Training and coaching is often about possibility. What is possible for you? I have come to the firm conclusion that the answer is “almost certainly much, much more than we realise.”

In this context I was interested to read about the leatherback turtle – we happened to spot one off the coast of Turkey last summer and this is the photo we managed to take then.

The leatherback turtle possesses an impressive set of statistics:

It is the largest turtle on earth – it grows up to 7 feet long.

It can dive deeper than any other turtle – up to depths of 4,200 feet.

It has been around on earth since the time of the dinosaurs more than 100 million years ago.

Travelling between the breeding beach and its main feeding area it covers an average of 6,000 kilometres – each way!

But at what speed? (here’s the fact that pleases me most)

Less than 1 mile per hour!

You can imagine what a teacher would say when the turtle joined a class: “Look, Leatherback, you’re not really built for breaking records are you? I mean, less than one mile per hour swimming speed doesn’t give much hope for ambition does it? But don’t worry, you’ll be fine, you just won’t get far. Just keep on pottering along – we can’t all be winners.”

And you can imagine the anthropomorphic turtle hearing this and smiling a turtle-like smile to itself.

“Yup, I guess I’ll just keep pottering along …!

“Costa Rica here I come!”

Judy Apps
www.voiceofinfluence.co.uk

Judy contributed the Alchemy topic on Voice Skills
.