Thunder-guts voice boomed out.

    “Stand to the right and keep quiet”

     Thunder-guts repeated he command in an even louder voice.

     “Stand to the right and keep quiet”

     None of us moved or spoke.

    It was Tuesday afternoon and we were just about to walk into our maths class.  I was 15 years old.  Thunder-guts was the nickname we gave to our teacher.  Yes you guessed why - his voice would boom so loud the whole school could hear.  Thunder-guts was in his fifties, tall and thin as I remember with a black/grey goaty beard.  He was very, very, strict.

 
    I had learnt the trick in his class was never to make eye contact with him as you were far more likely to be asked a question if you caught his eye.  For the next 45-minutes I sat obediently doing as I was told.  As I watched the clock  on the wall tick by I started to look forward to my next class.

 
    I always looked forward to the following careers class as it meant a trip out of the school. 

   
    The school itself was secondary modern (designated for children who had flunked their tests when they were 11) in Portsmouth - a naval port in the south of England.  Most of the teachers seemed on reflection to have a habit of setting very low expectations.  At the careers classes we were told several times that no one from our school goes to university and that we should all look for local jobs.  Not the most encouraging thought to plant in the minds of teenagers.

 
    As I said, I watched the clock tick by and after 45-minutes the bell rang for the next class.  Thunder-guts knew we were just off on a careers trip and as the class came to an end his voice boomed out:

 
    “Why be the plumber when you can be the plumbers boss?  Why be the seamstress when you can be the factory boss?”

 
    Now at that moment the words he shouted meant nothing to me.  I was looking forward to the trip to the local dockyard to see how we could get apprenticeships to be plumbers or electricians.  The girls went off to a local clothing factory. 

 
    The following week flew by and at the end of our next maths class, before we went off on our careers trip, Thunder-guts voice boomed out again:

 
    “If you aim for the moon you will hit the ceiling.  If you aim for the ceiling you will fall flat on your face”

 
    Again, I didn’t think about what Thunder-guts had said as I was looking forward to the trip to the bus depot.  I remember we received a presentation on how we could all become either bus drivers or bus conductors and we were all given a mug of tea and beans on toast (an English delicacy if you are unfamiliar with this meal).

    As I  walked home that evening I started to think about what Thunder-guts had shouted.

     “If you aim for the moon you will hit the ceiling.  If you aim for the ceiling you will fall flat on your face”

 
    Then I thought about what he had shouted the week before.

 
    “Why be the plumber when you can be the plumbers boss?  Why be the seamstress when you can be the factory boss?”

 
    Then I thought about what the careers teacher had told us “no one goes to university from this school”.  I certainly knew that was true.  Though rumour had it that someone had gone to university seven or so years ago

As I walked along my mind started to wonder.  A thought suddenly flashed into my mind.  Why don't I aim for the moon and try and get to university.  I made this my key objective over the coming 3-years and always replayed Thunder-guts words in my mind when I felt my goal was unreachable.  I achieved my goal three times over with BSc, MSC and MBA degrees.  Still today think of Thunder-guts words when I need to aim just that little bit further.

    So whatever it is you need to achieve – whether it is in your career, a sport you enjoy, or in your private life - always remember Thunder-guts words:

 
    “If you aim for the moon you will hit the ceiling.  If you aim for the ceiling you will fall flat on your face”