by admin | 5 Jan, 2023 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
I sometimes get told that I intimidate people because of my achievements. I get told too many times how impressive I am. Too many people say to me they couldn’t do what I do. Do you know what? I am really uncomfortable with these statements, because they are not true. I know me, and I am not that impressed and, trust me, anyone could do what I have done, and much more. It is my goal in this blog, as the new year begins, to burst myths that surround achievement.
I see two massively incorrect beliefs that people have about achievement. The first steaming pile of myth is that anyone who is a high achiever is confident, courageous, and has all their stuff together. Ha! The second diabolical myth is that achievement is only for the talented, the educated, the intelligent, the lucky, and those in the right place at the right time. Wrong, wrong, and wrong! Are you ready for the exciting truth about achievement? It’s simple, it is for you!
I am the embodiment of an insecure, often self-doubting, regularly anxious, under-educated, ill-equipped, and average-skilled battler who has created some illogical and unlikely achievement. Do you feel you could live up to that? My professional football career was borne out of insecurity and lack of self-worth. It was my desire to be noticed, liked, approved of, admired, and respected that drove me to play professional sport. It was not what most believe, which is a deep love for the sport, abundance of natural ability, and strong belief in myself.
My career as a successful author was borne out of desperation, not inspiration. I did not have ability, experience, education, time, or resources. What I had was a clear vision for the life of debt and burnout I was desperately trying to escape, and the life of abundance and significance I wanted to live. The book was a random idea that came into my head, and one I acted upon spontaneously, without having any idea of how it would happen. Many believed I must have loved reading and writing. I loved neither! People were certain I must have had some experience, skills, and affinity with the written word. I had none.
If achievement is not confidence, belief, and self-assuredness, what is it? If it’s not ability, talent, education, resources, or luck, what is it? These are two great questions, and the answer to them is, achievement is the result of things every single person has, or at least has access to. You see, we don’t all have self-worth, many, if not all of us, are insecure, and I don’t know many people who have it all together. So that can’t be it. There are people, like me, who lack natural ability, don’t relate to education, and are ill-equipped for certain things. Isn’t it exciting, if that is you, achievement is possible anyway. Achievement of what? Anything, yes, anything you want. So, what does it really take?
I can only talk from my experience, and I can only be very brief here, but in my mind, all you need are five things you already have or can get. You need a clear vision for the life you want to live. You need a strong desire to make it happen or achieve a goal that will move you towards it. You need faith that if you get started and stay in action the path to achievement will open itself up to you. You need spontaneous action to get started on some simple steps without all or any of the answers. You need resilient persistence to keep going, no matter what is happening, how you are feeling or what others are saying, until you get what you want.
That’s it. Just those five steps. But what about belief, courage, and confidence? What about skills, talents, and abilities? Trust me, and trust you, those things will all come through faith and focused daily action. You already have the skills. You already have the courage. You already have the resourcefulness and creativity. You already have everything you need to achieve anything you want. In my podcast this week called, Creativity is our superpower, Michaell Magrutsche and I discuss the creative power that lies within in you when you shift out of systems and into nature. It is a wonderful podcast I urge you to listen to several times.
If you feel you want more information about what I have touched on in this blog, I encourage you to purchase my book, TEARS of Joy. In it, I get into much more detail about this simple but transformational process. As you go about your new year and the things you are trying to create for yourself, I hope you will burst the myths that may be stopping you or holding you back. You are enough and you have enough, right now, to make 2023 anything you want to make it. Go forth and be free in 2023.
by admin | 31 Dec, 2022 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
There are people who spend their lives in the pursuit of freedom. There are people who even give up their lives in pursuit of freedom. I believe we already have freedom available to us, we just need to redefine it. As a new year starts, and whilst I certainly do not buy-in to the new year resolution deal, I do think it is a good time to stop, reflect, and move into a new year with a different attitude, approach, and belief. That’s assuming you want different results. My mantra this year is, be free in 2023.
I have spent most of my life imprisoned, as I believe have many other people. I have not been in jail, I have not been held hostage, and I have not been significantly discriminated against. I have been imprisoned by my own thinking, beliefs, and attitudes. I spent many years of my life believing I was not good enough, which imprisoned me and limited my progress because I chose to give up on things and regularly self-sabotage. I spent many years thinking that I needed a certain amount of money, status, and credibility to be successful, admired, and free to be able to do the things I want. I spent too many years anxious, fearful, and doubting that I sentenced myself to the greatest incarceration of all. I imprisoned myself from the freedom, joy, and abundance that was and is available to me, right now.
I want you to know, as I now do, that freedom is not the result of the material things you own, achieve, accumulate, or portray. In fact, it is the other way around. Those things are the result of freeing yourself internally from the beliefs, experiences, and traumas that have been holding you back. The moment you wake up and feel grateful for what you have, accept yourself for who you are, find joy in your life, no matter what may be happening, and excited about what great things will come to you in this new day, you are free. Trust me, when you break free from the fears that are controlling your life, you will attract people, opportunities, and abundance you will not believe.
How are you feeling as the new year begins? Are you frustrated with a life that is less than you want? Are you anxious because of the uncertainty in the world and how it will affect you? Are you angry and resentful for the things that didn’t go your way in 2022 and the people who didn’t support your dreams and aspirations? If you take these attitudes and feelings into to 2023, I hate to say it, you are going to have another year of limitations. So, would you like to be free in 2023? If you said yes, here are five steps I would like to offer you.
Step One. Let go of societal and stereotypical expectations of what freedom looks like. Trust me, freedom does not come from accumulation, achievement, and status. There is nothing wrong with those things, just don’t expect freedom in your heart to come from them. There are many people with all the material success in the world, yet are depressed, addicted, and troubled. They are certainly not free.
Step Two. Spend time focusing on the inherent abilities, strong values, and powerfully positive character traits you already have. Learn to appreciate your strengths, accept your imperfections, forgive yourself, and love yourself for the unique person you are. You are not perfect, and you are flawed, just as I am, and as every other person on the planet is. The person you may believe has everything, has got just as many hang-ups and insecurities as you. That is what makes us human beings. Embrace it, rather than judge and condemn it.
Step three. Wake up every morning and find gratitude in what you currently have and, as weird as this may sound, even in the things that are challenging you at the moment. Why be grateful for adversity? Because everything in your life that seems undesirable will present you with an opportunity to learn, to change, and to become the best you can be. That is definitely something to be grateful for.
Step Four. Find joy, peace, and love in the life you currently have, and then create a vision for your life and how you would like it to be different. Write that vision in present tense, find pictures to illustrate it, put it on your wall, then read and look at it every day.
Step Five. With joy in your heart, find people to encourage you and keep you accountable, and get to work to make this change a reality. Follow the law of GOYA. GOYA is an acronym for Get Off Your Ass! The power is in the daily action, not the results you get. Great things will come predictably because of the joyful action steps you take every day.
In my podcast with Chris and Filipa Bellette this week called End body burnout, both Chris and Filipa freed themselves from the physical conditions that were destroying their lives, by simply changing their attitudes and modifying their approach. You see, freedom is a mindset, freedom is a feeling, and freedom is something that lives inside of you that no-one can ever take from you, unless you let them. Have a wonderfully happy new year and be free in 2023.
by admin | 26 Nov, 2022 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
Why do people behave the way they do, say the things they say, and experience the results in their life that they do? Have you ever asked yourself that question? You may even be asking it about yourself. I know I did. How can there be people experiencing incredible joy, purpose, and abundance, yet others spiral into misery, loneliness, and lack? These are interesting questions to ponder, but even more important to answer. In my mind, the answer is association.
I have been reaching out to some people, over the last seven days, I haven’t spoken to for a while. It is great to reconnect with some wonderful people, however, what is disturbing is that many of them are experiencing some dark times. Many have been significantly affected by the craziness of the last couple of years in the world. Then on the other hand, there are people I am speaking to who seem to be thriving and loving life. As I do, I want to try to understand the difference in perspective of people leading to the two types of responses and outcomes they are experiencing.
I used the word ‘perspective’ as the difference in responses and outcomes because everyone has gone through the same ‘stuff’. We have all been impacted by COVID. The whole world has been rocked by the war and resulting suffering in the Ukraine. We are all having to negotiate rising cost of living and a very unstable economy. All Australians have to deal with crazy and unseasonal extremes in weather. That being the case, the only difference in how we respond to the same situation must be perspective. The question then is, what will have the greatest impact on our perspective to help us thrive rather than dive? Again, in my mind, the answer is association.
I know that when I am alone, which has been the majority of the time over the last few years, my mind will often take me into dark places. After my marriage ended, my mind told me I wasn’t capable of loving or worthy of being loved. After I lost work and money during COVID, my mind tried to convince me I was a victim. When my business plateaued, my mind wanted to persuade me to give up because I am not good enough. My mind, as can yours, be my worst enemy, so I am grateful I didn’t stay with myself for long. Instead, I tapped into communities that would help give me a different perspective.
The bottom-line is that we become like the people we associate with the most. That is either amazing news, or the worst news possible, it all depends on who you are spending your time with. The best news is that it can change in a heartbeat if you want it to. For me, I now know after many years of struggling, anxiety, and self-loathing, I need to be with people who love me unconditionally, support me, encourage me, guide me, and most importantly, push me to be better. The answer for me was and still is association. I am telling you this now because I want you to know there are people out there, including me, who want you to be happy, on purpose, healthy, and successful in life, whatever that looks like for you. You just need to spend more time with them.
On Friday evening just gone, I went to a re-union for the professional football club I played with back in the 80’s. It was an amazing night and wonderful to re-connect with some incredible people who helped me, from an early age, to believe in myself. I was 16 years old when I started at the St Kilda Football Club, and I had lots of doubt about my ability to play sport at the highest level in the country. It was the seven years I spent with these people: players, coaches, support staff, and supporters who encouraged me, guided me, and even harassed me to be the best I could be. I couldn’t be more grateful for this association I fell into at such an impressionable age. It has helped me in every area of my life, ever since.
Like most people, I haven’t gotten through the last few years unscathed. I am, however, more grateful, more optimistic, and have more belief in myself than ever. How and why? You may ask. The answer is association. I am part of a wonderful church community I see every week. Every day I have a relationship and a conversation with a God who loves, protects, and guides me. I am part of a business group that is more like my family, who help me see things differently and believe more in myself. I speak on the phone every morning, Monday to Friday, with my mentor who helps me start every day on the right foot. It is these people, these communities, and these associations that have helped me the most. The answer is most definitely association.
In my podcast this week called What’s your story?, Desmond Dixon discusses his early experiences living in poverty and how the beliefs he had adversely affected every area of his life. He then talks about the transformation that occurred when he started to hang out with the right crowd. Please listen to this podcast, and please take the time to assess the people you are associating with and ask yourself this question: If I continue to spend time with these people, how will my life look in the next five years, ten years, and beyond? This is a critical question to ask, and answer. As I have already mentioned several times in this blog, your life can change direction in a heartbeat, and trust me on this, the answer to it is most definitely association.
by admin | 19 Nov, 2022 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
In Melbourne, Australia, rain is commonplace. In fact, we are known for the city that has all four seasons in one day, and, it’s actually true. To wake up to a beautiful blue spring sky, get fooled into thinking it’s going to be a summer’s day, then to have it turn quickly from spring, summer, straight into autumn, and then become a cold and rainy winters day is part of the joy of living in this town. We are currently two weeks from summer starting in Australia, and it feels like winter. Rain can be inconvenient, annoying, damaging and even depressing, however, after the rain comes the rainbow.
My routine is to get up between 5 and 5:30am to train six days per week, and now that I am living by the beach, it is even more motivating. The one thing that dampens my enthusiasm, is the damp and cold. In my younger days, it would not bother me, but I am older and softer these days and I much prefer mild and dry weather. I certainly chose the wrong city to live in to make that my climate expectation. Any who, I was training the other morning, by the water, with the wind blowing and rain pelting in my face, just wishing it was all over so I could go home and get in a hot shower, when all of a sudden, it ‘did a Melbourne’.
When I say, ‘did a Melbourne’, I mean, it was typically Melbourne and, in a moment, the wind stopped, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. Then, as the clouds cleared a beautiful rainbow emerged. I finished off my workout enjoying much nicer weather conditions, and a stunning rainbow. Rainbows are amazing to me. I can’t explain where they come from, or how they are formed. The one thing I know for sure is that the rainbow always comes after the rain.
I want to encourage you to imagine that rain is a metaphor for the challenges in your life, and the rainbow is the blessing that comes as a result of that challenge. That being the case, I hope you can see that, just as the rain passes and is followed by a rainbow, challenges will also pass and be followed by incredible lessons, opportunities, or gifts. The key to enjoying the amazingness of the rainbows in your life is to firmly believe that tough times will pass and expect great things will come as a result.
I am writing this blog in my new office in my new home, and I feel so incredibly blessed for this house I have just purchased. It is definitely the rainbow that came after the rain. As I have already spoken about, so my apologies if you have heard this before, it was about three months ago my life was thrown into a bit of turmoil. Happily residing in a home, I was renting and had been for nine months, I received an email with a notice to vacate. The owner of the property had given me the remaining three months of my twelve-month lease to vacate the property, by November 25, 2022.
Even just a few years ago, that news would have sent me spiralling into ‘poor little old me’ mode. I would have chucked a tantrum, started blaming, complaining and effectively making everyone’s life miserable, mostly my own. But I handled this very differently. In fact, I surprised myself. The rain was pelting down, but I imagined the rainbow. Maybe it’s time to buy my own place, Ithought, this is definitely a sign from God. I thought about how it would feel when, within those three months I could find, buy, settle, and move into my own home. I did, and in fact, made it happen in just two months. I can tell you; I love my new home and will be enjoying this rainbow for many years.
I want to encourage you, as soon as the rain starts falling in your life, imagine and expect the rainbow that will come. Is the rain falling on your health? If so, get to work to become healthy again and imagine when you can do the things you want, and inspire others at the same time. That’s a pretty exciting rainbow. Is the rain pelting on your relationship? If it is, get to work repairing the conflict, and imagine the rainbow that will appear as your relationship is restored and renewed. Is the rain fear in your life that you may not be good enough or worthy enough to achieve what you want? My goodness, repeat this next sentence to yourself over and over again; I am enough, I am worthy, just as I am. Can you visualise your life when you truly believe that? Can you envisage how beautiful that rainbow will be.
The harder the rain, the more amazing the rainbow, but it does have to rain first. Challenges will come, and the need to come, for you to experience amazing blessings, opportunities, and growth in your life. In my podcast this week with Matthew Loudon, called Get off the grid, Matthew discusses the torrential rain that was his traumatic childhood and a life which spiralled into depression. Now, on the other side, he is enjoying the benefits and blessings that come from moving through the storm to enjoy the rainbow on the other side. It is a powerful and inspiring conversation.
Is there rain in your life right now? If so, get excited, because just now, as you negotiate the challenges you are experiencing with a desire for change and an expectation of great things to come, the rainbow will appear, and it will be the most beautiful rainbow you have ever seen. Believe in your life, just as with nature, that the rainbow comes after the rain.
by admin | 5 Nov, 2022 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
You may have heard a saying along the lines of, own your life, don’t rent it. I always wondered what that meant. I mean, of course I own my life. Who else owns it? How can I rent it anyway? It’s my life, my body, my choice, and I am in control. Or, so I thought. Then I bought a home, and it changed my whole perspective about ownership.
I am different now than I was just a few weeks ago. I have rented homes for far too long, and now that I am a homeowner, I am finding myself hard to recognise. When renting, I was far less intrigued about tidiness, maintenance, and looking after things. I have changed in a heartbeat. Now, for some reason, my dishes are always done, my bench tops and splashback wiped down, my clothes put away, my bed made, my bathroom wiped down, my floors swept and vacuumed, and any little thing that is out of place is put back in place. I am even on the verge of employing a cleaner on a monthly basis. What has happened to me?
Ownership has happened to me. When I was renting, I was far less focussed on the state of the property, and now I am attentive and deliberate about looking after my home. It’s a miracle really. Not only am I focussed on the maintenance of my home, but incredibly, I am also enjoying it. Why, when I was renting, was it a chore and now I am owning, it’s a joy? Simple. I own it, I love it and I want to look after it for my own pleasure, but also to protect my investment. Ownership has changed everything for me.
Let’s go back to the idea of owning our life. There are many aspects of our life we can either own or rent (for the sake of a better description). What about your health and wellbeing? Do you own it or are you renting? Let me give you a powerful and personal example of what I mean. My greatest hero in life is my mother, who tragically passed away many years ago now. When first diagnosed with breast cancer back in the late 80’s, she was renting her wellbeing. In other words, she wasn’t taking responsibility for her condition, how it may have happened, or how to solve it. Instead, she presented herself to the medical profession to fix her. She passed ownership of her health to doctors who did the best they could.
Whilst conventional medical intervention seemed to work in the short-term, the cancer reappeared much more aggressive secondary cancer in her liver just 18 months later and she was given a much gloomier prognosis. This is when my mother decided to take ownership of her own health. She was no longer a passive observer to what was happening to her body. Instead, she started being very deliberate about making multiple positive changes; mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. This decision to own her wellbeing enabled her to create an extra 15 years of quality life above what doctors predicted for her. This inspiring lady will live in my heart forever, and her legacy will live on for many generations to come.
Owning something means that you are taking 100% responsibility for its performance, upkeep, and outcome. It’s amazing how much more aware and attentive I am to my home and things that are out of place now that I am an owner. So, let’s just do a quick stocktake of the things you are owning in your life at the moment. We have spoken about health and wellbeing. Are you truly aware and attentive of the things you need to do to recover lost health or keep yourself in optimal wellness? Do you own your relationship, or renting? I mean, are you aware and attentive to your responsibilities to maintain a strong, healthy, and open relationship that is growing each and every day.
Do you own your self-growth or renting it? I mean, are you simply allowing the attitudes and opinions of other people, television, or society to control your thinking, or are you deliberately associating with the right people and putting the right stuff into your brain? Do you own your financial position or renting it? In other words, are other people pulling your strings and telling you what you are worth, how much you can earn, how many hours you have to work and how to spend your money, or are you in control of your time, money and financial situation? Are you happy you read this blog, or are you squirming in your seat a little? Squirming? Great, then it’s time to change.
In my podcast this week called Everyday joy, Phil Barth discusses how he was just renting his health when a heart attack struck him down. After a while of pity-party and victim-minded thinking, he decided to take ownership of his health and life, and he deliberately started looking for the joy that was all around him every day. It’s a powerfully inspiring conversation I encourage you to listen to. The bottom line is, my friend, you have one shot at this life, and then it is done. If you want more joy, more success, and more meaning in it, then you need to take ownership. Trust me when I say, ownership changes everything.
by admin | 28 Oct, 2022 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
Every day we face things that we don’t like, don’t want, or are not right. Whilst we may not choose those things, every day we get to choose what we do as a result of them. It may not be your fault, it may be out of your control, and it may be very tempting to start blaming and complaining. I have a very simple message for you this week, if it’s not right, fix it!
I have now been in my new home just over one week, and I love it. However, everyday I am finding things that are not ideal and not right. I have to admit, I have been very tempted to get cranky, start blaming other people and complain about these things. However, I know that will never change anything, other than turning me into a person whose own ass I’d want to kick!
In the first week I started moving stuff in, I noticed water on the floor in the laundry, after careful reflection and a few days of observation I found water leaking through the ceiling. When I connected my washing machine up for the first time, and turned on the tap, again, water was leaking. I thought I had fixed it until I woke up the next morning to find a flooded laundry floor. Then soon after, I realised the dishwasher was also leaking onto the kitchen floor after each cycle. So, I started thinking; what is it with this place and water?
My initial thought was, this is not fair, the previous owner should not have passed the home to me with these issues. I started getting angry, as you do when you believe you have been wronged. Then I stopped and thought, maybe I should have done more thorough inspecting of the property and appliances before signing the contract. The second I removed blame and took responsibility for my own home; I knew I had to fix these things. So, I got into action. I called my friend the plumber, who came and fixed the washing machine. I contacted the Body Corporate who arranged a plumber to fix the roof leak. I have contacted the dishwasher supplier and the process is in motion to get that fixed.
As I sit here writing this, rain thudding against my roof, and, no more leak, I am feeling empowered, in control and ready to fix the next thing that is not right. Here is my question to you. What is not right in your life? As you ponder on that, let me ask you another more confronting question. Are you blaming something or someone, are you complaining about it, or are you in the process of fixing it, no matter who or what is at fault? The answer to this question will tell you who is actually in control of your life, you or someone else.
I think we are all guilty of resorting to the default position of blaming and complaining. The problem is that, whilst it may give some short-term comfort or justification, it will never change anything. So, if you want things to get better, you need to take responsibility and action. If you really want to be challenged and inspired, then I encourage you to listen to this week’s podcast called, Step out and thrive, with Bethany Boring. Born with severe physical issues, including, sight loss, hearing loss, heart problems and limb deformity, it would have been very easy for Bethany to submit to her adversity and blame her situation for lack of joy and fulfilment in her life. Instead, she is the epitome of taking control of her life and is one of the most joy-filled and inspiring people I have ever met.
No matter what you may be facing right now, start taking action to fix it. It may not be as easy as calling a plumber, but the solution is simple. Start by taking full responsibility for where you are at, and go from there. Every positive and permanent change starts with the first step, however, there is a condition on that first step. It has to be taken now. Yes, now. The second you stop reading this blog, do something. If you say to yourself, I will do it later or I will do it tomorrow, it will never happen. Do you know why? What is later and where is tomorrow? Do you realise they are not even real. Later is fiction and tomorrow is fantasy. Have you ever existed in ‘later’ or ‘tomorrow’? No, of course not, because when later comes around it is now, when tomorrow is supposed to occur it is today.
This means one thing and one thing only. All you have, and all you will ever have is now and today. Is it your health that needs fixing? Is it your relationship that is damaged? Is your financial situation in disrepair? Do you want things to be better in any area? If you answered yes, then you are ready. All you have to do, when something is not right, is simply take responsibility and fix it, starting right now.
