Page 304 - Once a copper 10 03 2020

Leaving the nest

Making the leap from a secure and steady career into the unknown brings to
mind the plight of the baby eagle taking those first shaky steps before soaring
into the skies.

I will always have the utmost respect and admiration for police officers who
know for certain that this is the life for them. That certainty of purpose and
commitment to service is what underpins the brave officers who protect and
serve our communities.

However, there are those who are driven by another desire. Our instincts are
built experience by experience. We should trust our instincts because they
rarely fail us. If our instinct tells us we are in the right career, the right
relationship we should trust it. Question it occasionally by all means, but on
the whole our instincts guide us on the right path. When our instinct leads us
toward an alternative direction, we should listen to it and not ignore it. I’m not
suggesting this is a panacea for a perfect life, but in the main when you
reflect back on when you have followed your instinct, you will usually find it
steered you where you were meant to go.

All of my instincts had told me that life held something different in store for me
beyond the police service. Whilst I lacked direction for my life for a short Page303
while, I knew my time had come to fly. Years later in my business life, I was to