PERSONAL LIFE
Ishmail
Downes, called Ish by
his friends and family, was born in Hammersmith,
West London, England. He was brought up in Stonebridge, North West
London and attended John Kelly Boys School. His parents split
up when he was nine years old.
His mother has been quoted as
saying, "I
could see that Ish was going to be a leader from the second he learnt
how to talk" and that "he has a
big heart and is very charismatic".
Downes
was a very talented Footballer, and had trials with various
professional football clubs. Downes was tipped to become a professional
footballer by most that saw him play.
In October 2000, Downes met his
current fiancée, Elaine, who is also the mother of his only
child
(at the time of writing), Kai.
In 2003, Downes was
diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which effectively brought his
football dream to an abrupt end. Downes is quoted as saying, "I
believe this illness was 'given to me' to ensure that I fulfill my
destiny".
Due to his illness, Downes' life changed rapidly. When he suffered a
relapse, he could be bedridden for up to two months, and each relapse
always left behind some damage. As a result, Downes now struggles to
control his 'predominate'
right hand.
At one point, he
even considered taking his life because he believed his future was
bleak.
In an interview he is quoted as saying "I
considered ending it all for about 5 seconds, then I snapped out of it"
He went on to say "Having
MS, in a weird way, is one of the best things that's ever happened to
me because not only have I learnt so much from it, but it enabled me to
build some strong values and appreciate just how precious life is!"
Downes
decided to seek his own treatment for his condition because he was not
happy with what neurologists were offering him. He promised that not
only will he make himself better, but he will share the information
with others at no charge.
Downes
recognized the need to fill the gaping hole in his life that
football left behind. It was at that point his product, "Live your DREAM
Life!"
was born. Downes recognized that if he could replicate, in other
aspects of his life, the features that becoming a professional
footballer offered, he would feel fulfilled and be more enthusiastic
about life. In doing this, Downes discovered that his destiny was to
become a self improvement strategist.
Downes has been described as a
'Diamond
in the Ruff' because of his upbringing in a
notoriously
'ruff' area, known for it's high rate of drugs and gun crime. Downes
is quoted as saying, "I'm
proud of where I come from, It's what made me who I am today. I won't
lie, it was tough, and I've seen things that is not cool. I just knew I
didn't want to be part of that lifestyle."
CAREER & IDEAS
Downes
started his career by helping friends and family, not to mention himself, through challenges
throughout life. He then began to realise that he has a natural
gift in human psychology.
The audio program, "Live your DREAM
Life!",
was the first product that Downes developed and he took the decision to
make it available
to everybody, free of charge. Downes was continuously advised to sell
the
product for a fee in the region of £100-200. On this, Downes is quoted
in an interview "I wanted
to prove that I am genuinely a lover of people, and that I want to help
everyone. As a side effect, it's a good way for
people to get to know me and my work."
A quote from Downes, "I
feel blessed, even if I help just one person, it's all been worth it.
Money has never been my motivation, it's the feeling I get from helping
people that drives me."
Ishmail Downes
prides himself on honesty and integrity. He doesn't like to class
himself as a life coach, instead, he calls himself a self Improvement
Strategist.
ISHMAIL & CHARITY
Downes
vows to work with young people in deprived areas and schools,
in
an attempt to instill solid foundational values in them. He is
committed to donating a tenth of his earnings to charity. Downes plans
on setting up his own charity which will have a self improvement spin
to it.
Downes says, "When I'm
no longer breathing, I just want to be remembered as a great, happy guy
who contributed considerably to society"
To get to know Ishmail Downes and his work, your first port of call really needs to be at www.self-improvement-strategies.net. While you're there, Ishmail reccomends that you take his free foundations personality test. This helps you to determine how solid your foundations (values) are, according to Ishmail...
From there, Ishmail recommends that you download his free audio product, "Live Your DREAM Life!"