by admin | 17 May, 2025 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
I recently had a wonderful conversation on podcast with Jonah Primo called Your philosophy, and as the names suggests, was wonderfully philosophical. The conversation started with Jonah talking about a funeral he had to attend, and we very quickly dived into this philosophical and reflective conversation. We both agreed it is not morbid or depressing to talk about death, in fact, the more we’re aware of our certain demise, the more likely we are to focus on the life we have.
I surprised myself when I came out with the statement as we were discussing how many people can find talking about death a negative and depressing topic. They even worry about when they may die. So, I said, the question is not when will we die, but when are we going to live? The reality is that every day we live is one which gets closer to our last, and I’ve spent too much of my life drifting through, watching the days pass without really focusing on living every single moment. So, in this week’s blog, I want to encourage you to ask yourself the question, if it’s not happening now, when am I going to really start living?
So, what does that mean?
That depends on what your definition of truly living a joyful life is, and what that life looks like. It also relies on you honestly evaluating the time you are spending right now, and whether you would consider it actually living, or just existing. For me, I know when I’m just existing because I feel more anxiety, I experience more stress, and things annoy me more than they normally would. For me, that means I don’t have a positive purpose or focus, and so I allow situations and circumstances to affect my moods and behaviors.
I know when I’m really living, and it has nothing to do with what I’m actually doing, but everything to do with how I’m feeling. I was asked in a podcast recently, with Steve Hodgson, what my definition of success is these days. For much of my life, that definition would be reliant on the achievement of some external goal. Whether that be, selection in the senior team, publishing a book, money in the bank, lifting a certain weight or running under a certain time, a business level attained, or some other external accomplishment. That is no longer what I aspire to.
Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy all those things. I am proud of my sporting, writing, health, and business achievements. And, I am still aspiring to create more in my life, however, it is no longer how I define success. These days for me, my definition of success is a feeling. When I have that feeling, I know I’m truly living. So, what is that feeling? When my eyes open in the morning, and it’s very early by the way, I know I’m living when my initial feeling is excitement, gratitude, and anticipation of a wonderful day. To me, that means I have exciting, purposeful, joyful, and wonderful things I’m working on. Whether that’s business related, in my personal life, or connected with contributing to the community in some way.
If I wake up with anxiety, stress, uncertainty, confusion, or other associated feelings, then I know I’m just existing and it’s an immediate trigger for me to reflect, reevaluate where I’m at, refocus and get back into purposeful living. If I am honest, this ebbs and flows, however these days I am much more aware and can get back to living very quickly. My question now is for you. Do you feel like you are living or just existing? Please take the time to reflect on and answer this question honestly. How do you feel when you wake up? Excited, grateful, and purposeful, or stressed, anxious, and tired? If it is the former, then keep living, and keep doing what you are doing. If it is the latter, then my next question is; are you ready to change it? Are you ready to start really living? What does that look and feel like for you? What do you need to stop doing and what do you get to start doing? Please take the time to answer these questions. We get one shot at life, so why not make it a cracker!
If you feel you need help in this area, please listen to my podcast with Jonah, and my other podcast this week with Mark Firehammer, called Who you think you are. If you still need more help, please reach out to me. Death is inevitable, existing is temporary, and living is a choice. Please make the choice to live every moment with joy, gratitude, and meaning, starting right now.
by admin | 10 May, 2025 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
There’s you, and then there’s the real you. What’s the difference? I dare say it’s that you don’t really know or believe in the truly amazing you who exists underneath the fears, insecurities, and doubts that may be currently ruling your life. My mission with this blog is to introduce or reintroduce you to the real you.
In my last blog called Beneath the surface, I talked about the fact that the things showing up in our lives are often the result of what is bubbling away beneath the surface. Do you know what I also believe is residing beneath the surface for most people? The real and authentic person they were created to be. The reality is that the quality of our lives and the outcomes we experience in life are based on the beliefs we have and the words we speak about ourselves. My question is, do these beliefs and words reflect the real and incredible you?
Last week, I was grateful for the opportunity to talk to two groups of incredible people. These were employees of a company that makes the big trailers that trucks pull around the country to deliver stuff where it is needed. This was a group of hard-working humans who put those trailers together. There were people who welded, painted, assembled, and performed many other vital trades. There were people who looked after the wonderful tradespeople and did many of the administrative roles. Every one of these people is critical in the process of putting those trailers on the back of trucks, so they can deliver essentials all around the country, to make lives better. As important and valuable as these people are, I dare say, they may not believe in their true worth. Hence, I titled my talk, The Real You.
The real you may be buried deep under layers of doubt, fear, trauma, and other people’s crappy opinions. The real you may be hiding for fear of mistakes, failures, or worries about other people’s crappy opinions. The real you is potentially far more amazing and capable than you may currently believe. The real you is kicking, screaming, and scratching to be uncovered so you can live the life that you are destined to live. My question to you right now is, if this message is appropriate for you, are you ready to set the real you free?
At the start of my talk last week, I said, there are two things I know about myself for sure. The first is that I am better than I think. The second is that everything I experience in my life is based on how I think. As I reflect back on all the outcomes I have experienced over the years, from the highs of playing professional sport, authoring eight books, success in business, great relationships, optimal wellbeing, to the lows of being sacked, losing money, getting divorced, conflict in my life, self-doubt, and fear, I know one thing for sure. It was my thinking that led to every one of these experiences, from the highest of highs, to the deepest of lows.
If it is true that I am capable of creating both incredible experiences and horrendous outcomes as a result of the thoughts I choose, then it means that the real me, who is often buried under the surface, can be uncovered and shine at any time I choose. All I need to do is direct my thoughts towards how incredible I am. And I am incredible. As are you. How do I know the real you and I are incredible? For one reason, and one reason only. Because we are here. It is our existence which is evidence of our worth. I often joke, as I was born in September, 9 months after New Years, that I was the outcome of drunken New Years Eve amour. That would seem to indicate I may have been an accident. I am no accident, nor are you. Your creation was planned, and you are meant to be here for one reason, and one reason only. To be proud of the real you and be unashamedly the best you can be.
The great artist Pablo Picasso said it this way; the meaning of life is to find your gift, and the purpose of life is to give it away. What that means is that we all have a gift. The real you has a gift, and when you give it away, you will bless lives every day of your life. You are not meant to hide. You are not meant to shrink in fear of what others may think. You are not meant to keep your gift to yourself. The real you is alive to shine, to use your individual gift, whatever that may be, and to give it away. That gift may be your smile. That gift may be your compassion. That gift may be your courage. It may be your artistic ability, your resourcefulness, your physical prowess, or your emotional intelligence. Whatever it is, it is the real you and you have the responsibility to live authentically and be you, the real you, for the rest of your life.
As always, the guest of my podcasts this week will help you in this area. Take less, do more is with Glen Van Peski, and Play a bigger game is with Tory Trewhitt. Both will help you explore and uncover the real you. Life is short, and you are needed. Please don’t spend one more second of your life hiding the real you.
by admin | 3 May, 2025 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
In April 1912, the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, leaving behind a devastating wake of tragedy. We all know how it sank. It struck an iceberg which tore a large hole in the hull of the boat. From the captain’s perspective, as the iceberg was approaching, it didn’t seem too much trouble based on what was above sea level. However, the devastation happened because of what was lurking beneath the surface.
I mentioned in last week’s blog my visit to the dentist. Well, are you ready for part two? My appointment was on a Friday, and I had another booking for the following Friday to come back and get my teeth cleaned, and to look at some options for the tooth that had a hole in it. Well, things escalated a little bit quicker than I had imagined. On Monday last week, as I went to take a bite out of a slice of orange, that particular tooth broke off. Yes, it came out of my head, out of my mouth, and I was looking at it in my hand with a stunned expression on my face.
After I realised this was not a fantasy or a dream – as I have dreamt about losing teeth – I called the dentist. I made an appointment for about an hour later, put my tooth in a bag, and headed off to the dentist to get it fixed. The dentist, a different one than had seen me the week before, took one look, and said, ‘it doesn’t look good’. After another X-ray, he explained that there was nothing he could do with this tooth. The root had a nerve issue and was, in his words, ‘eating itself’. The tooth that had broken off was not the problem, it became weakened and brittle because of what was happening beneath the surface.
Okay, okay, no more tooth stories! I promise. The point is, what is happening visibly, in many areas of life, which may be hard to understand, is always because of what is happening beneath the surface. We live in a society where we want fast results, easy options, and quick-fix solutions. You probably know that fast results rarely last, easy options are really not easy, and quick-fix solutions are no solutions at all. The simple answer is to look beneath the surface.
I’m not sure if you are like me, but, in my life, I have judged people and even been jealous of people. I have judged people because of their cranky moods, their poor behavior, and the choices they have made. At no time, in my past, did I try to understand what was happening beneath the surface in their lives. I know for myself, if I am ever cranky, and believe it or not, it happens, it is always because of something in my life that is wearing me down. Do you know what I’m saying? I mentioned I have also been jealous of people who have done things I haven’t, and I have even considered them lucky. Shame on me. The truth is that beneath the surface of their achievements was the right thinking, great habits, courage, and persistence.
My message is this, if you want to experience more joy, meaning, and abundance in your life, look and work beneath the surface. To get on with people and create deeper more meaningful relationships, ask questions and get beneath the surface to understand their behaviours. To create positive change in your life, dive deep and work on building the right foundations that lie beneath the surface. For me, those foundations are self-love, self-belief, compassion, empathy, faith, willingness to act even when I don’t feel like it, with a strong focus on what I want. The things that will show up in my life are always the result of what I invest time in to develop beneath the surface.
I have two amazing podcasts this week to help focus on what is beneath the surface. I speak with Bijoy John in a podcast called Sleep now, in which we discuss how sleep is one of the things beneath the surface that will impact every area of your life. Susan Snow and I have an incredible conversation in the podcast called One question. In it we discuss the power of asking the right questions to really get to the heart of the matter, often residing beneath the surface. I would encourage you to listen to both podcasts.
You may be wondering about the outcome of my missing tooth adventure. Then again, maybe not. I am going to tell you anyway. It is still a work in progress, and I am exploring replacement tooth options. For now, I have been blessed with a charming toothless grin and a reminder that everything in life is very much determined by what is going on beneath the surface.
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 | 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.
