Steve Nash Wants You To Self Help Collective!

Steve M Nash is NOT the Steve Nash of National Basketball Association Player!

He is interesting, giving and funny, not that the other is not-I just don't KNOW him!


This Steve Nash is across the ocean from where I sit, yet another example of the greatness of the internet.

Our paths crossed because of THIS & THIS

I am grateful to Steve for sharing his time and himself to enlighten us ~

♣ ♣ ♣ ♣

Steve, currently your residence is Yorkshire? Tell us about life there. What intrigues you, what are your projects?

Well I am Yorkshire born and bred so I consider Yorkshire, and in particular West Yorkshire, my home. I may move away in the next few years to live somewhere that I feel to be more stimulating, professionally speaking, but I know I will return, eventually, to the hills and dales of Yorkshire. I absolutely love the landscape here (just do a search for 'Last of the Summer Wine' - a TV program that was based near where I live - and you'll see what I mean) - I feel blessed to be able to walk where I can see such fantastic views.

What intrigues me? People intrigue me - why they do what they do, why they don't do what they say they'll do, and why I do exactly the same. People intrigue me, life intrigues me, and I intrigue me.

And so my current project is a self-help website called The Self Help Collective, whose aim is to facilitate the sharing of knowledge or wisdom for the benefit of all. I literally wanted to create a self-help resource where people could help themselves - understand their weaknesses, and strengths, and improve themselves accordingly - and also help others, by sharing what they *do know* about living a successful life.

And... so far, so good. :-)

Tell us about your first web site. What were some of the things you learned that helped your site become successful.

My first website was a website called Diary of a Volunteer, and it was about the two year period I spent working as a volunteer Computer Trainer in Malawi, Africa. I worked under the auspices of an organisation called Voluntary Service Overseas, which is a British organisation that is similar to US Peace Corps.

As for what I learned to make my site become successful: well I learned basic HTML skills; I learned how to write; and I learned how to share personal experiences in a personal way. I'm not sure that website is a 'success', particularly, but I am very proud of this site and it will stay online for as long as I am alive! :-)

What are some of the subjects you write about? What types of things do you typically enjoy covering?

Ah, my favourite topics on the Self Help Collective website have easily been the subject of happiness, and the subject of fear. Oh, I was so smiley when I was writing about being happy, and I was introspective (and concerned) when I was writing about fear.

This quote by Gerald G. Jampolsky kind of sums up both states of being, I think: "Teach only love for that is what you are"

Tell about your goals for "Self Help Collective".

That's easy. I want to get 10,000 unique visitors per day visiting the site. I want them to help themselves via the great self-help content, I want them to help others by contributing their thoughts or views on subjects they feel qualified to do so. The idea being that we all know more than we think.

Financially speaking, I'd like to earn a good living from this website, meaning I'd like to be earning at least £10,000 per month from the site. (I earn less than £100 per month at time of writing!) There are various ways to earn money that don't require charging for content. And I'm going to explore those in the next year or so.

And maybe I could use the website as a platform for my writing - who knows.

What inspired the "Steve's First Haircut" Campaign?

Well, I hadn't cut my hair for 5 years. Literally. Nor had I brushed it. And I have curly-ish hair. So can you imagine what sort of hair I had, after 5 years? Yes, I had dreadlocks and very long dreadlocks at that. (I've never had dreadlocks in my life and I was completely surprised when they appeared.)

So anyway, after 5 years my hair was pretty long - too long! - and I decided to get my hair cut, and I also decided to get my hair cut for charity. So I called it my first hair cut in 5 years to try and drum up some spsonsorship interest.

I raised about £500 in the end, which is around $700US. And I've still to post my after-haircut video, but I will. I got a bit traumatised by my actual haircut, as it happens, as I actually had my hair cut with a pair of garden shears (again, for dramatic effect that I hoped would boost charity earnings) and I did not enjoy the experience, if I'm being honest. :-(

Can you tell us about Steve? Who is Steve? I read somewhere you "wince" when you hear "football" being called "soccer"; tell us about that.

Hmm, well I've shared a little about who Steve is in this interview and on my Self Help Collective and Diary of a Volunteer websites. And I don't want to bore people too much lol. Simply put, Steve is a man who believes in himself, believes in others, and who does not think that gender or age or race need necessarily define who anyone is.

Do you think Americans are a tad whacky calling our "football" football, when clearly it is a running throwing game?

The truth is, there are many games called football - Aussie-rules football, Rugby football, and American football. They're all derived from the same game (more or less) of playing with a ball. So I'm less precious about it than I used to be. But I don't think I'll ever be using the Soccer-word myself for what I call football!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Well, I can't answer this question in full, I just can't. But I do see myself being in a place that I could never imagine being in only a few years ago. An example of that 'place' would be being in my own band. I've never, ever sung or played an instrument but I intend to play in my own band at my own 50th birthday party in May, 2015. And I'd like similar transformations to have taken place in other areas of my life, too, by that time.

Can the things you have uncovered about yourself benefit others? How so?

Always. I firmly believe that each of us has a lesson for everyone else on this planet and vice versa. I believe that my struggle in one area of my life is your struggle in an area of your life. I believe by leading by example and showing others that if I can do it so can you...

What are your goals for your articles? Your writings are very quirky and real. Your personality totally comes out and your quick humor as well.

Thanks, that's very kind of you. I just want to encourage people to be themselves. Everyone *is* unique, after all. And the world is a better place when people act from their own integrity, their own values, and their own quirkinesses. The world does not need any more sheep, really!

Discuss Site Build and what your vision is for your Site Build IT! sites.

Gulp, I've said so much already! Well, to put it very briefly, I see Site Build It! as providing the technology and the supportive environment to enable ordinary people who have a passion and who want to share that passion (in their own voice) to either earn an extra income or a full-time income, from their own website.

Site Build It! does not guarantee success but I truly see SiteSell's SBI! as a fantastic self-improvement tool that enables you to take positive action in your life!

On a typical day, what can we find Steve M. Nash doing?

Well, typically I'm usually writing. Either I'm writing a page for the Self Help Collective website, or I'm writing an article to promote the website, or I'm writing an email, or I'm writing an interview about myself (ahem!)

Otherwise I read - mainly self-help and inspirational books, but I also read novels.

So, finally, here are some of those websites I've mentioned above

STEVE IN MALAWI

STEVE & SELF HELP COLLECTIVE

STEVE & SITE BUILD IT!!!

And here are a few photographs that show me as my hair turned from curls into dreadlocks...