by admin | 4 Apr, 2020 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
There are many things happening around the world right now that I don’t understand. The thing that amuses and baffles me the most, is the toilet paper situation. I don’t understand the need to hoard and I don’t understand why it’s so hard for suppliers to replenish low stocks. I think there must be people out there building homes out of toilet paper rolls, or they are setting up shop to make their own profit. Whatever the reason, I am running low and there doesn’t seem to be a change in the foreseeable future. It has got to such a desperation point, I have been forced to do something I never thought I would do. I am now folding, instead of scrunching!
I am a scruncher from way back. I have always felt safe scrunching, because to me the worst thing that could happen, whilst in that wiping phase of the elimination process, is tearing through the paper in that final swiping moment! I apologise for the visual you may be getting right now, but in my mind it’s a serious consideration. As they say in the classics, desperate times call for desperate measures, so, I am adjusting and making the necessary changes I need to make to keep my toilet paper supplies lasting longer. I’m scared and uncertain, but folding anyway, and I feel great about it as I’m learning a new skill. Just so you know, this is not a blog about toilet paper, or the serious debate between scrunching and folding, it’s about adapting to change.
In a heartbeat, everything has changed. I mentioned in last week’s blog, that very quickly my business was different, and without an attitude of adaptation, I would be in serious financial trouble, as many people are finding themselves right now. The difference between those who will thrive and flourish, compared to those who will suffocate and sink, comes down to a willingness to adapt, modify and change quickly. You will see evidence all over social media, and in your email inbox, of people transforming the way they do things. The question you need to ask is, am I thriving and flourishing or suffocating and sinking?
A good friend of mine, Fiona, has, this week, experienced the incredible liberation and joy of getting out of her comfort zone, adapting and doing something that scared her. Fiona is an amazing lady who runs a successful yoga, meditation and mindfulness business and, by her own admission, is a face-to-face person and not tech savvy at all. I am currently running a series of online video sessions for an organisation and wanted to offer a session on meditation and mindfulness, so I thought, who better to ask than Fiona to run it? I actually pushed her in the deep end a little, as it was only a couple of days before the session that I asked her to do it. I could hear the fear and trepidation in her voice as she said, ‘Y-y-y-e-s.’ Which was followed by a barrage of questions; ‘How do I do it? What if it doesn’t work? What if I forget what to say? What if my computer doesn’t work? And many other questions fuelled by the fearful and uncertain thoughts going through her head.
With the exception of technological know-how, the most important thing Fiona did have, was the courage to adapt and give it a try. Long story short, she did an amazing job and, at the end of it, described her feelings to me. She was very emotional, with gratitude, for being pushed out of her comfort zone to do something that she didn’t know she could do, and, would help her fulfil her path and purpose. As a result, she feels confident, empowered and excited about what is now possible for her and her business in this time of, once uncertainty, now opportunity.
Are you ready to start folding, even if it’s not comfortable or normal for you? Are you ready to look at this time in history and say with certainty that, ‘I am ready to adapt, change and turn the uncertainty into an opportunity?’ Find someone to help you, and get into the uncomfortable action of folding, because your life will never be the same!
Fiona Heart can be found at www.inspiringheart.com.au
by admin | 7 Mar, 2020 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
In last week’s blog I touched on an epiphany I had whilst
talking with the wonderful Fiona as she started on the journey to write her
first book. She, like me and everyone else on the planet, has had her share of
challenges in life. In fact, she walked into the meeting a little flat because
of a situation she had just dealt with. We discussed it, we talked about the
many things in life that seem undesirable, and words of wisdom somehow just
flew out of my mouth, I said, ‘It’s not bad, it’s content for your book!’
I am in a stage of repetition at the moment. I go through
these phases when I am led to share a particular message multiple times, because
it’s a critical message. This week’s blog and my last two blogs have a very
similar lesson. Just know, if I am repeating it, it’s important, so bear with
me, ok? What do I mean by, nothing is bad, it’s just content? I mean,
that upon reflection and with proper perspective, everything that happens in your
life, can be seen as; funny, entertaining, inspiring and/or a powerful lesson.
It’s really all in how you look at it, and whether you have the courage to
reflect and see what good can come out of it.
I have written seven published books, my eighth is with
publishers and I have just started my ninth. Let me tell you what the best and the
most powerful content for these books has come from times in my life that were
challenging, to say the least. My book Dance Until It Rains, is about
the life, cancer journey and death of my mother. It was the most tragic and
devastating time of my life, but, her story, the lessons I learned from her
courage and her inspiration have made wonderful content for a book that is
impacting lives more than fifteen years after she passed. In my book Accidental
Author, most of the content that helped me and is now helping other people write
and publish their own books came from the frustration and challenges of the
process. Doubting myself, rejection after rejection from publishers and the
many other seeming failures that has led to my wonderful success as an author.
In my book, Kicking On, the best content, entertainment
and lessons came from adversity. Getting knocked out and carried off on a
stretcher in my first senior game of football taught me resilience and the
courage to get up and go again. Having to wait twenty months and overcome
missing selection every single week between my first and second senior game of
football taught me the power of patience, persistence and continuing to show
up. Reading about being sacked from the football club in the newspaper helped
me learn about attitude and was the catalyst for the change of direction in my
career that led me to this point.
Can you see, why I get so excited when something unexpected and
undesirable challenges me in my life? I now know that every adverse situation
has come to challenge me, bless me, teach me and provide me with wonderful
content for my next blog or book. Now, you may not want to write a book or
blog, in which case the analogy of it being great content for your book is not
an appropriate one. But, are you a parent who wants to inspire and influence your
children in a positive direction? Are you a leader who wants to create a stronger
and more resilient team? Do you want to improve yourself and live a wonderful
life? If so, then just know this; nothing is bad, it’s all content for your next
blog, book, talk, meeting, story or conversation. Your perspective of circumstances
will determine the life you live, and, the ripple effect you have, so, enjoy
the content you will be provided with this week.
by admin | 21 Feb, 2020 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
Look at the picture, and what do you see? Really? Are you
sure you don’t want to look again? Do you see something different when you look
closer, or is it what you saw the first time? Is it a rabbit, is it a duck or is
it some other type of creature? You and I are looking at the same picture, but
may see something different, just as in life. We may be looking at the same
scenario, but seeing something very different. Let me tell you this; what you
see will play out in your life, so, depending on the circumstance, you may want
to look again.
Are you a glass-half-empty, a glass-half-full, or a glass-ain’t-no-where-near-big-enough
type of person? Why is it, when looking at the same picture or the same
situation, we can often see very different things? Why is it that when a
relationship comes to an end, one person can only see rejection and heartbreak,
whilst another person can see an opportunity to learn, grow and meet a better
match? Why is it when facing a significant financial crisis, one person sees
devastation and doom, when another sees opportunity? Why is it when someone gets
a rejection from a publisher for their book they give up, whilst another celebrates?
Simple, it’s all how we see the picture based on the perspective we are looking
at it through.
I love the word ‘Perspective’. In the Cambridge Online
Dictionary, it’s defined as; a particular way of considering
something. By definition, perspective means that we get a choice as to how
we consider something. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it good or bad luck? Is it a wake-up
call? Is it unfair? Is it a great lesson? It is, actually, however you choose
to look at it, based on your perspective. So, consider this; if how you perceive
something will determine how you respond and how you respond will either
positively or negatively impact your life, is it worth paying attention to the
following quote; Not all
storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path?
Is being help up in traffic inconvenient, or is it giving you
more time to listen to an inspiring audio? Is the fight you had with your
partner another reason why they don’t understand you, or is it an opportunity
to learn more about them and improve the relationship? Is the fact that you put
on weight, on your ‘diet’ a sign that you are a failure, or is a sign that
there may be a better way? It’s all about how you look at things, and how you
look at things will define your life.
I have not always been able to see the positive side of
things, but I am grateful that I can do it easily now. This week I was driving
home when, all of a sudden, I heard a sound coming from my front wheel. I
thought it maybe a flat tyre, so I stopped at the next service station to look.
I got out of the car, looked at the front tyre and all the other tyres, and,
none were flat. There was nothing else hanging off the car that could be making
the noise I heard. Then, I had a closer look at the front tyre and found the
problem. I had driven over a screw, and the washer, and it was stuck in my tyre.
I believe it was because of the washer, that all air stayed in the tyre.
Lucky!!
I could have been angry, frustrated or annoyed, but instead,
I saw opportunity. Right next to the service station was a Bob Jane T-Mart.
Again, lucky!! I drove in, to not just get my tyre fixed, but, to meet someone
who I could connect with and talk to about my business. I met a lovely lady who
helped me get my tyre fixed, charged me nothing for it and who is now interested
to find out more about what I do. I could have seen an inconvenient punctured
tyre, but I saw an opportunity, and that is exactly how it played out. I got
what I saw. This week I want to encourage you to look again, if you need to, and
decide to see something that will bless your life.
by admin | 13 Feb, 2020 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
Ah, the all elusive motivation that seems to come and go as
it pleases. It’s never there when you really need it, and when it does finally appear,
it lasts for such a short time before it is over-run with doubt, fear and
confusion. We are often under the mistaken impression that we must have it to
be able do things that will help us achieve success in life. The question I
have often asked myself in the past, and the one I get asked regularly is, how
do I get and keep myself motivated to do the things I know I need to do? It’s
a great question, and the answer is very simple… you can’t!
You may be asking, if I can’t get myself and keep myself
motivated, then how do I every achieve anything great? That’s another wonderful
question. I will answer it just as I answered someone I am mentoring to write
and publish a book. During the week, the email I received from this person was,
‘Since I finished my first draft, I’ve been finding it difficult to enter a
momentum of writing again. Any advice?’
This is a very common question I get asked almost weekly. It
was a question I often asked myself when I was writing my own books, and, working
hard to make it as a professional footballer. Fortunately, I had the answer for
this person because I had worked it out for myself many years earlier. This is
what I replied, “Re-focus on why you are doing this. Visualise what life
will be like when your book is published. Think about the lives you will impact
and the difference you will make. Reflect on the money you will make and the
options you will have. If that doesn’t motivate you, nothing will.”
The mistake this person had made was, losing sight of the big
picture and instead focussing on the inconvenient and uncomfortable process. It
is inevitable we will feel like we need motivation when we are facing something
uncomfortable like; writing after a long day, getting up and exercising when we
are tired, reading when we’d rather be watching TV or practicing something when
it really is quite tedious. That being the case, we need to take our focus off
the process and place it on the other side of the discomfort. The key to this
working is that you need to have a clear vision of what that looks like and a
strong desire to be there.
When climbing a mountain, focusing on of the pain of each
step will cause many people to give up. The people who are excited to see the
view from the top and experience the pride of their achievement will simply see
each uncomfortable step as necessary to getting them closer to what they want.
When my alarm goes off at 5:30am every morning to get up and exercise, I don’t
think about how uncomfortable training will be. If I did, I would hit snooze. I
focus on how good I will feel when I’m finished and how much I love being fit,
lean and healthy.
Motivation is not something you can rely on, nor something
you can manufacture. However, when you are clear about what you want and why,
you don’t need it, because you will be happy to do what you need to do to get
you there.
by admin | 7 Feb, 2020 | Andrew's Blog, Inspiration, Mindset
This is a hard lesson to learn, right?Unless of course, you will learn from reading this blog, rather than your own painful experiences. If you are anything like me, you have been spending a lot of time repairing! The biggest, and probably the only downside of being a chronic spontaneous and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants action-taker, is lack of preparation and the reparation that sometimes needs to happen as a result. So, whilst I absolutely encourage spontaneity, some preparation before racing off like a headless chook, will save you from the potential repair required.
My classic repair story was the result of the spontaneous and totally ill-prepared decision to buy a café, back in the year 2000. Wow, it’s hard to believe that was twenty years ago!! I had been a personal trainer for about ten years until that point, and had just spent the previous couple of years learning and getting inspired about the power of good nutrition. So inspired was I that I wanted to share my new found knowledge and predictable system for optimal health, energy and weight loss. Now, keep in mind, my qualifications and experience in the café and the hospitality industry were limited to eating and drinking out socially. So, clearly, I knew nothing.
What would make me think that buying a café was a logical move to get my vision out to the world? Nothing, other than a driving passion and a spontaneous nature. I did no prior preparation into owning this type of business. I did not consider that already working 80 hours per week in my personal training business would be a barrier. My vision was large, my action was swift, my preparation was non-existent and so my results were no surprise. After two years of working more than 100 hours, seven days per week, I was in around $100,000 debt. The reparation had to begin, and, it took years to pay off the debt, and recover fiscally, physically, mentally and emotionally.
Even today, I’m still learning & repairing. After an eleven year marriage, I find myself single again. Why? There are many reasons, that I am not going to go into in this blog, but the number one cause; lack of preparation. By this I mean; lack of attention, lack of planning, lack of self-awareness and lack of understanding. So, again, I find myself in repair mode. I’m repairing myself to be a better partner for a future relationship. I wish I wasn’t here. I wish I had been more aware and more prepared, but, it is what it is. I now have to deal with the consequences of my lack of preparation.
Please don’t learn from your own bitter experience, although you probably have already in your life. Learn from my painful experiences. I teach people, who are writing a book, to spend time developing a great chapter outline and book plan to save time and stress in the writing stage. As I am always learning, and encourage you to do, spend the time in preparation and planning for all aspects of your life. Be spontaneous, but do it with a plan. There is no doubt, it is better to prepare than to repair.
by admin | 1 Feb, 2020 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
There is a reality in everyone’s life. That reality is: we are all getting older and, one day, will be gone from this planet. Sorry, it’s the truth. The sooner we realise and accept the fact that we will one day die, the sooner we will start to live the life we have. There are far too many people who just think they will live forever and continually put things off because they believe there will be another time. There are also people who believe ageing is a bad thing, and do everything they can to disguise, cover up and lie about their age, as it grows.
I’m no different, I even joke that I am 50 plus GST at the moment. For those of you who don’t know what GST is, it’s an Australian tax applied to goods and services, and, it’s 10%. So, 50 plus GST is 55, and yes, it’s a funny way to make me sound younger than I really am. I am not misguided, I have acknowledged that I will die one day, and I am certainly not one to put things off. In fact, if anything I’m the opposite; an illogically spontaneous action taker. However, getting older has been a thing I wanted to avoid and consequently, I have done, and do, many things to keep me looking, feeling and even pretending that I am younger.
Well, it’s starting to change for me, after all this time. There comes a time when we just have to accept the fact that we are getting older. So, how about we stop worrying about it and stope fighting it? I was talking to a great friend of mine on his very successful podcast, and both of us are in our mid-fifties. We were talking about our age, and, without any prior planning, I said, “I’m not getting older, I’m getting better!” Yes, it surprised even me! As I attempted to justify that statement, I found the words just flowing from my mouth.
In my twenties and even thirties, I thought anyone in their fifties was just one foot out of the grave! Believe it or not, in my fifties, I love my age right now. I truly believe I am getting better each and every day. When you let go of how old you are, and what other people think, you can focus, each day, on the things that really matter. For me, each day I get better at dealing with circumstances. Every day, I believe more in myself. Each day I learn more and evolve more to help me achieve my purpose on this planet. Every day I feel like I am getting closer and closer to become the man I am meant to be. I love each and every moment and each and every situation of each and every day, because I know it’s leading me to where I need and want to be in my life. I can see the good in everything.
I just got a speeding fine in the mail, and, believe it or not, I am grateful. Grateful I am alive, grateful I am able to pay it and grateful that there is a police force upholding the law. Mostly I am grateful that with each day that goes past, I am not getting older, I am getting better.
