Peter first came to my attention months ago when he was hosting “I Will Change Your Life” blog, the title of which caught my attention.  It was direct, daring and unusual. He’s since changed the name to “The Change Blog” because for one thing, he was uncomfortable with the previous title for a long while, causing him to lose motivation at times.  So one day he decided to change it, which immediately injected vitally needed energy back into the blog.  I have to say it’s quite fitting!

Another several months went by.  I continued to be one of his faithful subscribers, picking up nuggets of wisdom through his writings. Then he became editor of PickTheBrain (PTB), a hugely popular self-development blog headed by John Wesley. Those of you who have been long-time subscribers at Adversity University know that a couple of my articles were accepted for distribution at PTB before and after Peter came onboard.

After I got to know him through both blogs, he began to emerge as a suitable candidate for an interview here because the one thing he has consistently shown is authenticity. He says right upfront on his “About” page that while he doesn’t have the answer to everything, he views life as a series of changes, learning lessons along the way.  Isn’t that true of everyone?

And so, that’s why he’s here today. I’m excited to have him as our latest guest.  Would you all please welcome him to the Stephen Hopson Interviews at Adversity University?

Peter!  Welcome.  Let’s get started……

1. One of my favorite questions when I want to learn about someone is by asking them to give me their 5 second introduction when I pose the question: “What do you do for a living?”

I work in commercial banking for a large global bank. I also earn a steadily increasing second income from blogging.

Stephen’s Response: How cool is it that you currently work in banking – I once worked at a large commercial bank in New York City! With the way things are progressing for you in the world of blogging, I wouldn’t be surprised if you ended up becoming a full-time blogger.   It’s been done before by others.   Best wishes for success Peter.

2. Tell me in 3 to 5 sentences something we can’t read in your bio or at the “About Page” at “The Change Blog.”

Here are a couple of bits and pieces you won’t find on my “About” page:

• In my spare time I enjoy making short movies featuring my 15 month old son Xavier. I post these on a personal blog for my family in Australia to watch.
• I love electronic music (eg breaks, house, etc).
• Within the next 6 months I want to shift careers into the tech industry.

Stephen’s Response: Ah, your last statement gave me the answer i was seeking earlier.  I see it’s not currently your intention to make a shift into blogging full-time.   Perhaps in the future?   With regards to making short movies about your son, any chances they have been posted on YouTube?

3. How long have you been blogging at “The Change Blog”?

I started writing about personal growth in April 2007. In April 2008 I relaunched the blog with a new name – The Change Blog – and a new theme. If your readers are curious, they can read my reasons for the name change in my post Shedding the Ego and Starting Afresh.

Stephen’s Response: This reminds me of what my new friend, Wendy Piersall, did with her blog when she renamed it from “emomsathome” to “sparkplugging.”   According to an interview I recently had with her, the name change was gut wrenching but clearly the right thing to do because like you, she listened to her intuition and went with it.  Nowadays when I read your articles, I can sense the change of energy – it’s pretty cool!

4. What is the real reason you started “The Change Blog”?

There are a few reasons. The main ones were:

1) I was in desperate need of a creative outlet. Blogging has provided that outlet and more.

2) I wanted to share my story of change with others.

3) I hoped that blogging would one day be a source of income.

Stephen’s Response: Looks like each and every one of them are being met. Clearly, you’ve carved out a niche for yourself and once again, I applaud you for taking the risk to change the focus of your blog and trusting that it would all work out.

5. I’ve noticed a curious thing about you. Everywhere I look, I see you only identifying yourself as “Peter.” Why no last name?

You have a good eye for detail Stephen! Well it’s no big secret that my name is Peter Clemens, but you’re right – up until very recently I have mostly just identified myself as “Peter” online. Some of my articles, particularly a few early ones, dealt with very personal issues for me. When I first began to write it was like catharsis – all this stuff just flowed out of me. For this reason, I didn’t particularly want some family members or co-workers to read my blog.

Recently I have changed my attitude. Like John Wesley, I want my blog to act as my resume and open doors for me (your readers may enjoy my recent interview with John for more on this). Plus, I realized that I care too much what other people think of me. Identifying myself by my full name is one small step in helping me to overcome this.

Stephen’s Response: Well, thanks Peter. It’s a thing I have – an eye for detail because, well, I don’t have hearing and so my other faculties have become heightened over time. I tend to pick up on things people either take for granted or don’t notice at all.  Peter, what a courageous man you are. You’ve just reconfirmed my intuition on having you here for an interview.

What’s happening is you’re slowly peeling the onion, layer by layer, letting people in on your stories. We all have them.  Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to tell the world everything about yourself (there are just some things you don’t want on the Internet because once it’s out there, it’s permanent). That’s why it’s important to weigh what you’re about to share.

Having said that, you just never know – there might be someone out there who really needs to hear how you overcame adversity to become the person you are today.   It’s a delight  to know your full name – Peter Clemens!

6. One of the reasons why you’re being interviewed, Peter, is because you come across as someone who I’d like to meet in person. Your writings reflect a source of honesty and inner wisdom. That means I perceive you as an authentic blogger, an important prequisite for this interview. How did you become like this?

That’s a very nice compliment Stephen – thank you. I think many of my past struggles have stemmed from not being honest with myself and living a life that was not true to my deepest desires. However by working on myself – in particular by cultivating self-honesty and inner awareness – I have been able to confront my problems and overcome many of them. At times it has been painful to confront the truth – eg I haven’t always treated people how I would like to be treated – but I have come out of this process wiser and stronger. I have also grown to love the person I am, including my flaws and imperfections (of which there are many!). Because I of this I feel comfortable sharing my personal story online with the world.

Stephen’s Response: Awesome! It’s funny you should mention how you were once not honest with yourself because I just wrote a post earlier this week called “Lies We Tell Ourselves.” I only listed a few lies in there but there are many more in a great book called “17 Lies That Are Holding You Back and the Truth That Will Set You Free” by Steve Chandler. It was a fascinating and inspiring read, particularly where the author told how he never thought he’d be published because “he didn’t know anybody in publishing.” As I’m sure you’ve already discovered, it’s how you perceive and handle the challenges life hands to you.  Sounds like you’ve come a long way baby! (Does that remind you of an ad from a while back? Can you guess what it is?).

7. If I were to ask you to dig a little further, how would you define who you really are?

That’s a tough one Stephen. I know how I don’t define myself (or at least try not to), and that is by either my thoughts or the things I own. Often I think of myself in terms of my roles – husband, father, son, employee, friend, etc…. but even then I don’t think that is an entirely accurate definition of who really am.

Perhaps the closest I get can to accurately answering this question in a concise manner is simply to say: I am life, I am awareness….. I am.

Stephen’s Response: You got it. “I am.” Wow. It’s that simple, isn’t it? We tend to wrap ourselves with labels thrown at us because it’s a natural human tendency to try and put things in a box. But when it comes to defining who we are – impossible.  It’s so much more than labels. The inner spirit is far too vast to put inside a box.

8. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Given?

I’m not sure what the best advice I have ever given is (I’ll leave that up to my readers), but here are some quotes/ advice that have stuck in my mind:

• “Carpe diem” – it may sound like an over-used cliché, but trying to seize each and every day is an incredibly powerful way to live.
• “Don’t settle” – this advice that Steve Jobs gave in his Stanford Commencement speech regularly pops into my head. I have a tendency to settle, so they are a good reminder to keep moving forwards and stretching myself.

Stephen’s Response: Me too – while it might not look like it, I have a tendency to “settle” from time to time. I can relate to that. I think most people can. But when they realize just how powerful they are, they wake up and look at life in a different way.

9. What do you consider your proudest achievement in life?

At this stage of my life, I am most proud of some of my recent inner victories. For example, I am proud that I have done the inner work required to turn my life around. And I am proud of myself for following my heart, even though it led me to relocate to the other side of the world. Hopefully some big public victories will come in the next few years .

Stephen’s Response: Well Peter, you know something? I can say what I’m about to share because I’ve done it. When one takes a big risk, like quitting a lucrative career (i.e. I quit Wall Street) or relocating halfway around the world to start a totally new life (i.e. you left Australia for a job in Canada), the rewards that inevitably come are immeasurable, many of which are inner-related.

When you realize you have the capability of taking a leap of faith and somehow getting through all the challenges that come with it, you end up feeling even better about yourself.  Old images that might have been self defeating slowly slip away, replaced by a stronger sense of conviction.  Isn’t that why we’re here on this planet? To grow and change?

Turning to the audience: Let’s all take a moment to thank Peter for being with us today. Clearly we have in our midst someone who is inspiring people like you and I because he’s willing to share his personal odyssey with us. Thanks Peter for coming to Adversity University. We are looking forward to having you back next week for Part II!

Food for thought: What does change mean to you? Has it helped you grow or stagnate? Feel free to pitch in your stories of change in the comment section.

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