Poet laureate loses and then finds his Voice

Meet Peter Chapman. A man of letters, a civic and spiritual leader in his community, a tradesman-businessman and poet laureate at the Willunga Farmers Market in South Australia.

But Peter is also dyslexic, that is, he has difficulty learning to read and interpret words or letters. His teachers thought he was lazy and made fun of him saying he was not the sharpest tool in the shed. He had enough of that and dropped out of school in year 11. And with that he lost his confidence and his voice.

At age 18 he became an apprentice in carpentry where he cut his teeth and worked his way up in the building industry. Years later he was to start his own business as a contractor in sustainable housing where he has a track record of building ecologically sound houses and restoring heritage listed buildings.

In the course of his career he has provided employment to many people and mentored dozens of apprentices. But Peter is also a jack of all trades and a master of many. He once took to dancing and later had a crack at rodeo. And only a few days ago graduated from Leadership Onkaparinga. It is fair to say that Peter has accomplished many significant things in his life and contributed a great deal to the community.

Resilient is one word that best describes Peter. Despite the knock backs, and he's had his fair share, he has kept going, stretching himself and oftentimes trying new things or novel ways of doing things. And behind every cloud there is a silver lining.

There was one teacher in school who inspired him and whetted his appetite for poetry. He was later to find his voice in poetry and the spoken word. As a published poet and performer of poetry, he has traveled many a mile across Australia and graced many a stage sharing his gift and passion. He tells me that he comes alive when reading poetry in public and especially when he feels that the audience are connecting with his message. "It's euphoric," Peter says.

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Peter told me about an experience he once had after one of his poetry readings: "This massive 6ft guy came to me, bawling his eyes out and squeezed me really hard. He kept saying 'I get it'" For Peter, poetry is a gift and a passion that has provided him a platform to inspire others to find their gift and develop their potential. Peter has found his voice and he's using it to great effect and he's making a difference.

Interesting to see how Peter has turned something that others might consider a disability, dyslexia, into an ability. That his inability or difficulty reading and interpreting words was actually a blessing in disguise. Turns out that it's actually his gift, his strength.

It's ironic that Peter now uses the power of words to inspire hope in others. Albert Einstein once wrote, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." #FindYourVoice

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What's your story? What's your thing? What makes you come alive? And how do you feel or think about social expectations that either discourage you from pursuing your passion or tries to force you or mold you into something you are not?

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Author: Wilson Gacangi Mucai. Wilson is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at Find Your Voice, an organiation which exists to inspire individuals and organisations to find their voice and maximise their potential. Wilson is a keynote speaker, writer and entrepreneur. He lives in Adelaide, Australia.

www.yourvoicematters.today

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