sighnov

THE STORY:
Since 1999 Si Ekin has done
something few people could ever
even imagine doing. Uninvited,
he speaks to random groups of
strangers with the sole purpose
of overcoming his fears of failure,
judgement and rejection and
helping his audiences overcome the
fears they have in their own lives.
People have called Si everything
from a ‘one man flash mob’, to ‘crazy’,
‘brave’, ‘inappropriate’, ’ballsy’ and
‘the right man-in the right place-at
the right time’. Si’s grand vision is a
world without fear.
USA Today reported that death was
a human being’s second biggest fear
after public speaking. “Most people
would probably prefer root canal
treatment without anaesthetic,
rather than do this once”, says Si,
“but by overcoming my fears each
and every time I have managed to
talk to more than 3,500 people. I still
can’t quite believe it. It’s also helped
me deal with other fears in my life
and the experience has enriched
me hugely. When we tackle fear
it is transformational. We cannot
continue to let our fears hold us to
ransom”.
In 2011, knees shaking, Si did 90
random talks in 90 days reaching
800 people. In his two-minute
talks Si talks about life, fear and
how to handle them both. Then,
in 2012 and shaking a little less, he
set himself a target of 365 random
talks. By August he had completed
192, reaching just over 2000 people.
His fears have reduced markedly
and his adventure has left him more
trusting, peaceful and brave. “The
biggest thing I have discovered”,
says Si. “is that I don’t fear death
anymore – it’s extraordinary”.
HOW IT ALL STARTED:
Si’s story is a remarkable one. It
began 12 years ago on a bus in
Brixton, South London. On the
spur of the moment Si decided
to express what his heart told him
and overcame his fear of what
people might think. Inspired by the
possibility of returning to South
Africa and the spirit of its heroes, he
stood up and made a speech about
just that to the silent, packed bus.
“I was terrified to do it. My heart was
pounding, my head throbbing and
my throat was as dry as a bone. The
only way I could get out of my seat
was to imagine that I was jumping
out of an aeroplane,” he says. In
doing so, Si conquered his deepest
fear of rejection and says that his
life has never been the same since.
What happened was miraculous
and makes for an extraordinary
story. On that cold and rainy night
in Brixton, Si proved to himself just
what is possible when you step up
and take courageous action. From
that day on, he knew that the only
limitations to his own possibilities
were totally self-imposed. He
resolved to teach others to do the
same.
Si has taken his talks to gyms,
saunas, changing rooms, restaurants,
street corners, public gardens, pubs
and many other places. Each time
he talks about what it means to
overcome fear and act courageously.
He challenges his audience to
follow their dreams and to not let
fear stand in their way.
“Once I explain to people that
I’m not on day release from an
institution, I’m not going to speak
about religion or ask for petrol
money, they often relax and really
engage,” he says. “I truly believe that
all people are fundamentally open in
their hearts and if you are authentic
people will get the message. No-one
has slapped me, sworn at me or
called the cops yet. Just one guy in
the sauna told me he really didn’t
appreciate the approach. He’d had a
tough day”.
Ultimately Si hopes to leave people
inspired to take courageous action
in their own lives, and to share
the message with others. ”Every
moment of courage dissolves
fear”, he says. Is he getting better at
being courageous? “I am no longer
terrified, but I still get prety nervous
just before each talk. The irony is
you can only be courageous in the
face of fear”.
ABOUT SI EKIN:
Si Ekin is a Teacher of Courage, life
and business coach, inspirational
speaker and facilitator. He is the
founder of Ekin Coaching, which
helps individuals and teams to set
and achieve their goals through
taking courageous action. Si has
been a trans-African cyclist, photo
journalist and British Army Officer.
TO INTERVIEW SI OR FIND
OUT MORE
Cell: 082 565 0765
Web: www.siekin.com
Email: si@siekin.com
To think is easy. To act is di�cult. To act as one thinks is the most di�cult. – Johann Wolfgang Von Goeth
I have known not a few men who, a�er reaching the summits of business success, found themselves miserable on a�aining retirement age.
�ey were so exclusively engrossed in their day to day a�airs that they had no time for friend making. – B.C. Forbes
�������������������������������������������� 17