by admin | 27 Jul, 2024 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
We live in the most incredible world. We live in a world of natural wonders that will inspire, entertain, and delight us every day, if we pay attention to them. This week my goal is to distract you from the ‘urgent’ and ‘stressful’ things that are filling your days and the ‘busyness’ of your life. My mission is to encourage you to take the time to look around and enjoy the pink sky and the pelicans.
We all have a pink sky and pelican story, and generally speaking they are not dramatic stories, but they are powerful. Powerful because, with the right perspective, they bring us back to the only moment we have, and the only one where great things happen. They bring us to the present. My story is really nothing special, but it is essential.
As I write about often, I am an early riser, and I enjoy each morning doing my exercise at the beach as the sun starts to make it’s rise to welcome in a new day. I never know what colour the sky will be, and I am always excited to see what gloriousness God will provide for my joy and viewing pleasure. I have spoken about dolphins, and I am always on the lookout, even though it is a rare occurrence when they appear.
The other day, If I am being honest, I was not in a great headspace. Whilst, I was exercising at the beach, my head was somewhere else. I was ruminating on self-doubts, and I was berating myself for some poor choices I had made and an old pattern I thought I had broken but had not. I started spiraling, but thankfully I was looking out upon a calm and flat Port Phillip Bay. All of sudden, the water started transforming into a beautiful shade of pink. I looked up to the sky as the sun was rising, and it was a glorious pink. Almost immediately my mind shifted from the junk to the joy. I moved out of my past, and straight into this beautiful present moment.
Then, within a few more moments, arrived some rare and unexpected visitors. Three stunning pelicans flew in, landed, and started gliding gracefully through the water. Pelicans have a special meaning for me, as they always remind me of my beautiful mother, who loved them. They were moving in the direction I was heading as I started walking home, and they accompanied me all the way until I turned away from the water. My heart and mind, which only a few short minutes earlier, were in turmoil, had been transformed into peace, joy and gratitude. God most certainly delivered.
The pink sky and pelicans changed my state and helped me to find the meaning that I had allowed myself to forget about. So, my friend, what is your pink sky and pelican moment that you had recently? Did you notice it? Were you aware of it? Did it bring you back to the joy of the moment, and the beauty of the world around you? If not, I want to encourage you to look out for the next pink sky and pelican moment that will most definitely come your way. It may come in different forms, such as; the contagious laughter of a child, a stunning rainbow, a new flower blossoming, the rain dripping off a green leaf, the sound of rain on your roof, the touch of a loved one, the sound of the wind, birds singing, waves breaking, the smell of delicious food cooking, the taste of that food, the feel of your bed as you snuggle in for a restful night sleep. There is a never-ending supply of these special moments readily available to you, as long as you are aware of and open to them.
When you can harvest and harness the power of these moments, you will find joy, peace, and gratitude every day. In addition, it will help with your moods, your creativity, your healing, and overcoming any obstacles that you may be facing. It will most definitely help with one of the most important elements in your life, and that is your sleep. In fact, this week on my podcast I spoke with Amanda Chocko about just that. The podcast is called Sleep is a superpower and is well worth listening to.
As you read this, I hope that it triggers a desire to do three things. Firstly, it gets you thinking about some of the pink sky and pelican moments you have already had in your life. Secondly, I hope it wakes you up to one of those moments that is happening right now. For me, as I write this, the rain is hitting my skylight in a very calming and rhythmical way. What is it for you? Thirdly, I hope you flick on your awareness switch, and vow to never miss another pink sky and pelican moment ever again. Your life will never be the same if you do.
by admin | 29 Jun, 2024 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
The most annoying word in the world for me is the word ‘busy’. I used to wear ‘busy’ as a badge of honour, and erroneously think I was somehow on-purpose, productive, and admired, just because I said I was busy. In fact, I was none of those things. I was kidding myself. I believe the goal should be not to have a full life, but to have a fulfilling one.
You may be wondering what the difference is. Let me use an analogy I hope we can all relate to. That is food! Have you ever been to a buffet or smorgasbord type meal? The all-you-can-eat deal? Before getting there, the thought of eating all you want is an exciting one, isn’t it? As you peruse the offering, you get even more excited as you see the many options available to you and you know you can try all of them. Over the next period of time, you start small, keep going, and progressively work your way through the buffet. By the end of it, how are you feeling? Full? Over full? Stuffed? Regretting the decision to go to a buffet? Vowing never to do it again? All of the above? I have definitely been there, how about you?
On the other hand, have you ever been to a nice restaurant, enjoyed high quality meals, beautifully presented, and just enough that you are fulfilled but not full? Honestly, which did you enjoy most? I know the answer for me. We seem to think more food on the plate is an indication of a great meal. In fact, it is not about the quantity, but more about the quality, right? I hope that helped you get an idea of what I mean by full versus fulfilling.
For many years my life was full. It was over-eating at the buffet type of full. From the moment I opened my eyes at 5am until I put my head on the pillow at 10pm, it was nonstop. I felt I had to fill every moment with something I perceived as being productive, for me to be happy and successful in life. After many years of this kind of bingeing, I felt about my life exactly how I felt after a buffet gorging session. That is sick, exhausted, and regretting my choices. My full life led me to debt, helplessness, disillusionment, and regret.
It was in this moment of desperation, the penny finally dropped, and I realized it was not a full life I craved, it was a fulfilling one. I then had to think about what a fulfilling life meant for me, so I posed a question to myself. Not the normal question so many people ask which is, what am I going to do now? The question I asked myself was, how do I want to live? Wow, this question certainly unlocked some magic in my life! I started visualising a life where I felt strong and confident, a life where I was having a positive impact on others, a life where I woke every day excited for what was to come, and a life where I had time and money. I imagined a life which wasn’t full, instead it was fulfilling.
I fixed my eyes and my heart on this life, I started writing my first book, I looked for ways to impact lives, and create time and money, and I fashioned the fulfilling life I visualised, and have been loving it for almost 20 years as I write this. The difference between these two lives is that one was full, the other is fulfilling. One was overwhelming, exhausting, and frustrating, the other is meaningful, peaceful, and exciting. In one, I had no time for the most important things, in the other I get to spend my time doing the things most meaningful with the people I love and respect the most. Can you see the difference?
So, you may be asking how do I shift from a full life to a fulfilling one? I think the first step is to ask yourself the question, how do I want to live? And then, answer it in writing. I found that when I had clarity about how I wanted to live, ideas, opportunities, and people came to me to help me turn that vision into a reality. To help you with this, I recommend listening to my podcast this week with Sue Wong and Justin Robinson called A life chosen. In it we talk about their new book, soon to be released, called My Manifesto; A compassionate guide to reveal your best life. This is the first step to living a fulfilling life.
So, before you fill up your plate at the next buffet, think very carefully about how you will feel when the meal is over. In the same way, think very carefully before filling every moment of your life with things that will cause you to declare that you are ‘busy’. How will you feel about that full life in the next month, year, ten years, and beyond? Do you really want a full life, or would you prefer a fulfilling one? If the answer to that question is the latter, please get to work on it today. Reach out if you need any help.
by admin | 14 Jun, 2024 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity, Wellness
As I was talking to a wonderful group of people in the construction industry, I knew they would get the concept of a firm foundation. They will explain that nothing will stay standing if not built on a strong foundation. Build an amazing house on a swamp, and it will sink, no matter how well built it is. Build that same house on a firm foundation, and it will stand strong through all the storms and conditions it will face. Okay, so how does this relate to our lives?
As mentioned, I was talking to a group of people in the construction industry, but not about building homes, it was about their wellbeing. I know, I know, here we go again! The wellbeing talk. I have heard it so many times before, and I know it all. This is what so many people think. I know this for a fact because when I started talking to four different groups of people last week and I was introduced as a wellbeing speaker, I could see the body language change and the eyes glaze over, in each group. You know exactly what I am talking about right now, don’t you? In fact, you may even be tempted to stop reading this blog because you believe you have heard what I am about to say, and you already know it. But I ask you to hang in there for a few more sentences before discarding me and my message.
I long ago stopped trying to tell people stuff they already know, and instead, help them actually act on that stuff. Knowing is one thing, but it is of no value if not acted upon. It is said that knowledge is power, however, the reality is that knowledge alone is only potential power. It is the application of that knowledge which is where the power lies. That being said, when I am referring to wellbeing, I am actually talking about the things most important to you. I am talking about your family, I am talking about your career, I am talking about your hobbies, I am talking about your spiritual life, and I am talking about anything that would move you to take immediate action.
If you are a parent, and got a message from a child declaring that they needed you desperately, would you send a message back saying, just wait a little because I am reading this really cool blog, I’ll get there when I can? Of course not, you would stop reading, drop everything, and be there in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t even be offended. Why would you do that? Simple, because your family means everything to you, right? Or do they? Let me ask you some hard hitting questions that may cause you to squirm. Is your family important enough for you to give up smoking, start exercising, make better eating choices, and reduce your alcohol and/or soft drink consumption? Is the example you are setting for them important enough to begin doing the things you are saying, yeah, I know that, but aren’t actually doing?
You see, the greatest mistake people make when it comes to health and wellbeing is that they consider it as a pillar in life. They see it as standing alongside, family, career, financial, social, hobby, spiritual and all the things we choose to prioritise. Why is this a problem? Because, as you know, you cannot invest 100% of time and energy into all pillars. You have to prioritise the important ones, and the only way to do that is to steal time and energy from others. Guess which gets stolen from the most? You know, don’t you? You’ve done it, haven’t you? Have you ever said any of the following, or something similar? I couldn’t make it to the gym this morning, because I had an early meeting. I had to get take-away because I was rushing and didn’t have time to prepare dinner. I had to have that chocolate bar because I was hungry and didn’t have any healthier snacks.
Let me tell you loud and clear, your health and wellbeing is not a pillar in life. It is the foundation upon which every pillar stands. In other words, it is the foundation upon which everything that is important to you rests. And as you know, a building built on a weak foundation will sink, and so will your life sink, if your wellbeing foundation is not firm. So, when you skip meals, hit the snooze instead of exercising, skip breakfast, drink a litre of Coke (including Coke zero), drive through to get fast food, and, you know all the rest, you are not actually saying that your health is not important. What you are saying is that your family is not important, your career is not important, your hobbies and social life are not important, and the other pillars in your life are not important. Wow, have I just hit you between the eyes?
It is time to get real. Every tiny and seemingly insignificant decision you make every day is either cementing a brick into your wellbeing foundation and strengthening it or, removing a brick and eroding it. Yes, every decision. Honesty check; If you were to keep making the daily decisions you are currently making, how is that foundation looking in the next year, five years, ten years or beyond, if you make it that far? If you want great relationships, look after your wellbeing. If you want to excel in your career, make healthier choices. If you want to be a positive role model to important people, make your wellbeing a foundation. If you want to live a life of joyful longevity, assess the decisions you are making every day, and change the ones that are not creating a firm and strong foundation.
One of the greatest things you can do for your wellbeing is giving. In my podcast this week, called, Give a hand up, I speak with the amazing Kate Watson and Sheree Elliott from Pentecost Care. We discuss the distressing rate of homelessness, and how we can help people by simply offering them a hand up, not just giving them a handout. I know I have been a bit full-on this week, but it is your life, and I want you to live the best one you can live. Please, don’t ever look back with regret, instead, look back with joy and gratitude, that you made decisions each day that strengthened the foundation that everything that matters to you stands on. The only way you will look back, in the future, with joy and gratitude is to start building a firm foundation today.
by admin | 8 Jun, 2024 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
We all love a good view, don’t we? The view from a plane. The view from the top of a tall building. The view of mountains. The view of water. There is no doubt about it, the view from the top of anything is amazing. There is one thing that makes the view from the top all the more spectacular and enjoyable, and that is the effort it takes to get there.
A few years ago, I visited Gibraltar. It was one of the stops on a cruise I went on back in 2018. As the ship neared Gibraltar and the rock became visible, I made a decision. I decided I was going to climb to the top of that rock. I didn’t know if was possible, or how to get there, I just knew I would do it. As I researched, I found out there were lots of ways to get to the top, but none that appealed to me. You can take a cable car, you can drive, you can take a taxi or bus, and the last option was the one I chose. I chose to walk.
As I started on this walk, really with no idea where to go, other than up, I realized that the walking option was definitely not a popular one. The queue to take the cable car was long and the traffic on the road seemed heavy. The walking path, on the other hand, was clear and empty. After I had been walking for about 15 minutes, I realized why the walking path was so uninhabited. It was steep, it was long, and it was hard. But, as in life, when we take one step at a time in the direction we want to go, and keep going, we will always arrive. So, I arrived, and the view from the top was breathtaking.
As I watched people getting out of cars, buses, and cable cars with their cameras, I knew their view would be different from my view. Why? Same location, same view, but different perspective. My view came from the perspective of the effort I had applied to get there. So, not only did I get to enjoy the amazing vista, I got to feel the pride that came from walking all the way up, and the benefits I got for my own personal growth. The view is always better when you have worked with a dream or goal to enjoy it.
Last weekend I participated in an event called Stadium Stomp. It was my first time, and the event involved running up and down the stairs all the way around one of the largest sporting stadiums in the world, the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). In fact, there were two laps of the stadium, the first lap was around the lower level, and lulled me into a very false sense of security. I was cruising to the point when, after lap one, I was directed to the top level of the stadium to complete another lap. This time the stairs were steeper and longer, and if I am being honest, brutal. After running to the top of the first flight, my thighs were heavy, my lungs bursting, and as I looked around the ground, I estimated about another 50 flights of stairs to climb.
As I was on my last flight of stairs, I was trashed. I stopped at the top briefly, and looked around at this impressive stadium again, like the Rock of Gibraltar, with a very different perspective. The view from the top, as you can see from the photo was amazing, but all the better because of what I had just achieved to enjoy it. All of the pain, the strain, and the times I felt like stopping, were worth it for that view from the top.
So, you may be asking, what’s the point? Simple, don’t give up on your dreams, your goals, and your aspirations, because the view from the top is always better when you work for them. Have you ever been given money? Do you really value it, or just spend it? I got an inheritance after my grandmother passed away, and guess what I did with it? I bought a part share of a racehorse. That was dumb-attack of the century. I learned two very valuable lessons. First, anything that eats while you sleep is bad for your bank account! Second, you don’t truly value things you don’t earn.
When you work to recover your health or create optimal wellbeing, you value it, you enjoy it and commit to it. When you work to build your business, your bank account, your relationships, you always value them more, and the view from the top is always better.
My podcast this week with Dana Skaggs is called Healthy boundaries. She had to work very hard to set and stick to some healthy boundaries with her mother. It was not easy but has left her with a feeling of freedom and strength, and a much different view. So, as you set about your day, week, and next adventure, there will be times it will be tough, and you may be tempted to give up. Keep going my friend because, trust me, when you finally get to where you are going, you will love the view from the top.
by admin | 11 May, 2024 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
I was having an awesome conversation with the General Manager of People of an organisation last week, and we were talking about simplifying the idea of wellness or wellbeing. These are two very hackneyed, overused, and diluted words these days, and it is harder and harder to work out what they really mean, and how to achieve glorious wellbeing. I explained to him that I was a footballer beaten around the head, so I need to keep things simple myself. I said, in my mind, the foundation of all wellbeing is meaning.
Okay, what does that mean? I hear you asking. Before I give you my thoughts on this, I want to share about myself and ask you a couple of questions. There have been times in my life when I have felt quite rudderless and lost. Have you ever been there? There have been times in my life when I was getting up every day, going to work, with no real enthusiasm, or passion. Have you ever experienced that? In those times, when I felt I had no real direction or passion for life, I was often stressed and anxious. Do you relate? I would then make decisions I knew were not the best for my mental, emotional, or physical wellbeing, for the purpose of self-medicating and distracting me from a life I didn’t love. Have you ever done that?
Watching television is a great distraction but will stop you in many ways. Drinking alcohol is a wonderful way to temporarily hide from reality, but it will negatively impact all areas of your life. Making food choices that will give some momentary pleasure may cause long-term harm. We often make choices and do things we know are not good for our wellbeing, yet we do them anyway. Why? Because maybe there is no compelling reason not to do them. In my mind, and in my life, the secret to making better choices lies not in knowing what is right or wrong, because I do. It is in finding meaning in your life. The foundations of all the choices we make is meaning.
When we feel lost, alone, rudderless, and confused, we are far more likely to do things that compromise ourselves, our lives, and the people we care about most. When there is some meaning in life, then automatically we will start to make the choices we know we should always be making. Therefore, the question is, how do we find meaning in life? If you are really interested in digging deeper into this essential area of life, I recommend the book, Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl. As I have only a few more paragraphs left in this blog to help you start the journey, if you haven’t already, I will keep it simple.
For me, there was a moment. In that moment, I found my meaning. Up until that time, I thought it was about achievement, ambition, accumulation, admiration, and validation. I was wrong. How do I know I was wrong? I played 7-years of professional sport, developed an impressive physique, owned a successful business, and had written and published a book. Even with all that ‘achievement’ I still felt empty, anxious, and searching for something that was missing. The moment came when I received an email from a man from Perth who I had never met, and still have never met. He had read my book and told me how much it had impacted him, and how he had used the information to change his life.
Wow! I thought at that time, I am changing people’s lives. The feeling of joy immersed my body and from that time, from the moment I get out of bed each day until I lay my head to go to sleep, it is my meaning in life to have a positive impact on others. With every word I speak, write, record, and put out to the world, it is my mission for it to land in the life of someone who needs it. This may just be an interaction with a friend, an acquaintance, or even someone I walk past in the street. It has been a joyful meaning for me for many years. I am not perfect, and still slip up at times, however I have direction in my life. Now here is the point. Because my life means something to me, I want to be healthier. I automatically make better food choices, get up to exercise each day, even when I don’t feel like it, and am very conscious of every decision I make every day. I want to be around as long as I can to impact lives. This meaning in my life is the foundation of my wellbeing, and my joyful existence.
What makes you smile, and I mean really smile? What lights you up? Who and what do you love most? What are the values you believe are most important for you? Who do you love spending time with? What positive impact on other people do you enjoy having? As you ponder those questions, can you think of ways to bring them to life every single day? These things give your life meaning and the more you focus on them and look for ways to experience them, the more meaning you will have. It may just be about being a great parent, or doing your job as well as you can, knowing that it is making someone’s life better. It doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be true for you.
In my podcast this week called Right now, I speak with Dr Heather Browne about finding joy and meaning in the very moment you are in, right now. I know you want to be happy and feel important. I know you want to feel like life has some meaning. Trust me, it does, and when you identify what it is for you, every other decision you make will move you to be happier, healthier, and more able to keep living a life with meaning. Make no mistake, meaning is the foundation to a happy, healthy, and abundant life.
by admin | 3 May, 2024 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
I think it would be fair to say that everyone of us is experiencing, has experienced, or will experience what is known as ‘imposter syndrome’. What is it? There are a few definitions, the one I will use suggests that it is, the psychological experience of feeling like a fake or a phony despite any genuine success that you have achieved. My goal this week is, if you ever feel this, to help you understand that you are not an imposter, you are just a human.
So, what does that mean? It means you and I are not perfect. In fact, we are far from perfect, and that is okay. It means we make mistakes, we make poor choices, we miss deadlines, we say things we regret, we procrastinate, we feel fear, we mis-interpret what people say, we react, we have regrets, we talk ourselves out of things we know we should do, and we do things we know we shouldn’t do. If you relate to all or any of those, do you know what it means? It means you are human, and you are alive, so celebrate.
The problem is that we rarely celebrate these things. Instead, we regret and then beat ourselves up over them, relentlessly. How do I know? I am the king of self-abuse. I am a Christian and at times think, do, and say things that are at odds with the values that come with that title. I am a speaker and author talking about things that occasionally I don’t even follow myself. I am a man trying to be the best I can, and often slip up. Intermittently, I find myself doing things I know I shouldn’t be doing, yet do them anyway, only to feel immediate regret. I then start the self-abuse cycle. What is wrong with me? Why am I such an imposter?
The problem with self-abuse is that it will keep reinforcing to you that you are an imposter and not good enough. Therefore, you are more likely to fortify the beliefs and repeat the behaviours you continually beat yourself up over. As I was recently going through a period of Andrew-bashing and imposter thinking, I stopped myself. I am better at that these days. The first thing I did was pray to God for forgiveness. The second thing I did was just close my eyes and focus on the great things I have and do every day. The third thing I did was remind myself that it’s okay to be imperfect because I am human.
My goal is not to fail, but I do at times, and it’s okay. My intention is not to hurt another person, but I know at times I will. For that, I am sorry. There are times when I will not do what I know I should and do what I know I shouldn’t, and that’s just because I am human. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting you go out making poor choices, upsetting people, or giving up on things and justify it by saying, I am just human. What I am saying, as you are living your life and aspiring to be the best you can be, give yourself a break when things don’t go as you would have planned. Life can be messy while you are human and alive.
What are you berating yourself over right now? Is it not doing the exercise you should be? Is it not eating enough of the foods you should eat, or eating foods you know you should eat less of? Is it not spending enough time with important people? Is it something you said that you wished you hadn’t? Is it not doing what you feel you should do? You know what it is for you? In which area do you feel like you are an imposter? As a parent? As a leader? As an influencer? As a student? As an author, speaker, or coach? My question is this, how is that working for you so far? Is feeling less than helping you be more? I am guessing not, so now is the time to give yourself a break.
My podcast this week with Ann Swanson, is called Powerful pauses. It is all about taking the opportunity during the day to pause and be mindful of the things in your life to be grateful for, and the beautiful things all around you. The moment you pause, reflect, and think about what is great in your world, you will see that the negatives in your life fade away in comparison to the positives. When you shift your perspective in those moments, you will see that you are a perfectly flawed human doing the best you can. When that happens, some self-compassion will appear, more optimism will rise in you, and you will automatically start making better choices. Be kind to yourself and remember, you are not an imposter, you are a human.
