by admin | 25 Apr, 2025 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
In this world we live in, we often feel like there are many things we have to do. The moment we declare there is something we have to do, we often resent, avoid, or don’t enjoy the particular thing. What if I were to suggest there is actually nothing you have to do, but lots of things you get to do? Would that change things? I believe so.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been to the dentist, too long in fact. Finally, after noticing a little hole appearing in one of my teeth, I decided it was time to bite the bullet, and so I booked an appointment. Going to the dentist is one of those things we say ‘we have to do’. Let me offer another perspective.
I was having lunch with my dad and his partner Annette last weekend, and the conversation turned to dentists and teeth. My dad, coincidentally, was also having a dentist appointment during the week. Annette then explained what her grandfather did to his children. What she told me was actually quite jaw-dropping, pardon the pun. Her grandfather decided that as dental care was going to be inevitable, and expensive, he would save hassle and money and have all of his children’s teeth removed while they were young.
Yes, I told you it was jaw-dropping. So, Annette’s mother, brothers and sisters all had their teeth extracted and lived their lives with no teeth, using false teeth only. Wow, talk about a perspective builder. How grateful am I that I have a little plaque build-up, and maybe a hole or two in my teeth? How grateful am I that I actually have my teeth and that I can go and get them looked after at the dentist?
So, as I was about to say to myself, I have to go to the dentist, I stopped. I realised, I don’t have to go to the dentist at all, I get to go to the dentist. I choose to go to the dentist. I’m grateful that I am able to go to the dentist. In an instant, the thought of going to the dentist changed from a terrifying thought, to a very comforting and exciting one.
The reality is that I don’t have to go to the dentist, I don’t even have to look after my teeth. If I don’t care about the condition of them, I don’t have to do anything. Therefore, I get to look after my teeth, and I get to go to the dentist. Trust me, that is an incredibly empowering thought and attitude which applies to everything.
Have you ever said, I have to go to work? You don’t have to go to work at all, you can live without money if you choose to. Have you ever said, I have to get up and exercise or go to the gym? No, you don’t have to do that at all. If you want to live your life in an unhealthy way, that’s your choice. You don’t have to eat well, resolve conflict, show compassion, forgive others, save your money, invest wisely, smile, look for the positives in life, or anything else for that matter. Trust me on this; everything you do is because you ‘get to do it’ not because you ‘have to do it’.
The second you adopt the attitude that you get to do something, then you will feel in control, you will feel empowered, and you will feel excited. I want to encourage you, with everything that you do, to feel and believe that it’s something you get to do. It’s not something you have to do.
My two podcasts this week will really help you in this area and with this mindset. In my podcast with Arlene Miller called The jewel within, we talk about the options you have so that you get to strengthen your inner talk, your inner self, and your inner strength. In my podcast with Angelo Valenti called The easy way, you will learn that life doesn’t have to be so difficult. You’ll get to apply some very simple ideas and principles that’ll help make life flow in a much easier way.
Every day there are things you will do. If you believe you have to do them, there will be resistance, maybe even resentment. If you believe you get to do them, then you will do them with joy, with gratitude, and with ease. Enjoy everything you get to do this week.
by admin | 19 Apr, 2025 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
Thank you for reading my blog. Well, at least this first part anyway. I hope you stay with me all the way through. The more I live and the more I learn, the more I realise I do not know. One thing I have learned, and I do know, is that having a great day has very little to do with the circumstances of that day, and far more to do with my attitude. That being the case, I want to help you make everyday a great day.
This idea started for me after I messaged a friend, and at the end of that message, I said, ‘I hope you are having a great day.’ The response came back, ‘define great!’ It was a response that got me thinking about a great day, and how I would define it. Interestingly, it is not how I would have defined in the past. In my younger years, a great day was one when everything went right, there were no hassles or challenges, and I got on with everyone. Clearly, I didn’t have a lot of great days based on that definition. In fact, many were crappy! Now, with my new definition, every single day is a great day.
How can that be? Surely it can’t be every day where there are no challenges or problems, when I get on with everyone, and where everything goes exactly as I would like. That would be… never! Lucky that is no longer my criteria for a great day. These days, a great day for me is one where I wake up, then get up, and then face the day with a belief that whatever happens and whoever I interact with, I will help someone, learn something, grow personally, or be blessed in some way. That is a great day every day, because I expect it to be and will find a way to make it great, no matter what. That doesn’t mean it is always easy or fun, it just means it is great.
The other day I woke up to my alarm at 4:52, to get up and start my day. I didn’t feel like getting up, in fact, I was very tempted to hit snooze, but I didn’t. I threw the covers back, I swung my sleepy body around, put my feet on the floor and stood up. I overcame the temptation to take the easy option. What a great start to the day. For the next two and a half hours, I affirmed, I prayed, and then went out to do my exercise for the day. As I was exercising, and yes it was uncomfortable, I was proud of myself, and, I got to watch the sun rise over the water and enjoy the start of a beautiful new day. Try to convince me that is not great!
My day continued, as it does, and was constantly great. I sent out my 20 daily LinkedIn connections, of which 80% go unanswered, but the 20% often lead to something great. I made many calls and sent multiple emails to companies to try and get speaking gigs, as I do every day. Most went unanswered, and some led to rejections. With each call and each email, I felt stronger and in even more control of my destiny, despite the lack of obvious results. Don’t tell me that is not great. Generally, each day, out of all the messages, calls, and emails I make, I will have at least one meaningful conversation that leads somewhere great!
On this particular day, I was uneasy about something. I had been struggling to get answers for a project I had been working to get on, for many months. It got to the point, after another unsatisfactory attempt to get answers, that all of a sudden I felt strong in myself. I decided my time and what I offer was far more valuable than the way I was being treated, so I sent a message that I was bowing out. It felt amazing. It was me respecting me. I was making a stand that I am worthy. It felt great. The rest of that day was filled with great meetings, challenging conversations, walks on the beach, and a closer relationship with God. I felt I had learned more, become stronger within myself, helped many people, initiated some new relationships, and felt a deep gratitude for my life. Trust me, it was a great day.
Well, every day is pretty much the same. They are all great days, because I decide they will be, and I approach them in a way that creates that reality. I want to encourage you to do the same. No matter what is happening, it can be great, depending on how you look at it, what you take from it, and what you do with it. To help in this area, my two podcasts this week are amazing. I speak with Gina Economopoulos in a podcast called Your next thought, and with Patrick Casey in a podcast called Feel it to heal it.
As you get to the end of this blog, again, I am grateful that you stuck with me. My question is, how will you ensure that today is a great day? It is up to you, not anyone else. It has everything to do with your perspective and very little to do with the circumstances you are facing. It is there waiting for you to choose great. So, find the lesson, receive the blessing, make someone smile, and have a great day.
by admin | 12 Apr, 2025 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
When you look at the image, what do you see, apart from two very handsome men that is? The words I mean. Read it to yourself. Say it out aloud. Did you get it right? Are you sure? Look again. Read it again. Say it out aloud again. Got it?
If you got it, you would have realised that ‘and’ is written twice. Maybe you’re like me and didn’t see it until it was pointed out. It is such an obvious thing isn’t it? Why did you miss it? Why did I continually miss it? This is a very important question that I want to discuss this week.
My friend Ossie and I caught up after almost two years of no contact. We went for a walk on a stunning day, sat by the Yarra River, enjoyed the wonderful views, and caught up on the previous two years in each other’s lives. It would be fair to say we have both been through some challenges in that time. What I loved about our conversation, and what I love about Ossie, is that we were both able to see more in the situations we had experienced than the challenge. Initially it seemed overwhelming and undesirable, but when we looked again, from another perspective, it looked very different. That is the reason why it is so important to look again, so you don’t miss the truth and the opportunity.
My greatest desire this week, after you finish reading the blog is to look again at many situations that you believe are adverse. In fact, I would encourage you to read this blog again, as you never know what you may pick up the second time. So many times, I have looked at a situation in my life that seemed bad and reacted immediately, based on the first look. In most cases, it was the wrong way to look at the circumstance, and led to an undesirable outcome. Reacting to an initial emotion will often lead to regret. All you have to do, before responding, is look again and you will see the truth.
Why do we often miss the truth when we first look at something? Great question and I am not sure if I have the answer. Maybe because we live in a fast-paced world, and we don’t allow ourselves the time to look and reflect on what is really going on. Maybe it’s because we are looking at things from our own selfish viewpoint and how it immediately affects us. Maybe it’s because we are looking through a victim-mindset perspective and not how the situation can actually be a positive thing in our lives. Whatever the reason, I want to urge you, whenever you feel frustrated, angry, anxious, fearful, resentful, or offended, to take the time to look again more carefully. If you do, the truth will appear to you.
That health challenge you are looking at can be a cause for fear and anxiety, unless you look again. If you do, you will see areas to improve and the opportunity to become optimally healthy and inspire others. When looking at conflict, it can very easily lead to anger, frustration and resentment, unless you look again. If you do, with a desire to see the other person’s viewpoint, you will find empathy and compassion. When you look at a situation that is out of your control, you can feel helpless and fearful, unless you look again. If you look at what you can do and what you are in control of, you will see amazing possibilities that will lead to feelings of empowerment and excitement. Can you see why it is so important, in certain scenarios, to look again?
It was actually in my podcast with Pericles Rellas, called Financial thermostat, that I heard the Bird in the the hand’ metaphor, andhis own story of looking again. In my other podcast this week called, A values driven life, I talk with Carly Pepin about looking again at things through the lens of what is most important to you. Both podcasts have powerful conversations, and I encourage you to listen to them.
The life we live is very dependent on what we see, how we respond, and what we do as a result. As humans, we are very impacted by how we feel and driven to act as a consequence. Once you act, it can’t be undone or taken back. The words you speak, and the actions you take will always have an impact on your life and the life of others. So, it is my strongest recommendation that before you speak or act, you take the time to look again with a desire to see the truth.
by admin | 5 Apr, 2025 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
I love how things work. When everything is in place, things flow with ease. When all the components are operating in your TV, you get a clear image. When you put all the pieces into a puzzle, you get a complete picture. When your car is serviced regularly and all parts are where they should be, it runs smoothly. When things are not running as you would like, in any area of life, no need to panic. It simply means there is a missing link, and for most of us that missing link is the most obvious thing.
We live in a world where people are looking for answers and ways to live a better life and become the best version of themselves. I applaud every single person who makes personal development a regular daily choice. I have worked on myself for many years, and it has transformed my life. I will continue to make personal development an essential part of my life. There is no shortage of ways to develop personally. There are millions of podcasts, blogs, books, audios, seminars, webinars, workshops, and retreats. So, really, anyone who wants to change their life has immediate and ongoing ways to learn how to do just that.
That being the case, why do so many people participate in personal development of some kind, yet so few move very far beyond the circumstances they are trying to change? It’s the missing link. I know for me, in the early days of my personal development journey, I was the same. I read, I listened, I attended, I learned, I knew all the stuff, and I even tried some things, yet I was still stuck in the life I wanted to change? Why? Again, the missing link. Do you relate? Are you wondering, even though you read my blogs, listen to podcasts, and attend seminars, why nothing is really changing for you? Then get ready, because I am going to share with you the missing link.
Over the weekend just gone, I ran a webinar for aspiring authors called The Submission Process. During that session, we discussed everything required to do to get a book published. Over the last 20 years I have spoken to, presented to, written to, and delivered programs to thousands and thousands of people about how to get a book written, published, and out into the world. Why is it that so many people have the information, yet so few get their books written, published, and out into the world? It’s the missing link. You know what it is, don’t you?
If you think it’s action, you are partly right. Many people act and still don’t get the results they want. The missing link is; continuing to do what you said you would do long after the mood you said it in is gone. In other words, it is doing the stuff, even when you don’t want to, don’t feel like it, or don’t think it’s working. Getting published very rarely comes about from a submission to one publisher. It comes after many submissions, many non-responses, many rejections, and many times overcoming the feeling of giving up. Creating a healthy body doesn’t happen getting up once when you feel motivated to go for a run. It happens every morning, even when you would rather hit the snooze button. Building your business, making sales, getting clients, and getting speaking gigs will not occur just on the day you feel inspired. It comes about after persisting through the times when nothing seems to be working and getting knock back after knock back is a common occurrence.
Magic is happening through continuing to do what you said you would do long after the mood you said it in is gone. When nothing seems to be happening, trust me, it really is. You are getting stronger and more resilient. Someone is reading your submission or proposal. Someone is being inspired by what you are doing. Your body is actually getting healthier with every step you take. Your action will always lead you somewhere abundant and amazing, with one simple condition; you keep going when you most feel like giving up. There is an awesome book called; The Magic is in the Extra Mile. Not a truer word has been spoken.
Don’t believe me? Then listen to my two podcasts this week to get some other incredible perspectives on this message. I spoke with Robert Foster in a podcast called Shut up and grind. I spoke with Bobbi Barrington in a podcast called The sculpture within. Both will reinforce the message I have shared in this blog.
I know you want a better life, or to change something, otherwise you would not be reading this blog. Reading this is just the first step, but all the reading, all the listening, and all the attending in the world will not create change. The only thing that will create the change you want is, continuing to do what you said you would do long after the mood you said it in is gone. This, my friend, is for most people, except you, the missing link.
by admin | 29 Mar, 2025 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
I used to be so confused and often frustrated by other people and the way they responded or reacted to things I said or did. Until I realised, they are all just like me. As humans, we have a strong desire to feel loved, accepted, valued, important, safe, and that we belong. If, at any time, we don’t feel these things, we may understandably react in a defensive or even offensive way. With that in mind, I want to remind you, as it was again reminded to me, as you interact with others, to be very aware of how it will land.
How will what land? Your words, your attention or lack of it, your body language, your SMS’s, your looks, and anything that communicates a message to another person. Trust me, every single interaction with another person will send them a message. Whatever goes out from you will land on another person. The question we will be exploring in this blog is, no matter the intention of your communication, do you know how it will land?
Let’s face it, we are humans, and we are largely selfish. I don’t mean that in a bad way, it just is what it is. We are very much aware of how things affect us. We are very focused on what we want. We are often looking for people to accept us, like us, and we are hyper aware when they don’t. I know myself, when I am on a mission, I can put my own needs and wants ahead of how my communication may be received by others. Then, amazingly, I am surprised when I offend or upset someone. It is natural for us to self-protect and self-focus. However, it can lead to devastating outcomes with others which could have been easily avoided if we were just conscious and aware of how it would land.
I am telling you this now because it is front and centre in my mind, and on my heart. I am deeply regretting a communication I sent, as an SMS, during the week in which I did not consider how it would land before sending it. I won’t tell you the details, however, I will say that my intention was definitely not to offend or anger this person. In fact, ironically, it was to help them. I only considered it from my point of view and just assumed it would be received gratefully. I did not, however, really stop and think about how it would land.
So, the heartbreaking reality is that this person was angered and offended by my message, and it was all my fault because I didn’t consider how it would land. It is very easy for us to justify our words and actions, and to then suggest the other person misunderstood, or is too sensitive. However, the bottom-line is that if someone is offended or hurt as a result, then the sender of the communication is fully responsible. What is heartbreaking for me is that, even with many attempts to apologise and have a discussion, I fear the friendship is over. It all could have been avoided if I was conscious of and sensitive to how that message would land.
Let me ask you this. When you say you will do something for someone and don’t do it, how will it land? When, during a conversation, you are distracted by your phone or other device, how will it land? When you are late to meet someone, how will it land? When you say something to someone, even with the intention of helping them, how will it land? When you roll your eyes at something someone says, how will it land. When you interrupt someone mid-sentence, how will it land? When you yell at or get angry with someone, how will it land? Feeling a little uncomfortable right now? I understand.
You may be possibly thinking, but what about the times other people communicate with me in a way that hurts? That is a valid question. Unfortunately, you have no control over others. The only person you can control, and change is you. I am hurting right now because of my own thoughtlessness. I can’t go back and change the message, and I can’t make this person forgive me. All I can do is to learn from it and vow to be aware, with every single future interaction, of how it will land.
My two podcasts this week will help you in this area. I talk with Madelaine Weiss in a podcast called Getting to G.R.E.A.T., and I speak with Sean Bellerby on a podcast called Manifest with Sean. Both will help with communication and understanding how to manifest a great life and impact others in a positive way. I truly hope you will pay attention this week and learn from my very poor choice. Just know that every look, word, communication, and action will be received by another person. Always ask yourself the question, before communicating, how will it land?
by admin | 22 Mar, 2025 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
As human beings, the one thing that sets us apart from every other living creature is our capacity to experience every spectrum of emotions and the ability to choose what we do with them. This is great news, but it can also be our stumbling point. Because we get to choose, we have the option to ignore, to judge, and to mask our emotions, all which will lead to trouble. My encouragement this week, is to feel every moment.
I have just published a powerful podcast with Shane Jacob, called Horse talk. Shane talks about his experiences with an alcohol addiction and how it was destroying his life, until he started to feel the moment. As a horseman, he found lots of wisdom from horses. He explained that horses do feel emotion, they just don’t have the same capacity as humans to choose what they do with those emotions. He explained how they feel the moment. They stay in the moment, they experience the discomfort, and they move through it to their next moment in life.
This may not sound like it, but it is an incredibly profound and powerful idea if we embrace it. As Shane was talking, I reflected on the times in my life I didn’t want to deal with certain emotions, such as; fear, anxiety, insecurity, and lack of self-worth. So, rather than feeling the moment, and dealing with the feelings, I masked the moment and pretended everything was okay, when clearly it was not. I can give you loads of examples of how that simple and single poor choice, which I was so good at making, has exploded in my face at some later date. Being sacked as a professional athlete, losing money in business, three divorces, just to name a few.
So, what does ‘feel the moment’ mean? I hear you asking. It simply means, when you feel an emotion of any type, sit with it, allow it, feel it, try to understand it, and then it’s amazing how you will be better able to process it. As I was editing the podcast, and getting it ready to publish, I was feeling my own anxiety, which up until that moment, I was choosing to try and ignore. If you have ever experienced anxiety, you will know it is very difficult to ignore. So, I decided to take Shane’s horse-talk advice. I got up, went for a walk, found a spot on a park bench in the sun, looking over the water, and I sat.
I closed my eyes, I took a deep breath in, and I felt that moment. I leaned into the anxiety, I thought about a situation I am currently dealing with that was leading to the fear that was driving the emotion, and again, I sat. I stayed in that moment for about ten minutes. In that time, I validated the feeling, analysed the feeling, I examined my thinking that was leading to the feeling, and all of a sudden, an insight came. It was a different way to look at the situation, and immediately the anxiety was gone. I have to be honest, it was replaced with other emotions, one was peace, the other was anger. Not bad anger, but empowered anger that represented me taking back my power in the situation.
I walked home, and I was very grateful for Shane, and the suggestion to feel the moment. This strategy is not just good for moments when there is fear, anxiety, and resentment. It is also great to feel the moments of joy, gratitude, love, and happiness. To sit with all feelings helps to understand them, embrace them, learn from them, and be able to either keep them, or move through them, as the case may be.
So, as you are reading this blog, I want to encourage you to think of an emotion that you may have buried. One that hurts. Maybe a conflict with someone, a feeling of lack, anger at a certain situation, a comment someone made to you, fear of taking the next step in an area of your life, or anything else. Just know, if you continue to ignore it, stuff it, or mask it, there will be an explosion at some point, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Now is the time to feel the moment. Take yourself somewhere peaceful and sit with the feeling. Lean into it, learn from it, process it, and then move through it. Trust me, you will feel so much better as a result.
My other podcast this week is called Mena-power with Natalie Moore. It is an awesome conversation about the feelings associated with menstrual cycles and menopause. It is important to feel the moments, even those affected by our hormones. The more we do, the more we will be able to move through them, with joy, wisdom, and gratitude. Today, test the theory, when you experience any type of emotion, feel the moment.
