528. Living from His Creative Side

David Ralph

David Ralph was a successful financial trainer in London for 20 years. He delivered big results for his clients and life was good. However, the inside story was very different. He hadn’t been present in his family’s life. He was living under the belief that he was delivering what they wanted—nice holidays, a nice home and nice cars—when actually they had never asked for any of that. But they did ask, “Could you take me to dance classes tonight?” or, “Will you come see me in the school play?”–which he never did. He made the decision to start everything again, this time putting his family at the forefront of all his decisions. With his podcast, Join Up Dots, he is thriving internationally. His life has never been better.

How Did You Start Using Your Talents?

“I was one of those people who could have been a very good student, but I was more interested in making people laugh and entertaining them. I was always receiving the classic report, ‘David could do better if…’ Mostly I was focused on the creative arts. On my podcast, we often say, ‘If you can go back to your childhood days and see what you loved doing, just because it was what you loved to do, those are the things you should take with you into your adult life.’ That’s what I’ve done. I’ve transitioned from the creative side of art, speech and communication into my business now. But it took me a long journey to get there. My school career was mostly me floating through, with limited ambition. I just didn’t know what I wanted, even with all the clues floating around me.”

The Most Impactful Turning Point?

For David, the turning point was slow in coming. For 13 years, he struggled to find ways to tap into his creative side in the banking industry. Then, after a couple of aimless years, he made a similar effort in the insurance industry for another 12 years. “Fortunately, for me, when I stumbled onto podcasting—which was another 10 years down the line—that’s when it all came together!”

The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?

“My focus wasn’t in the wrong direction. It was in the wrong environment. I had gone into banking without a clue, so I thought the natural next step would be to go into insurance. I should have gone totally away from that! Now, I say that to my listeners: if you don’t like doing a job, it’s more likely that you don’t like the environment. You don’t like being suppressed in an office, or you don’t like being held back. You’ve really got to think about what you want to do.”