One day when I was a kid I burnt down an entire field of hay.
I was about 8 or 9 and still at primary school.
No one ever found out it was me and my mate who did it. (hope the farmer is not reading this)
The firemen were called, it was a huge fire.
Apparently young boys lighting fires is something that happens during school holidays.
We used to go to the field to build dens out of the hay and play army.
Great times.
Then one day I realised I was tall enough to buy matches.
Our local shop was like a theme park if you were of sufficient height you could get served the good stuff – like matches and the daily star ;-).
I remember having a box of matches in my pocket and it made me feel excited and grown up.
So that’s what we used to do.
Robby, my mate at the time, would call for me.
We would get 7p together and buy a box of Swan Vesta’s, and we would have hours of fun.
Lighting them one by one, then lighting the whole box at once.
So there we were one day playing in our den made of hay and we decided to light a little fire outside – where it was safer.
I know, we were geniuses.
You know the rest.
As we were walking home the fire engine passed us, sirens at full blast.
I said naff all to my parents because I knew I would be in deep shit.
My mate did the same.
Looking back now, apart from realising that it was a stupid thing to do, I laugh at what I was like.
I had lots of adventure in me.
I loved excitement and risk.
Luckily I quickly switched from being an arsonist to being a rugby player, which helped keep me occupied and out of trouble, mostly anyway.
Why am I telling you this?
Because you need to keep yourself out of trouble.
If you are a bit naughty like me, you need to recognise this.
A saying which I love is to:
“KNOW THY SELF”.
If you do know yourself well, you will know what will and will not lead YOU into trouble.
If you can’t stop drinking once you start, don’t start.
If you can say no to bread, don’t buy it.
Knowing yourself well can help you to avoid getting into any trouble (or too much trouble).
I don’t mean with the authorities like me when I was a kid, I mean getting yourself in trouble with:
– Your fitness
– Your weight
– Your alcohol intake
– Junk food & sugar
– Or whatever
Your personality and behavioural traits can lead you down the wrong path if you let them.
Know yourself, learn your weaknesses accept them, and put things in place to stop you messing up your own life/body/progress.
Rich “naughty” Clarke
PS – Robby actually went to prison many years later, thankfully not for arson though.
PPS – LADIES who may of been considering joining my group exercise programme in February or March, head over here and sign up for more info and an offer for a FREE taster session so you can see what its like.
https://richardclarke.leadpages.net/perfect-solution-1-1/