by admin | 16 Apr, 2022 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
You can’t do it on your own. Okay, that was a seemingly negative and controversial start to this week’s blog. Think about it everything you have accomplished in your life, and whether you did it completely on your own, or you had the support of other people, in some way, throughout the process. It would surprise me if anyone said they made it all on their own. Why is it then, even though we inherently know we will need other people, we still beat ourselves up and expect that we need to do it alone? I learned a very valuable lesson recently. That is, no matter what I am worrying about or aspiring to, it will be okay if I simply pass it up.
So, what does that mean? I will get to it, don’t worry. As you may be aware, over the last few years I have developed a strong Christian faith. That doesn’t mean I am religious, it means that I have faith that, because Jesus died on a cross and was resurrected, I am forgiven of my sins and free from internal conflict. I also believe that God wants me to be happy and successful, and that I am divinely guided in my life. Whilst I do believe this, I am still a flawed human, who at times doubts and worries whether I am good enough to do, have, or become what I desire in my time on earth.
I am grateful for a very special friend and mentor in my life who continually reminds me that it’s not about me. Throughout my life, from a young age, I have worked, worried, overworked, sacrificed, and slaved to try and get ahead in the world, only to find myself exhausted with not much more than I had before I started each insane campaign. Even today, whilst I love my life, I am still battling with this voice in my head that says, Andrew, it is all about you and what you do, so keep working. As I sat down with my mentor recently, she reminded me that I am not alone. Firstly, she explained again that she was here for me. Secondly, she reinforced that God was on my side and has far more power to help me than I have to do it by myself, if I just pass it up to him.
For non-believers I understand this is hard to get your head around, but I am sure you believe in the universe, the law of attraction or have some other faith platform. So, based on her advice and prayers for me, I have since started to simply pass up my worries, fears, and aspirations to God. The first thing I noticed was how much lighter, peaceful, and free I felt. The second thing I noticed was… wow! Things started coming to me, far more quickly and easily than before when I was trying to control every situation and outcome. Speaking opportunities and new clients started coming my way in abundance, and things started happening with far less effort and stress on my part.
Even the opportunity I missed, and spoke about in last week’s blog, Learn the hard lessons, just came out of the blue because I had let go of the need to be in control of everything. Now, don’t get me wrong, you can’t sit on your couch and just hand your dreams and desires to God or the universe and expect abundance to come to you. However, when you act with intention and consistency, and then pass it up, great things will happen. They just keep happening to me right now, so I am going to simply keep passing all my desires up to God.
I get that this may be challenging for some people, but I would ask you, if you are a sceptic, to have an open mind, and just give it a go. What do you have to lose? It just requires a change of perspective and the trust and understanding that we are not alone, nor are we expected to do it all ourselves. In my podcast this week, called Success is an inside job, with Michael Alcée, we discuss the power of trusting ourselves, our emotions and our creativity and just expecting great things will come.
It is my greatest desire that you get what I am saying this week and understand the power that is all around you. Your life is no accident, you are not here to be stressed, confused, deprived, or overwhelmed. You are here to have an impact and to live an abundant life. Trust me when I say, that is a done deal if you are willing to follow your heart, do the work and just pass it up to God, the universe, or to your faith that all of the answers you want and the results you desire will be delivered to you. I urge you to pass it up this week.
by admin | 26 Mar, 2022 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
I love gifts, don’t you? When you get handed a parcel, the first thing that happens is your imagination goes wild as you start to envisage what wonderful delights will be unveiled as you unwrap it. There are times, however, when the actual gift and the expectation of the unveiling are worlds apart. The gift looked so good, until you unwrapped it, that is! Have you experienced that? Well, how would you like to get an incredible life-changing gift with every single unwrapping?
I guarantee that you will be handed a gift today. It may not look like a gift, feel like a gift or smell like a gift, but trust me, it is a brilliant gift. I heard it described this way; Every problem or challenge is a gift. The bigger the issue, the more layers of wrapping you will need to take off, but the more precious the gift inside will be. That is powerful, and it is incredibly true. I have found this to be the case in my life, over and over again.
I love to travel. I love to travel even more when someone else is paying for it. I had a paid speaking event in sunny Queensland, and I was excited that my flight would be paid for, my accommodation would be paid for, and a large amount of money would be deposited into my bank account. Does it get any better than that? Soon before I was about to leave on this exciting adventure, the phone call came. ‘Andrew, I’m sorry to tell you that the event has been cancelled. The world is going crazy, and this coronavirus seems to be raging out-of-control. I hope we might be able to rebook it, but at this stage there are no guarantees.’
Soon after that phone call, in March 2020, there were more calls, more messages, and more emails. One by one each paid speaking gig evaporated in front of my very eyes, and with it, tens of thousands of dollars of income. I felt a numb feeling engulf my body as I slid down the wall and dissolved into an almighty tantrum. After about 10 to 15 minutes of self-absorbed victim-thinking dummy-spitting I decided, due to the perspective I had learned in my life, this was not a problem, instead a very precious gift that needed to be unwrapped.
The first layer of the wrapping revealed to me what was in my control. The second layer started to unlock some answers as I asked myself the question, what do I do now? As I took off that final layer of wrapping, I saw opportunities, greater than I’ve seen for many years in my life. Opportunities to speak on a global stage, opportunities to impact more lives, opportunities to make a difference during this trying time in history, and opportunities to do things I never thought I could do.
I have said it before, and I will say it again, COVID-19 was an incredibly transformational time in my life, as it revealed to me opportunities to gain more clarity about what I want and in the purpose of my life to do more of what I’m on this planet to do. Initially, it seemed like an incredible problem, but on reflection and with a positive focus, proper perspective, and spontaneous action it was an incredibly precious gift that has blessed my life and many other lives.
As I look back at all the challenges and adversity in my life, all I see are precious gifts. Being sacked from my professional football club, was a wonderful gift that put me on a path in the health and wellbeing industry. Losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in business and investments, turned out to be an invaluable gift that led me to make an illogical yet necessary course correction in my life. Three divorces gave me the gift of awareness, forgiveness, and self-acceptance. Losing my mother to cancer, allowed me the gift and opportunity of sharing her inspiration and legacy. Each one of these parcels needed much unwrapping, but, sure enough, there was a precious gift inside each one.
As I listened to Charlene Madden tell her story on this week’s podcast called, Choose life, I heard the same message. A lady whose life was littered with abuse, addiction, abandonment, and depression was finally able to unwrap the many layers of the trauma she had experienced to enjoy the incredible gift that comes with helping others. This is a podcast I urge you to listen to.
From this day on, enjoy the gifts that come your way. When your initial reaction to a problem, challenge or adversity is to complain, blame or criticism, stop and ask yourself this question: if I take the time to reflect and unwrap this parcel, what precious gift will I find inside? If you expect to find that precious gift, you will find it every time. Enjoy unwrapping your gifts today.
by admin | 5 Mar, 2022 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
Freedom is a powerful word, isn’t it? Like many words, it means different things to different people. As I searched for a definition of freedom, I found: The condition of being free of restraints, especially the ability to act without control or interference by another or by circumstance. When we think about the common uses of the word freedom, we think of freedom from oppression, freedom from tyranny, freedom from prison, freedom from war, financial freedom, freedom from sickness and the freedom to choose. However, I think one freedom trumps all of these, and is not reliant on any of them. That freedom lies underneath the mask you and I are wearing.
I was inspired beyond belief by a client and friend of mine, Rosina, who had the courage to join Shaun Hart and I on this week’s podcast called, Living in the third dimension. Trust me, this is a podcast worth listening to, and not because of me. I watched Rosina transform before my very eyes as she openly talked about her fears, doubts, and lack of self-worth. Shaun helped her realise that it was this vulnerability and humility that was her strength and her purpose, not the pretence or persona she was putting on to seem okay to people around her.
In fact, Shaun said that true freedom is only available in the third dimension, and that is emotional and spiritual freedom, and has nothing to do with where you live, the political situation in your country, whether you are being held captive or your financial position. True freedom comes from being authentically and unapologetically you. It comes when you finally decide that you are enough just as you are, and you can drop the mask you are wearing that is portraying you to be someone you are not.
I can tell you, from personal experience, wearing a mask is exhausting and stressful. Being unapologetically who you are is the most freeing thing you can do. I have spoken ad-nauseum about my insecurities and my desire to be seen as anyone except who I was. I was a scared for people to know the real me because I didn’t feel I stacked up and was sure I would not be loved if people knew the truth. Well, what I believed was the truth anyway. I believed the truth was that I was not good enough to be loved, accepted, or admired as I was. It was a lie I was telling myself, and so I kept the mask on until I realised, I was being held captive by my own wrong thinking.
I was reading a book, which I think I have spoken about before, which proclaimed in big, bold words that when I wear a mask, it is the mask that gets loved, not me. No wonder, whilst wearing the mask, I never felt any better about myself. No wonder I was always stressed that people would discover the truth. No wonder I was so exhausted. I decided at that moment to drop the mask and reveal myself, warts, and all. The first person I needed to reveal myself to was me. I needed to learn to understand, accept, forgive, and love myself. I realised that I was okay, and maybe, just maybe I was good enough just who I was. I immediately felt lighter.
Then I needed to reveal myself to the people who I was so scared would reject me if they knew my warts, vulnerabilities, and insecurities. Guess what? I started building stronger and deeper relationships. I started inspiring and empowering people. Most importantly, I started feeling a freedom that had eluded me my entire life up until that point. I now know beyond any shadow of a doubt that God loves me, I love me and the people who care the most love me. I now know beyond any shadow of a doubt that it is this vulnerability, and my desire to help others become free from their self-imposed prison which is my purpose and mission on this planet. I am free, because I dropped the mask to show myself, as gloriously flawed and imperfect as I am.
I hope this blog has moved you in a direction that will also inspire you to drop your mask and reveal your beauty to the world. You are beautiful and your real rawness is exactly what the world needs. Please don’t waste any more of your life hiding or feeling that you are not good enough just as you are. You are a child of God, and therefore are already amazing. Freedom is waiting for you and will be yours the moment you remove the mask to reveal your wonderful self to the world.
by admin | 25 Feb, 2022 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
Are you ready to celebrate? Celebrate what? You may be asking. Do you really need an occasion, an achievement, or an event before you can celebrate? I think not. As I searched the definition of celebrate on my search engine, it came up with to observe with ceremonies of respect, festivities or rejoicing. In my mind, that doesn’t require a specific goal accomplishment or infrequent milestone occasion, it just requires you. Yes, you. I want to encourage you to celebrate you, today and every day moving forward.
You may be saying, there is nothing about me to celebrate. Without even necessarily knowing you,I would have to strongly disagree with that statement. I know there are things to celebrate about yourself right now. How do I know? Because you, like me, are a gloriously imperfect human, and I have already had multiple celebrations today, and it is not even 10am as I write this. I will talk about the cause for my celebrations shortly, but first I want to try and give you a new perspective on reasons to celebrate.
Why is it we are so conditioned to not be happy, proud or feel good about ourselves until we get to a point in time when society declares we may now celebrate? That is rubbish! I mean, have you ever had a wedding? Were you stressed, anxious and overwhelmed in the lead up, not allowing yourself to really feel the joy of the occasion until the wedding actually happens? If not, have you ever known anyone who has? Why is that? Why not celebrate yourself for finding love? Why not celebrate the wonderful person you are to be loved? Why not celebrate each action, in each day that leads to the moment you are standing at the alter?
Why do I have to hold off my celebration, joy, and self-love until I have published my next book? Wow, let me tell you, there would not be a lot of celebration in my life if I did. And it would be a false celebration anyway because holding the book is not the achievement. The achievement is having the idea. The achievement is getting started. The achievement is each word that I write. The achievement is writing badly on the days when I don’t feel like it. The achievement is me! What happens if we hold off our celebration until we make the team, get the grade, earn the income, lose the weight, or reach the goal, and we don’t achieve it? Are we a failure? Are we worthless? Are we useless? Are we incapable? Are we unlovable? The tragedy is, that is how many people feel. The reality is that these people are focusing on the wrong source and reasons to celebrate.
As I write this, it is Saturday morning. I woke up this morning at about 6:15am, and as I threw back the covers and put my feet on the floor, I celebrated. I celebrated my getting up to enjoy and new and wonderful day. I rode my bike to the local park where I do my workout, and all the way there I was celebrating. I then did my workout, which consisted of 240 muscle ups. Do you think I waited till number 240 to celebrate? No, I celebrated every single one, because if I didn’t, I never would have made it to 240. I celebrated my ride home, I celebrated taking my dog for a walk, I am now celebrating each word of this blog I am writing because I know it will impact lives.
Every day, I celebrate me in many ways. I celebrate me for the things I do to be the best I can be. I celebrate me for the things I do that positively impact others. I celebrate me for my heart. I celebrate me for my grit, determination, and resilience. I even celebrate me for my insecurities, poor choices, and vulnerabilities. Why? Because that is what makes me who I am and that is what helps me learn and become a better man each and every day. I celebrate me, because I am worthy of celebration. So are you!
This blog is to help you realise that your worth is NOT based on your achievements, your education, the money you have in the bank, how fast you can run 10km, how much weight you can lift, how you look or any of the other things we have been manipulated to believe really matters. Your worth is you. The character traits you have, the heart you have, the influence you have on others, your smile that lights up the room, the things that bring you joy and the fact that you are alive. You see, God made no junk. God breathed life into you, knowing that you are amazing and that you are here to leave your mark on earth. Every day you live, everything you do and every person you interact with is creating that powerful legacy. Wow, if that isn’t something to celebrate, I don’t know what is.
I was excited to publish episode number 100 of The Wellness Puzzle Podcast this week, called Time to reflect. As I was reflecting, I recognised that there were so many moments of joy and celebration in the journey to create, launch and continue to put my podcast out to the world. I am proud of myself. You should be proud of you. My challenge to you today is to see how many ways you can find to celebrate you. The more you do, the better you will feel, the more you will do and better the results will come flooding into your life. Trust me on this, and… celebrate you!
by admin | 18 Feb, 2022 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
From a physiological standpoint, shedding a tear is a very significant bodily function, with a very important role. A tear contains vital nutrients, including water, electrolytes, proteins, lipids, and mucins. All of these ingredients help tears perform many vital roles for eye health such as: lubrication, cleansing, protection, nutrition and enhancing cell function, just to name a few. But do you know what? As impressive as this is and as important as these nutrients and their benefits are, they are not what I believe makes a tear so powerful. So, what does?
I have said it before and I will say it again, I am a crier. Over many years, I have had a plethora of tears leak, fall, stream, and cascade from my eyes. Tears of incredible joy, tears of devastating heartbreak, tears of proud moments and tears of painful regret. Let me tell you, in all of these tearful moments, I have never once stopped to think about the nutrient content of each tear, nor the role the tear plays in my eye health. Have you? To me, the power that resides in the tear is the emotion that it carries, and the potential of that emotion to change lives.
The word emotion is derived from the Latin word emovre, which translated means excite or agitate into motion. It is rare tears flow for reasons that are not emotion based, which means there is incredible potential for ongoing positive change in your life, if that’s what you want. I know it’s what I want, and now that I understand this power, I look forward to these tears, because I know, when they happen, I am ready to make great things happen in my life.
For much of my life I have been embarrassed by my tears. I thought they meant I was weak or too sensitive and that it was a bad thing. Well, let me tell you my friend, tears are not a sign of weakness, they are a sign of readiness. The key is to understand this and be prepared to take positive action when they appear, because in that tear resides a potential force more powerful that anything you can think of. I remember, when I was 16 years old, after years focus and determination, I received a letter from the St Kilda Football Club inviting me to come and participate in their pre-season training. I sobbed like a baby! Those tears represented the work I had put in to realise a dream, and the desire I had to make it as a professional footballer. With the strong emotions that were contained inside those tears, I got to work even harder to make that vision a reality in my life.
I remember a very dark day in my life, when I was in huge debt, had no time, a failing business and I was helpless, hopeless, discouraged and broken. I sat there with tears flooding out of my eyes, thinking about where I was in my life, and visualising the life I wanted. With the emotion that was so built up in those tears to change my situation, I had the illogical idea to write my first book. Those tears and powerful emotions were almost 20 years ago, and the result was that my life changed forever in that moment on that day back in 2002.
My final story of tears is quite a recent one. After my third marriage ended in the second half of 2019, I was left feeling inadequate, flawed, regretful, confused, and shameful. Oh, I cried many tears, for many hours over many days, weeks, and months. I must admit that my initial desire was to run away and hide from the broken man who was looking back at me in the mirror. But I realised those tears represented things about myself and my life I wanted to and needed to change. They were the catalyst of a transformation that I don’t have time to unpack in this blog, but one that helped me understand, accept, forgive, heal, and learn to love myself. It was all in the powerful emotions that were living in those tears.
We are all human, which means we are fabulously flawed, and amazingly emotional. This is to be celebrated, not hidden or ashamed of. Please take the time to listen to my podcast this week with Jacqueline Shaulis, called Embrace your awesome. You are incredible just as you are, and when the situations in your life bring you to tears, rejoice! Those tears hold within them emotion so powerful that it can move you into action to change your own world, and the lives of others. Embrace every tear, love every tear, and use every tear to help you move on and live the incredible life you are destined to live.
by admin | 11 Feb, 2022 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
There is no doubt about it, there a theme in my focus this year, and it just keeps coming up. The more I talk with people, the more I think about success and the more I try to figure out this thing called life, the more clarity I am getting. I have always said that success is different for everyone, but I think I was wrong. I suggest it may be the same for everyone, and I now believe that success is not a number or an achievement, but a feeling. A feeling that we all want.
The most common and accepted definition of the word ‘success’ is: The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted. Is it really? Is that true for you? When you think about the achievement of things that you have desired, planned, or attempted, do you feel ultimately happy and successful? I may sound controversial here, but I don’t think so. I see and know many people, including myself, who have achieved things they have desired, planned, or attempted, yet would probably not consider themselves successful, and they are definitely not happy. I thought being a professional footballer, having an impressive body, being a speaker and an author would represent success for me. Whilst I am proud of my achievements, to me they don’t represent success, nor did they make me happy.
Society pushes us to believe and strive for external achievement as a measure of success. An IQ, a bank balance, a body type, a title and an ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) score. I spoke to a group of year 12 students at a high school this week, and as I drove into the school, out the front was a big lit up sign highlighting the wonderful results and ATAR scores the school achieved in 2021. As I started speaking to these students, I asked them how they felt about the achievement of the 2021 year 12 students. In no uncertain terms, they told me they felt incredible pressure, were stressed, anxious and fearful of not living up to this lofty standard. They had been sold, just as you and I are sold every day from every direction, that success is a number, a score, or an achievement. It’s not, it’s a feeling.
Don’t get me wrong, we need numbers, as they help us measure progress and improve, but they do not represent success. Success is the same for every person on the planet, which is a total contradiction to what I have said for most of my life. Success is a feeling we all want to experience. It is love, joy, gratitude, peace, fulfilment, and contentment. Interestingly, this has no reflection, basis, or dependence on money, status or any of the other common measures of ‘success’. If I feel joyful, loved, loving, peaceful, grateful, and fulfilled, I don’t care what I do, how much money I have, where I live, what car I drive or whether I have a six-pack and buns of steel. On the flip side, if I have money, prestige, looks, and status, yet I live with fear, anger, anxiety, uncertainty, resentment, and frustration, then could I possibly call myself successful? I don’t think so.
So, based on what I have just tried to explain, are you ready to check your level of success? Keeping in mind that feelings will fluctuate throughout each day, and we cannot be happy all the time, would you say your general emotional state, each day, includes any or all of: joy, love, peace, gratitude, contentment and fulfilment? If so, to my way of thinking you are successful. If you are being honest with yourself and determine that your general emotional state, each day, includes anxiety, anger, resentment, frustration, uncertainty and/or fear, then I believe your life would be transformed if you changed your focus and your definition of success.
If you want to know how to be successful today and every day for the rest of your life, then, I believe, you need to stop measuring success on external things, scores, numbers, and achievements, and start looking inside. To help you get started on this journey, if that’s what you want, I encourage you to listen to my podcast this week called, The third dimension, with ex AFL star Shaun Hart. In this conversation he talks about developing the six areas of our third, spiritual dimension of life, which includes identity, purpose, significance, character, value and self-worth.
When you are clear on who you are, when you know what drives you, when you can see and feel the impact you are having on lives, when you believe in your character and value, then you will grow strong in self-worth. With these six areas in place, trust me, you will feel joy, love, peace, gratitude, contentment, and fulfilment every day. This my friend is the feeling of success and once you have it, every day becomes a pleasure and all the other aspirations you have in your life will naturally come to you as a result. Feel your success today.
