20/08/2026
📚 GCSE RESULTS DAY 📚
The picture is me, probably just before, or during, my GCSEs.
My revision schedule looked NOTHING like the one my son has endured. 😂
The night before my German GCSE, I was in the local nightclub until 6am. I staggered to my mate’s, slept on the floor for a couple of hours, then rolled into my exam.
Needless to say, I did NOT pass German. 😂 I still can’t confidently say “Where is the toilet, please?” so I’m not sure revision would have saved me. 🤣
Somehow, I passed everything else.
What followed was a few years of absolute carnage. No direction, no clue what I wanted to do. I worked in pubs, customer care, old people’s homes, reception, stables. You name it, I did it.
At the time, it looked like I was failing. No career, no obvious path, just muddling through.
But those messy years taught me valuable skills. I learned to deal with people and difficult situations, work hard, adapt, problem solve and pick myself up when things didn’t work.
Those skills helped me grow the businesses I have today.
What looked like failure was actually lessons being learned. I just didn’t know it yet.
One piece of paper at 16 can feel like it determines your future.
It doesn’t.
Today’s results don’t define your child, and they don’t define you as a parent.
Some kids will smash it. Others will be disappointed despite working their arses off.
Some know what comes next. Others won’t have a clue.
GCSEs can open doors, but they don’t measure intelligence, kindness, resilience, humour, creativity or the person somebody will become.
At 16, I hadn’t got a fu***ng clue. Some days I’m still winging it. 😂
Life is rarely a straight line. Sometimes the detours and mistakes are where you learn the most.
So celebrate today, whatever that piece of paper says.
If it isn’t what you hoped for, remember there’s more than one route through life.
Something that feels like failure today might be a lesson you’ll be bloody grateful for one day. ❤️
Good luck to every kid collecting their results, and every parent pretending they’re not absolutely sh****ng themselves. 😂❤️