years later that she’s come back around to that and now is she has a blog and writes around stuff. And she said, This is what I’ve always wanted to do, you know, it’s that sort of passion she had as a child and yet, you know, you get into the education and you do it in England, in my time it was all levels and then a levels and then you go to college, and you get a teaching degree. And then it’s expected, you’re going to become a teacher, if you’ve got a teaching degree and life takes you that way. And the other thing that one of the thing that always comes to mind is when I went to college, you you got an allowance when you went to college, and there was there was money towards your expenses. Whereas now, I believe in the UK, and certainly here in the States, people come out of college with a huge, huge debt hanging over their head, which forces them into a job that perhaps you know, if you’ve gone through six years and come out of college ready to be a lawyer. But that’s not what you want to do, you don’t really have a choice, you have to go and be a lawyer in order to pay back the 30 or $40,000 that you are Yeah, back to the government and student loans you saw trapped. By the time you’ve got to the end of the college right? You’re almost trapped into doing something that perhaps wasn’t what you actually wanted to do.
David Ralph [17:57]
fascinating stuff I want as you build up host series, a podcast on that because it is it’s so fascinating. And we could basically, I don’t know how you would recreate the education system, because it’s so ingrained in how it is. But there’s something wrong, there’s something wrong, and we need to do something about it. But I don’t know if I’m the man to do about here. But yeah, I think that
Ian Usher [18:18]
that’s it. That’s a huge, huge subject, isn’t it? A huge undertaking something like that. Yeah, yeah, that would be an interesting thing to study and further,
David Ralph [18:27]
inspire occasion. That’s what I’d like instead of is where you want education. It’s inspire occasion where people like going to school, and they’re learning stuff that teach them life skills, so that they can come out at the upper end with half a chance of doing what they want.
Ian Usher [18:42]
Absolutely.
David Ralph [18:44]
So let’s jump back in time, because the reason that we got you on the show is the journey that you’ve been on. And it has been it’s been not balls, basically, it’s been crazy, but your life change so dramatically. But with everything in Join Up Dots, we know that although it might seem dramatic, there was a journey that you was on. And so the moment on 2008, when you decided to sell your entire life on eBay and made sort of headline news. How did that sort of build up? Was that sort of just instant? This is what I’m going to do? Or was it laying in bed one night? Oh, visibly alarm? I could do this all know, I’m really going to do this. And we did it sort of build up that way.
Ian Usher [19:28]
Yeah, it was more it actually I can actually remember when the idea came, I was working driving trucks in a mine in Western Australia. And it was while driving down into the pit one day I was I was doing long 12 hour shifts. And it was after my wife and I had separated and I ended up with the house and all of the content. See, as part of our sort of financial distribution of the assets, I ended up with a house that was shared and, and all the furniture and bits and pieces that went with it. I’ve been living in that for about a year surrounded by these memories of a part of life that was obviously over for me thinking well, maybe you know, I need to get rid of the house, it’s time to sell the house, it’s time to get rid of the furniture, perhaps a bit of travel is what I want to do next, you know, how do I get it? You know, how do I get rid of the house, maybe I have to sell it furnished with all the furniture in it, I’ve got to get rid of the car, and I’m going to travel the car on the motorbike and the jet ski have to go. And it was just a you know, sort of sudden blinding flash of Wait a minute, what if I packaged everything together. And, and, and put it together as my whole life for sale that I would literally let someone else step in where I was going to leave off. And I will be free and clear to go and travel and makeup. It was all about making a fresh start for me, you know, underlining. That’s the end of that part of my life. This is the start of the next part of my life. But but
David Ralph [20:55]
you can see that with the house and the car, I understand that totally. But you put your games on there and everything and your job.
Ian Usher [21:02]
I do have to stress I was asked about this many times there was there was a lot of interviews about it. I do have to stress, I always said what I was offering was an introduction to my circle of friends. I never ever claimed I was selling my friends. I wouldn’t sort of presume ever that I could do that. And yeah, I just wanted to offer the whole life package and sort of figured out a way to offer a trial period. I moved from the trucks back into the drugstore I’ve been working in and was able because that was a little family business, the couple of run it said, Oh, this sounds like a lot of fun. Yes, we will happily, you know, if you are stepping out will happily give someone a trial period at your job as well. So that I could package and saying, you know, I knew it was a quirky idea. I knew I needed if I was going to auction this as a single item, I knew I needed to get some publicity. So it had to have that sort of quirkiness and have an introduction to France whole complete life package for sale. So that was the thinking behind it.
David Ralph [22:05]
The the the question, it sort of came up when you were saying that because when I said about you put your friends on there, I kind of just fall Well, obviously he hasn’t put his friends on there because you can’t sell people. But interviews were assuming that you were sending people?
Ian Usher [22:20]
Well, I was asked you know, a lot of interviewers don’t do the kind of in depth research that you that you’ve obviously done and one of the very early question that I would always get is how can you possibly sell your friends? And I’d have to say every time now wait a minute, you know, I made this very clear that there was a whole website detailing exactly what I was saying, you know, look, I’ve made this very clear. I’m not selling my friends I’ve never said I’m selling my friends. I’ve always said that some of my good friends are prepared to offer an open arms Welcome to whoever steps into my shoes when I go. And what I was wanting to offer was a real easy step into it lifestyle so that perhaps someone who was emigrating from England over to Australia could simply step in, they’ve got the house, they’ve got all the crockery and the knives and forks, the cars ready for them to step into. There’s a circle of friends who can tell them where the best pub is or you know where to go and get a pizza or whatever it is they needed to know that there was literally a step into it lifestyle ready for someone who’s going to turn up in Perth, Australia? That that was my thinking behind it.
David Ralph [23:26]
What did any of your mates say to you in if you sell it sell it for hot bird might make sure that is a real real good one for us.
Ian Usher [23:34]
Oh, there was there was all sorts of requests from all sorts of friends. Yeah, if different people are like oh, yes, I get go. A couple of girls are some just wanted a family, you know, a nice neighbours, nice family as neighbours. Yeah, there was all sorts of interesting, who might be the type of person it was it there was talk at one point of, I thought it would be really good because there was a huge, huge amount of worldwide publicity about it. And I thought what a great promotion tool that would be for maybe producer was wanting to launch a singer or a rock band, someone who wanted to promote a book or whatever it was they were doing, because there was an awful lot of press interest in who it was that was going to buy the life and and why they would buy that and what why they wanted to do with it. And I thought what a great, great promotional tool for someone launching their singing career or something, but that it never quite turned out that way. But
David Ralph [24:27]
yeah, a contact with the person that bought your life.
Ian Usher [24:30]
But things didn’t quite go to plan, you know, life always has has challenges and difficulties to put up in front of you. And the final bidder at the end, they they the auction itself had a couple of hiccups. And it was meant to be registered bidders only. But we couldn’t get that switch on at the very start. And very quickly on the bids got to $2.2 million, which was all very exciting. I was actually interviewed live on Australian TV, and I What is it like to become an overnight multi millionaire? And I said, well, let’s let’s just all hold our horses here. You know, we’re not sure who these bids are. And I don’t think we’re quite up to the million dollar mark. Yeah, that’s
David Ralph [25:13]
the way you?
Ian Usher [25:15]
Yeah, well, exactly. You know, let’s just all hang on a second. And it turned out was it was a 15 year old kid up in Newcastle, had been put in fake beds on. And I actually got to speak to his mother. Because when when someone bids on an auction, you were you were in a transaction with him and you can access all their details and the phone numbers there. So I run this number up. And I said to the lady said I’m looking for Bill, I can’t remember his name, but I’m looking for Bill. She’s always out at the moment pet and I said, Well, you know, he’s bidding on something on eBay. And it’s all i buys a lot of stuff on eBay. Like I said, so is he is this your husband? She said, Well, no, it’s my nephew. He doesn’t live here. Like he’s he just uses my number because he hasn’t got a foreign of his own. And I said, Well, he’s putting on a very expensive item, or I buys a lot of stuff. I said his current bid is about $2.2 million. She said, Oh, I’ll kill a cheeky little booger. And I said, Well, I think you better get him to retract his beard if he hasn’t got the money to pay for it. Because you’re going to end up with the world’s press on your doorstep in six days. If it continues as he’s going
Unknown Speaker [26:27]
to kill a little booger I will. But so
David Ralph [26:30]
that’s it. That’s you know, that is the fascinating thing about these things, isn’t it that you only get one side of the storey. So on one side of it, it just like you put it on eBay, you came not wealthy, but you had a nice window overnight, and everything was plain sailing. But of course, when you saw get behind it, there’s issues there’s hassles, there’s obstacles, he was saying.
Unknown Speaker [26:51]
And and,
Ian Usher [26:52]
and the final bidder when when the final bid was $399,300, which was just just about the valuation of the house. So I do quite well out of that I paid quite, you know, working in the mines that paid quite a lot of the that the house and I built up quite a sum of equity units. And I run run the final bid run I said I fantastic. You know, let’s, when are we going to get? Oh, I better go and speak to the bank about alone then. And I just thought oh, you know, I tried to sort this out with everyone beforehand, be in a position financially to go ahead because I wanted to do this. Soon as the final bid comes in, let’s get on with it. But all I better go and speak to the bank. And where’s the house? Again, I’m not quite sure where you are in Perth. And it just it was endless difficulties. But ultimately, I did achieve what I wanted to do, which was clear the decks, get rid of everything and make a fresh start. And I’ll go and set off on my travels and adventures.
David Ralph [27:51]
And where was the impact? Because I know PR quite well I’ve got relatives down there. And I’ve stayed in Baton Dean several times.
Ian Usher [27:58]
Okay, yeah, it was down south it was south of the city centre below Fremantle and then down the the southern freeway about 20 minutes, 20 minutes, maybe half an hour south of the city itself. And it just in from the coast, you know, short drive out to the beach is beautiful house, three bedroom, two bathroom, you know, the the Australian style, big block beautiful home. So it was a lovely lifestyle, lovely place to live. It’s perfect, and perfect, perfect summer weather.
David Ralph [28:27]
Now the brilliant thing about value, you’ve now got your money. And many people, they would go back to the life that they were leading before, they would have had that money, they would have been single for a little while, the met somebody new, and then basically replicated. And you see that all the time where somebody will go, I hate this job. I’m not going to stay here anymore. I hate being a lawyer, what you’re going to do I’ve got this new job at a law company, and why are you doing the same thing again? But you didn’t you took that money. And you really did make the most of it.
Ian Usher [29:00]
I did as well. And I didn’t really have that planned out when I when I first said, You know, I had this sort of vague idea of travel, and then you’d start and, and some adventure, but it was very, very vague. And in the interviews I was asked, in almost every interview, what will you do once you’ve sold your life? And my usual blogs? Answer was I’ll be able to do whatever the heck I want. Because, you know, I have money in my pocket, no ties and nothing to hold me back. But that did cause me to question. What is it that I want to do? You know, what do what do I really want to do with my life. And I sort of pulled out. I’ve always had lists of goals and things I want to do and places I want to go and I pulled all these lists together and started collating them into one big list, this is what I’m going to do. And it it just it was another flash of an idea. I’m going to make that list of 100 things I’m going to do 100 goals. How long is that going to take me under days, not too short, hundred months, bit too long. Hundred weeks, hundred goals and hundred weeks. That’s it. That’s what I’m going to do next. And, and then it was I started working on this list of goals. And pretty much after the auction finished, I was up and away and got my teeth into this big long list of stuff I’d always wanted to do. I’m going
David Ralph [30:16]
to play a little speech at this moment. Because I think it emphasises this point exactly, you’ve found the thing that you want to do. Obviously, there’s a risk involved in it. But you haven’t allowed the risk to hold you back, you’re going for the thing that you’re passionate about having listened to this,
Jim Carrey [30:31]
my father could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that that was possible for him. And so he made a conservative choice. Instead, he got a safe job as an accountant. And when I was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job. And our family had to do whatever we could to survive. I learned many great lessons from my father, not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don’t want. So you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.
David Ralph [30:58]
Now, what you did, isn’t it?
Ian Usher [31:01]
It is Yeah, that’s that makes the hairs rise up on the back your neck a little bit. That’s fantastic. Because
it’s so easy to get trapped into that, that
I think we’re all sold this idea of security talks of security or safety there. And you know, get a job, start working your way up the current career ladder and and, you know, you’re saving towards your pension. And there’s that sort of dream of security. But it really is all smoke and mirrors. There’s no certainly now there’s no I don’t think any job security, no one’s going to have the same job, the same company from the day to leave college to let the David retire. So
David Ralph [31:41]
you know even that that sort of dream of security no longer exists. So if you’re going to be doing something, you might as well be doing something you love, not something that you hope is going to give you that wishy washy feeling of security. I was watching you on the telly the other day we were talking about this just before we started recording, and I was sitting with my son and my son is 12. And he’s hugely intelligent. He’s just at that age, but he thinks he’s an idiot. And he’s more intelligent than I am. Which we all kind of go through that phase. And I’m trying to inspire him and really to go for his dreams. And he’s big dreams are basically to be the new Top Gear presenter, he would love to do that, or to be something to do with designing of cars. And we were watching you on your island on this programme, Ben Fogle. And I said to him, I said this chap the other day, I’m going to be talking to him. And I said, I’m going to ask him, I’m going to ask him what his biggest dream was when he was a kid. And I bet he doesn’t say what he’s doing now. And Dan, who’s my son, I said, you’re at the age of 12. If you start thinking about what you really want, at this age, you’ve got a head start on so many people. And if you do want to become the new presenter of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson is not going to last forever, but yourself in a position and keep going for it going good period going for it. And you’re gonna, you’re gonna have a head start. And so I’m going to ask the question pretty bit on its head, that was our conversation. But do you know what your dream was when you was a 12 year old when you were sitting on the sofa with you dead?
Ian Usher [33:15]
I can remember when I was 12. Absolutely. That one of my huge huge passions was to become a scuba diver. And I didn’t care in what shape or form that would be. I read books about guys who worked as police divers guys who worked as marine biologists guys who just just went on diving holidays and, and dived around the world books about the barrier reef and about the sharks and the whales. And I wanted to be a diver. And that sort of morphed as, as I went through school into a passion for an idea that I might become a marine biologist, I always imagined, you know, working out in some beautiful lagoon somewhere with with dolphins and studying dolphins habits and so on. Unfortunately, when when I got to a levels at school chemistry was one of the big needs to become a marine marine biologist. I did pretty good in physics and biology, but failed miserably at chemistry. So I had to do a bit of rethinking after my A Levels. But I do you know, I’ve been a scuba diver pretty much since I was 16. The island in Panama is just around the corner from a place called dolphin Bay, we see dolphins pretty much every time we go out in the boat. And the goals that I did on the list of goals. I swam with whales. I added shark cage diving, swimming open water with hammerhead sharks. And there’s still so you know, I guess it’s an interesting question. When I look back, some of the things I’m doing now is still related to those childhood passions. Although in a different form, I never became a marine biologist, but I still have get great enjoyment from those same elements of those same things that I was passionate, passionate about as well. So for Dan, absolutely keep you know, keep working towards that. It may not be Top Gear but you know, you who knows he might have his own show that’s just as successful or life my taking a slightly different routes. But if you follow those passions, then whatever you end up doing, I’m sure you’re going to end up enjoying doing it.
David Ralph [35:26]
Yeah, and with technology. Now, I’ve said this a few times. But the when I left school, I wanted to be on the radio. And I just loved being on the radio before being on radio. And I wrote off a few letters and stuff. And I got rejections. And that was it. I went into a bank and I was in a bank for sort of like 20 years. And I’ve created my own radio show, basically. And it’s a radio show that is going out across the globe. And he’s getting more and more listeners and more and more downloads and stuff. And I think to myself 20 years ago, you if you wanted to become the presenter, Top Gear, for example, you had to go the route and you had to get on the BBC and all that kind of stuff. But now by being creative, and using the power of the internet, you can basically create your own Top Gear if you wanted to, you can create your own TV programme. It’s so mind blowing when you think the options that kids have gotten there, and especially that they’re talented at using computers and all that kind of stuff. And they were walking around at four year olds with tablets and phones and God knows well. But really, they don’t need to think that they’ve got to get a job. I would like them to think create a job and create magic.
Ian Usher [36:37]
Absolutely. Absolutely. It’s all there to be able to do that. As he said, you know, now you can, with with a little digital camera, you can record amazing high quality video, you can edit that professionally, you can, you know, upload stuff to YouTube, or you can live streaming so you can actually put on a live show. I think Google Plus Google Hangouts outs are an amazing location for what people are doing with live streaming and interactive shows. You can have the audience, start talking to you as you’re presenting a show and asking questions live as you present it. You know, you can self publish books, you can work that suddenly Jobs now that you could you can be on a beach in Thailand with a laptop on your name, and earn your income that way. I think that as you say, technology in 20 years has changed the face of work. And whatever it is that you want to do, I’m sure there’s a way out there that you can figure out how to do it.
David Ralph [37:35]
Yeah, just look at your passions. As a kid, look at the things you love doing. And then be creative. And that’s really the way now and you use with your hundred goals. And I’m actually looking at your website at the moment. And I’ve got these images flashing in front of me. And some of them, I kind of think, yeah, I can understand that I’m looking at when walking in England. So you’re on a plane, and the plane is flying off. Yeah. Okay, that would be quite exciting. I can see that. But then I’m seeing things like the wall of death going around the wall of death on a motorbike. I couldn’t even comprehend having that on my hundred goals. And when ostrich riding in South Africa, there’s another one where these goals that occurred to you at the time or did you sit down at the table and you just kept on writing them writing and writing them
Ian Usher [38:22]
a little bit about faith that wall of death was something again, dad took us to to the town. We’re at Newcastle and the wall of death at the travelling fairground, and I must have seen that first when I was 10 or 11 or something. And I was just absolutely wowed by that for anyone that doesn’t know you know, it’s a vertical wooden barrel where they ride a motorcycle up the inside wall and theory simple. If you got fast enough, you can ride around on the vertical wall and open up the inside of that big wooden cylinder. And when I was writing out my list of goals, I don’t know what it was that remind mean I thought our you know, I’ve always been keen on motorbikes. As I said before dad was a motorcyclist from before I could ever ride them. And I just thought, Yeah, I bet surely that can’t be too hard. You know, the theory is, is simple. I can ride a motorbike. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to learn, but it was one of the most fun. The fun, most fun weekends I’ve ever had as
David Ralph [39:23]
well. What was it? It was the fear of actually doing it? Or was it a sort of technical aspect that you had to overcome?
Ian Usher [39:32]
Both fear three things really failure, complete disorientation. It’s, it’s such an honour, you know, your mind can’t quite accept what it seeing, I think when you tipped over sideways and going up the wall, and also just the challenge of, of learning a new skill that that there’s a real pleasure, I think in in pushing yourself through that fear and that disorientation and overcoming the challenge. And ultimately, the it was such a huge thrill on the afternoon. The second day when the guy teaching me, he just said one thing about push up with the bottom hand, you know, push the bottom handlebar, and suddenly everything clicked into place. And I just went, got it and just push this bike up the wall and it just glided up the wall. It’s
Unknown Speaker [40:20]
fantastic.
Ian Usher [40:22]
And I guess a you know, anyone who who’s attempted anything difficult, and ultimately succeeded in doing it knows that thrill of overcoming those difficult, difficult challenges that that I think that’s what life’s about, you know, you’re not meant to live a life that’s easy to administer for you’ve always been able to do you’ve got to keep stretching yourself, whether it’s learning a new language or developing a new skill, anything like that life’s
all about challenging. So for me it is anyway.
David Ralph [40:49]
Well, I think it is. And the years I was in the comfort zone, and I went to a job and I did my job, and I got paid my salary. And I came back. And I look back on it. And I kind of wish it was worse. Because I think if it was worse, I would have done something about it. But because it was just kind of pleasant. And I would have a few beers in the evening and I’ve come home on the train. And then I’d go again the next day, nothing really happened in my life. I just floated. But I came to a crossroads where my life was not good. And I wasn’t happy. So I did something about it. Best thing that I’ve ever done. But now I totally buy into what you’re saying is the challenges, HD obstacles, is the things that you look at anything I’d like to do base, but I’ve got no idea how to do it. But once you start breaking it down into bite sized chunks, and some of the storeys I’ve been hearing on the shows, and it just, it really does blow my mind. You know, I could sit here for three hours telling you the storeys that people have overcome these things that you think is not possible. But it purely comes down to it’s only impossible because it hasn’t been done. And as soon as you do it, you think Well, okay, what should I do now? And it’s that that incremental gains that building up that competence that you’ve been doing, but really can well, the world’s your oyster, isn’t it?
Ian Usher [42:04]
It is as well. And I think it’s only impossible, a lot of things are only been possible. If you keep telling yourself they’re impossible then for you, it is impossible. And until you develop a mindset of I’m going to figure out a way to make this possible, I’m going to find out how to make this happen. It’s only then that you can start achieving the more extraordinary things. I think after you know that there’s a huge part of it is mindset and a belief in yourself and a belief in your own abilities.
David Ralph [42:35]
The only one that I kind of thing is impossible is getting into the Mile High Club how that happens now, with security. I’m not going to touch on that because it’s a family show, but about your family show. We don’t know who’s listening to that. Was there any on your list of 100 goals that when you were actually doing it you thought, Oh, this is actually rubbish. I thought this was going to be great. But he’s, he’s just grim.
Ian Usher [42:59]
There was no whir, whir, whir, grim but there was certainly some that were a disappointment compared to, I guess what they could have been. Because because so many of my goals were, were stuff that you see, you know, that sort of National Geographic type stuff, swimming with whales, diving with sharks, all that sort of stuff, then the images you see on TV, you sort of have to remember that a camera crews pap spent six months until we get that amazing image of the guy dive in with a whale and the baby. And yet, I seem to be so lucky for many of the goals I set. And I’ve got that moment where, you know, we jumped in the water, and there’s a mother humpback, and a baby about 10 feet in front of us in the water. And she just sat there and looked at us. And that was and the photographs from that. I like an image out of the National Geographic magazine, but the word disappointments as well. And the worst one, the one that stands out in my mind is the worst one was in South Africa, I wanted to do they shark cage diving, where you put in the water in a cage with a big, great white sharks outside. And I appreciate the elements. Nobody has control over the elements, the water was really murky. And you could hardly see your hand in front of your face in the water. And that the sharks did come and thrashed around the cage. And every now and then you’d see a fin swim by in the Merc and you get a bit of a sort of idea of the outline of this thing. But it was a big disappointment not to say, Wow, look at the big shark there. But, but the worst thing about it was the operator who ran the tour, and they they sold themselves as shark eco ventures or something. I can’t remember the exact name but they they had eco in the title. So I thought we were going to get a bit of an overview of that lifestyle of the shark and the breeding habits and where they live and what they eat and why they misunderstood. None of that. None of that at all. His major concern was a paying with cash or credit card. And then out on boat. I saw the most amazing customer service ever. We they would chumming the, you know the blood and the fish heads into the water. Everyone’s up on deck of this boat and the shark came soon by the operator pointed he said there there there everyone Quick quick. They’re there. Have you seen it? Right? everyone’s seen it. So no one can ask for a refund. My mouth just dropped dropped out and I’ve never never seen such rubbish customer service in all my life. So that always stands out to me is the biggest disappointments don’t go with grey and white Eagle adventures or what they were called, they were rubbish.
David Ralph [45:37]
We’re gonna we’re going to brand them all over this. We’re going to bring them to their knees, they they’re messing with the wrong people here they are, they are we have got powers. And so now I suppose the fascinating thing really with this storey because it is one of those storeys that when I was introduced to you and I started delving into you, as I say, and the more I delved in, the more I can, okay, Blimey, this takes me into a different area. And this takes me into a different area. So you’ve done all these things, you finish up your goals, where you kind of go, job done, but then the Mighty Mouse himself comes along and says to you, I want to buy your storey I want to make it into a Disney film. Now that yes, that is kind of beyond once again, beyond anything you would have comprehended at the beginning, it would have been a personal journey for you. But now once again, it takes you into the world into everybody’s consciousness and a Disney film could be around for
Ian Usher [46:34]
ever when I on a day. Oh, I mean that that that was amazing. That started the interest in that actually started very early on. After the initial round of publicity, you know, the UK newspapers and UK breakfast TV, and then Australian breakfast TV and an American TV. And then I started getting these phone calls from producers in Hollywood. And one of the funny one’s ever had was a woman from Universal. And she rang me up and she said, How are we? You know, we saw this on the news today. We think it’s fantastic and what you’re doing you know, we we see this as a Tom Hanks type of rom com. And I just answered it came straight out of my mouth a sort of glib, glib English answer. I said Tom Hanks, no, no, no, I rather imagined George Clooney playing bass. And she didn’t pick up any any other sort of humour in my voice at all. And this sort of deadpan answer came back saying, Yeah, we could possibly make that happen. And I just thought all straight out of my day. But ultimately, I ended up I was feeling a bit of a failure when I say I ended up with a Hollywood agent who, who sort of looked after this whole thing for me and he he broke a deal with Walt Disney Pictures. And they ultimately, they bought an option at first which meant I couldn’t tell the storey to anyone else, and then ultimately coughed up to buy the movie rights to the storey. I guess the still waiting to get George Clooney under contract. I think he’s a little bit busy with a new wife at the moment but once once the honeymoon period dies down I think we’ll be ready to get him pinned down and
David Ralph [48:10]
under contract. In all seriousness, though, I know George Clooney is a good looking chap who would you like who would you be going oh yeah, actually I had my have actor and he be good playing me.
Ian Usher [48:24]
I personally I would like if you know I have a slide for your of the movie making an Americanized version of it and that you know, being George Clooney or someone like that, but Oh, Jim Carrey like it like he did with Yes, man, I’d much rather than made and anglicised version of it. And for me, my number one pick will be Ewan McGregor so if if you ever chatting to him just pass on the word, but I think he’s he’s the relative to play the role and anything a lot of fun to hang out with on set as well. I think
David Ralph [48:54]
I could see that. I could see that. Oh, oh, Anthony Hopkins, I know. He’s an older version. I think he would have your kind of sense a humour because your sense of humour and my sense of humour is definitely in English and it’s a sort of self depreciating sense of humour is
Ian Usher [49:09]
that that’s why I think it has to be an English version of the movie. You know, it would it would be so far removed from reality, you know, and to say, sort of based on a true storey. I think if we made an Americanized version of it, it really wouldn’t, as you say, reflect that quirky Britishness about the whole thing.
David Ralph [49:27]
But I do love the Yes, man. I think the the message of the Yes man film, but for anyone who hasn’t seen it, get it on Netflix or whatever, because, you know, it’s a typical Jim Carrey film, but it’s got a lovely message of taking action and trying things and your life could be Yes, man as well. Couldn’t it Really?
Ian Usher [49:46]
Yeah, I would tell anyone know, forget the movie, get Danny Wallace’s book and read the book. I think the book is far, far better than the movie. And is far true within the movie is the movies. Good. But I think the walk is a they could have done a better version of the movie from the book that Danny Wallace wrote. But yeah, you know, I think, to sort of answer that, yeah, life is about adventure. And the more stuff you say yes to the bigger the adventure tends to be, you know, if you say, someone says, Do you want to go and do this, do it, you know, let’s go out and let’s take the boat out on the lake or whatever it is. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Let’s do that. Or you could just stay at home and read a book and nothing’s going to change. You saying yes to stuff i think is certainly part of life’s adventure. If you say no, as you say, it’s going to stay exactly as it is. But you say yeah,
David Ralph [50:36]
you never know what you’re going to get.
Ian Usher [50:39]
Exactly. And and what I’ve done, I guess is true testament today, and I never knew I was going to, to start with even put my life up for sale on a bay, I didn’t know I was going to do 100 goals in 100 weeks, I didn’t know I was going to end up writing a book about that. And then selling the rights to that storey to Walt Disney, I didn’t know that, I’d end up selling spending Walt Disney’s money on a little Caribbean island. All of those have stemmed from choices I’ve made. And they’ve all been saying yes to
David Ralph [51:10]
something. Well, let’s put to play Steve Jobs words, because they really emphasise what we’re saying there. And it is the emphasis of the whole show. So this is the words of Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs [51:21]
Of course, it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards, 10 years later. Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something, your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leaves you off the well worn path. And that will make all the difference.
David Ralph [51:56]
Now we could change that to sort of a North Country accent and have you saying it, and it would be absolutely perfect when they because that is your life.
Ian Usher [52:05]
It is. And there’s I think there’s that real little parallel. And then his last couple of little lines to to what Two roads diverged in a yellow wood. And I pick the one, that least one and that has made all the difference. You know, I think picking that different path through life and not following the standard formula and doing what it is that that your heart tells you that you want to do. I think that’s where real quality of life comes from is making those decisions that going forward. You don’t know where they’re going to lead. You don’t know how your dots are going to join up in the future. But it will you know, something’s going to happen. It’s probably going to be a lot of fun. And definitely that that’s how life should be take that last one path.
David Ralph [52:54]
And now you’re travelling a path with your your lovely partner, Vanessa, who you met after everything kind of settled down, I suppose. And, and the sort of goals are coming to an end. And you’re creating your own goals and you’re creating combined goals for the two of you.
Ian Usher [53:10]
Yeah, we are our meeting was a sort of chance passing in in London, I was staying. And it’s somewhere to stay for a couple of nights in London and a friend who had met while travelling in Australia. She said I’ve got I’ve got a spare room in my house. And Vanessa was renting a room there. And we just ended up we were all hanging out for one evening, Vanessa and I got chatting, we went out to a concert, actually. And Vanessa and I got chatting and pretty much found we had a lot of similar interests and a lot in common. And my, my chat at line is, hey, if you want to come visit, I’ve got an island in the Caribbean. And it seemed to work a truth and and three or four months later, Vanessa came out to visit she was I’m looking at it. She’s laughing now at me. She came out to visit for two weeks. And we you know, really figured out that yes, we did have a lot in common. And after I found out how much we had in common when within those two weeks, she resigned from work told a friend back in London that I’m going to send my brother to collect my clothes and car. I’m not coming back. I’m staying in Panama. So you have very, very similar to me. And that’s it. I’ve changed different direction. I’m doing something new now. And but to have you on that TV
David Ralph [54:23]
programme, I was really touched by the the warmth and companionship of the two of you have developed. But I was also touched by the fact man, it was the simple things I know you’ve had amazing things in your life and you sort of look back and you deserve them all because you’ve done them and you’ve gone out there and you grabbed it. But it seemed to me that the two of you were very happy with just the simple things and, you know, an evening treading on dirty clothes in a bucket to make Vanessa happier when she’d been for years and years and years.
Ian Usher [54:54]
Right. So romantic, isn’t it? That section? Yeah, the cloud washing we there is actually laundry in town. So when it’s only occasionally the clothes get stamped in a bucket. But it’s not you know, I often get this that people say are you know, sorry, you’re not doing we’re not taking you skydiving or jet boating or water skiing or something. I said, Well, it you know, it’s not my life doesn’t have to be adrenaline fueled every minute of the day. There’s a lot of pleasure in life, simple pleasures, you know, just the day to day stuff. And if you’re doing it with someone who you thoroughly enjoy spending time with, then I think that’s all the better. You know, Vanessa and I have been together now for the past year and a bit 24 hours a day pretty much constantly for the year. So as it came up on Ben Fogle show, I think that the relationship gets tested very quickly, when you suddenly thrust together into a little life together on a small island, and some tested relationship. And we’re finding out it’s working very well, which is it’s fantastic.
David Ralph [55:57]
Yeah. Good. Anya, good on both of you. So just get we put you on the very end part of the show, which is the bit that we called a sermon on the mic, and we send you back on time to give your younger self a one on one petal. What’s in your plans. Now you’re obviously in your RV, and you’re travelling around America, and you’ve got so many things that you are creating, and you’ve got opportunities coming out. But what what’s your book? Do you have dreams? Or is it kind of a bit humdrum now?
Ian Usher [56:27]
No, it’s not at all. I guess, I met another aware at another sort of transition point. In that way, travelling in the States at the moment, I’ve been doing a bit of inspirational speaking here. And I’ve found that I really enjoy that, you know, I do think I’ve got a message for for younger people. And and I guess I’ll talk to my younger self about that in a moment. I’ve been it we’ve been enjoying that. But we can only be in America for 90 days at a time. We just, we just got back yesterday from Mexico, and got taken into the immigration interview room that had a lot of questions for us about what we’re doing and how we’re funding it, where we’re going, and you’ve got a vehicle here and you’ve got a bank account. Yeah, how can that be? So we’re thinking at the end of this three month period, we may need to head back to Europe to reset our US visas and do something a bit different. So you know, life lives and adventure, I have no idea what I’ll be doing in in six months time or in two years time. If Disney Disney gets on with the movie, who knows where that might lead? Or, you know, I’m starting to do this, this public speaking I don’t quite know where that’s going to lead. But it’s all part of the adventure. And part of the fun. He’s an adventure, isn’t it? You love absolute?
David Ralph [57:47]
Yeah, I do. And that’s, you know, life. Life is supposed to be like that. I think that we’re all supposed to be living our own adventure, whatever that is. He’s I think he’s fascinating. He really is. And it’s going to be passing lighting, hearing the advice that you give to your younger self. So I’m going to play the music and when it fades out, you’ve been transported back in time. And what type of age Ian would you choose? Would you choose the 16 year old skydiving with your dad? Would it be the one out in Australia before we eBay, totally up to you, but I’m going to play the music. And when it fades out, you’re up and this is the Sermon on the mic.
Ian Usher [58:46]
Alright, I’m going to talk to Ian in the early 80s, he and he was at college in Liverpool. The first bit of advice for him that I’ve got is that long hair is going to have to go soon, you can’t have the big 80s hair too for too much longer. To the end of that period, I guess I would say you’re going to enjoy life, you know you’re heading in the right direction, you’ve already got a great outlook on life as an adventure and the activities that you enjoy, I think you’re going to continue I know you’re going to enter and continue enjoying long long into the future. What I would say the piece of advice is that you don’t need to get trapped into a job that perhaps isn’t exactly what you want to be doing. look more at what it is that you want to be doing. And don’t wait. This is this is my big piece of advice, don’t wait for life to shock you into making the choices that you really want to make and for future and that there’s going to be a couple of big shocks coming. One of those big shocks. We can chat about afterwards, if you like David, one of those big shocks is really going to make you assess life. And the fact that it is very short, you only get one turn at doing it. And you have no idea when it’s going to come to an end. So whatever it is in your mind that you want to get on with right now is the time to be getting on with that not in 10 years, 20 years time, or 40 years time when you retire, whatever it is that you’ve got on a list that you want to do. Now is the time to be getting on with that. That’s my advice for you Am
David Ralph [1:00:33]
How can our audience connect with you in
Ian Usher [1:00:37]
pretty easy to find as, as the guy who introduced me to use said simply google me if you type in a an usher into a Google search, you’ll find me My website is aisha.com the my preference but contacting me there is a contact page on the website, get in touch by the contact page, send me a message I will get back to you. I promise you that. I’m on Facebook and on Twitter. And on Google Plus I don’t tend to get to those quite often. When I’m travelling, I guess you don’t get as much internet access as as you do if you just sort of sat at home. So send me a message via the the website page Ian Nash calm. And I’ll get back to you if anyone needs to speak to me.
David Ralph [1:01:20]
And I’ve loved having you on the show today. You’re an absolute inspiration to me. And I thank you so much for spending time with us today joining those dots. So please come back again when you do have more dots to join up. Because I believe that by joining the dots and connecting our past is the best way to build our futures inertia. Thank you so much.
Ian Usher [1:01:39]
Thank you, David.
Outro [1:01:41]
David doesn’t want you to become a faded version of the brilliant self you are wants to become. So he’s put together an amazing guide for you called the eight pieces of advice that every successful entrepreneur practices, including the two that changed his life. Head over to Join Up Dots.com to download this amazing guide for free. We’ll see you tomorrow on Join Up Dots.
