by admin | 3 Nov, 2023 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
Life is a wonderful adventure, filled with amazing opportunities and incredible possibilities. Is that how you feel? Do you wake up in the morning bouncing with passion, purpose, and power, or is the snooze button your best friend? No matter what you answered, I want to encourage you to open your mind, your heart, and your eyes to an amazing life. Are you with me? If so, we just need to get four pieces in the right place and then all systems are go.
As I am writing this blog, I am sitting many thousands of metres above the ground as I fly from Melbourne to Sydney. It is one of those wonderful times of the year when I attend a weekend conference to help me refresh my vision, surround myself with inspiring humans, renew my mind, reset my focus, and refill my cup. I can’t wait. Like you, I have dreams and aspirations in my life that at times get blurred by challenges, distractions, and discouragement. So, for me, these weekend events every four months, are essential.
I used to think that once I had a dream, I would be good to go out and make it happen. I was wrong. I used to believe that a knowledge of the process was enough to move me to the fulfilment of my dreams. Again, I was wrong. I used to imagine that once I had set a goal, I would simply achieve it. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I understandably felt that consistent actions would predictably lead to the outcome I desired. Yes, but there is a condition. So, then, the question must be asked, what is it that will help me move forward to live the life of my dreams? Interestingly, as important as the dream, my goals, and my actions are, who I am at the core and who I believe myself to be, seem to be the foundation of all joy, happiness, health, meaning, and success in life.
There is no doubt about it, we need a dream and a vision for our lives. Without a clear vision of how you want to live in every area of life and a daily reminder of how important it is to you; nothing will change in your life. It is also very true that without specific goals to attain measurable steps along the way to fulfilling that vision or dream, it will be more of a wish than a dream that will remain in your imagination. There is no doubt that without the consistent and daily application of specific and relevant actions, to the point of unconscious habits, no goal will be attained nor dream fulfilled. However, the most neglected and most important part of this process, is who you truly believe yourself to be. In other words, your identity.
The person who is trying to give up smoking but doesn’t already identify themselves as a healthy person, will probably struggle in their quest. The person who is determined to write a book but doesn’t think they are good enough will derail themselves at some stage. The person wanting to be in a fulfilling relationship yet doesn’t feel worthy or loveable, will sooner or later sabotage the relationship. I know this one from painful and heartbreaking experience. The key to changing your life is to change the view of yourself, or simply remind yourself of the incredible person you already are.
The only thing that stops me in any aspiration, is me. It is the lies I tell myself, and they are lies. When I think I am not good enough, it is a lie. When I believe I am not smart enough, another lie. When I believe myself to be unworthy, a big fat lie. However, whether they are lies or not, and they are, it is what we believe that will become our truth. So, the key thing is to start believing the actual truth about who you are. Are you ready to do a simple activity? If so, write down three or four of the most powerful, positive, and meaningful character traits you already believe about yourself. Not what you would like to develop or become, but those you already firmly believe you have in spades. For me, I know I am courageous, kind, honest, and emotionally mature.
It is one thing to identify and write these down, it is another thing to own them and use them to drive our choices and actions. So now, every time I look at my dreams, goals, and the actions I need to take, I ask the question; what would a courageous, kind, honest, and emotionally mature person do in this situation? I answer the question, and off I go. Whenever I face an obstacle, I ask the question; what would a courageous, kind, honest, and emotionally mature person do in this situation? The answer helps me find a solution, and off I go. If someone criticises me, judges me, or hurts me, I ask the question; what would a courageous, kind, honest, and emotionally mature person do in this situation? The answer helps me face the situation with perspective and compassion, and off I go. Whenever I am feeling tired, discouraged, or stuck, I ask the question; what would a courageous, kind, honest, and emotionally mature person do in this situation? The answer gets me re-energised, refocused, unstuck, and off I go.
It is this identity which is the foundation of every action I take, and keep taking, which leads me to achieving the goals that move me towards the vision I have for the dream life I choose to live. In my heart I know who I am, and I want to encourage you to spend time building this foundation for yourself because you deserve to live the life you dream of. The process is simple; visualise the dream, set the goal, take the actions, and back them up with a strong identity and sense of self.
by admin | 27 Oct, 2023 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
Have you ever found yourself sliding? Have you ever noticed yourself spiralling? Sliding into complaining, and spiralling into blaming? I know I certainly have. In fact, just the other day I started to slide and spiral until I grabbed a hold of myself and made the choice instead to err on the side of gratitude.
Why does it take so much deliberate attention to be positive and grateful, yet we can so easily, without realising, fall into negativity and complaining? I guess it’s like why it takes deliberate focus to get up and exercise, whilst it can be too easy to hit snooze and roll over back into slumber. Well, the other morning I had conquered the alarm to get up to exercise, but that didn’t mean my attitude was immune from spiralling into that all too commonplace.
It is late Spring in Australia, and normally a very beautiful time of the year. The weather is warming, the sun is shining, the flowers are blossoming, the birds are singing, and all should be right in the world. Well, on this particular morning, all was not right in the world. It was not warm, there was no sign of the sun, in fact it was winter. Icy cold wind and rain was blowing in sideways and making it very uncomfortable. I was training at the beach, so the wind was extra windy, and the rain extra cold, and my attitude was sliding.
I had got through my session, I was walking home along the beach, and I was uncharacteristically cranky. What is with this weather? It is supposed to be Spring, and this is more like a yucky winter. I am cold, I am wet, and I am not happy. As this mental dialogue began, and as I was starting to slide, I saw something on the footpath ahead of me. As I got closer, I saw it was a t-shirt lying on the ground, and on it was the word ‘GRATEFUL’. I looked at it, I stopped my slide, and said, Andrew, this is not like you and this t-shirt is definitely a sign. What is there to be grateful for? Do you know what is great about asking the right questions? They change the path of your thoughts, and they unlock answers that can change your state in a heartbeat. That is what happened for me.
I shifted into gratitude. As I looked around, I could see reasons to be grateful everywhere. I am grateful I live near the beach. I am grateful for the friendly dogs I get to pat. I am grateful for the suburb I live in and the home I own. I am grateful for the hot shower I am about to have. I am grateful for the fact that I am waterproof. I am grateful for the rain because we need it. I am grateful for a God who provides everything I need. And, on it went all the way home. When I got there, I felt amazing and knew I was about to have a wonderful day. Guess what? I did!
So, my thought for you this week is a simple one. When you feel yourself starting to slide, err on the side of gratitude. When you ask yourself, what do I have to be grateful for? The answers will start coming. I even find, outside of the obvious things I am grateful for, my mind prompts me to be grateful for my challenges, because they are helping me grow as a person. No matter what may be happening in your life, there is no excuse to not err on the side of gratitude.
In my podcast this week with the wonderful Kelly Myles, called Balancing stress, gratitude is one of the strategies we discuss to help turn unhealthy stress into healthy stress. It is a wonderful conversation, and I am grateful to Kelly for sharing her ideas with me.
It is a simple message this week, but one which will have a profound impact on your life and the lives of people you care about. As a human being, you will experience the whole spectrum of emotions, you can’t stop or change that. What you can control is which emotions you focus on and which you hold onto. This week, and forever more, when in doubt and when you feel yourself sliding, err on the side of gratitude.
by admin | 21 Oct, 2023 | Andrew's Blog, Mindset
I have to say, as I write this blog, my cup is overflowing. This week has been a very powerful week of inspiration and growth. October 16-22, 2023, is Gambling Harm Awareness Week in Victoria. It has been an absolute joy to have Kate Seselja from Canberra in town as she spreads her message of hope and change to people on her mission to advocate for gambling reform. Her own struggles with gambling addiction almost took her life, until awareness kicked in.
On Friday morning, along with the amazing Michelle Powell, Kate and I delivered an online session called Growth not shame; turning adversity into a superpower. The session was created to help anyone release shame from their baggage and use their adversity or trauma as a platform to grow and to help others. It was a wonderful session as I sat in awe of these two incredible ladies. Both who have overcome significant trauma to be impacting many lives. How did they start on this journey of growth, change and then purpose? They started with awareness, and as Michelle says, it always precedes change. In other words, nothing changes without it.
Michelle had experienced sexual and emotional abuse as a child, and then domestic violence in her marriage to the point she had totally lost herself and her three children. Her victim mindset was keeping her stuck, until a moment of awareness when she realised her part in the whole situation and action she could take as an empowered person. She is now an author, a global speaker, and the founder of the charity, Empowher. Kate was seduced into gambling at 18 years of age, and it led her on a 12-year experience that took her money, her control, her self-worth, and almost took her life. On the verge of suicide, she became aware that she needed help and that her unborn child, and her other five children needed her. She is now writing her first book, is an international speaker, is an advocate for gambling reform, and founder of The Hope Project.
It was awareness that preceded the incredible positive change for both of these remarkable ladies. One thing that Kate talks about is a concept she calls ‘addiction by design’. In other words, industries love to place full responsibility for addiction on the flawed character of individuals who make the choices that lead to addiction. They take no responsibility for the fact that their whole goal is to get people addicted. That is how the gambling industry works. That is how the tobacco industry works. That is how the alcohol industry works. That is how the processed food industry works. That is how the retail industry works. That is how the sex and porn industry works. Their only goal is to get people addicted to get their money. It is addiction by design. By glamourising these things, by clever advertising, by sights, sounds and noises which lead to emotions, addiction is a challenge for all of us. The greatest weapon we have against it is awareness.
By knowing what is happening, and what industries are doing to manipulate us and get us addicted, we can resist, we can educate, we can support, and we can take back the life of joy and freedom that is rightfully ours. Awareness is the key and will precede any and all change. It precedes the change you may want to make in your own life, and it precedes the change you may want to see happen in the lives of others. My suggestion is that you spend some time reflecting. Think about your life, think about your family, think about the results you are getting, and think about what change you want. Now, the important part, think about what you are doing that needs to change, and what kind of change needs to happen.
When you become aware of where you are at and what you need to do, the door for change opens. When you are aware of the world around you and how it is influencing your choices, you can make different decisions. This is a powerful realisation and one I hope excites you as you move forward from this moment.
In my podcast this week called Minutes matter, it was some significant events in the life of Scott White that forced him to stop, reflect, create some awareness of his life and what he could do. The result is that he now lives a life of joy, is an inspiring speaker, a best-selling author, and refers to himself as ‘the life is too short guy’.
It is time for all of us to open our eyes, open our minds, and open our hearts to see what is really happening in our lives. With the awareness that will come from this reflection, introspection, and talking to positive people in your life, the answers will come, and change is possible. Just remember, awareness always precedes change.
by admin | 13 Oct, 2023 | Andrew's Blog, Inspiration
I live in Australia, and I am proud to be an Aussie. There are issues here for sure, as there are in every country, however, I love my home, I love the people, and I love this nation. Would I say it’s the greatest nation? No, I wouldn’t. So, what is? Is it the USA? Many people would argue it is. Maybe it’s China, or Italy, or the many other nations that exist on this wonderful planet. I don’t believe any of them are the greatest. Are you ready to find out what is the greatest nation?
In my mind, the greatest nation is in my mind. And it is in the mind of every person on the planet. This nation has the capability of creating anything. This nation has the ability to totally change someone’s circumstances. This nation defies logic and generates potential and possibility. In fact, it is in this nation that almost everything you experience on a daily basis began. It is a magical nation, it is a nation without limits, it is your nation, and it is my nation. It is by far the greatest nation. It is imagination.
Everything you are currently experiencing in your life, at this moment in time, is the result of your imagination. So, the most important question I want to ask you is, are you using your imagination to lift you, transform you, create great things, and impact many lives, or are you using it to destroy any and all chances of your best life? I hate saying this because it condemns all of us, but if we are not enjoying the life we want, then we are responsible. It stings a little, doesn’t it? What you imagine and what you think about comes about. So, if you are not loving your life, are you ready to start loving it? If you said yes to that, then let’s put the greatest nation to work.
Remember as a child how you imagined great things for your life? Do you remember imagining you could fly, or you were a superhero defending the world from monsters the size of the Empire State Building? As a child, I imagined being a famous Australian Footballer. Many times, my imagination transformed my living room into the Melbourne Cricket Ground with 100,000 screaming fans, a pair of socks or a balloon into a football, and me into the greatest footballer of all time. Little did I know, just a few short years later, I would be invited to train at a professional football club at the age of 16 years old that would lead to a seven-year professional football experience.
It is incredible to think that the phone you are using, the computer you are on, the home you are in, the TV you watch, the car you drive, the clothes you wear, the books you read, the music you listen to, the movies you love and most other things you experience at one point did not exist. They started in the greatest nation of all, the imagination. That being the case, what is possible for you to not just imagine, but create in your own life. It has to start in your imagination. Unless you can imagine it, you will never have it. So, now is the time to let your imagination run wild.
For me, logic has never had a place in my imagination. If it had, I would never have played professional sport, become a best-selling author, or manifested many other things I am proud and blessed to have created in my life. Once my imagination had done its job, visualising what I wanted, no matter how illogical it seemed, then I applied logic into the process of bringing the product of my imagination to reality. You see, what you think about, you will bring about, so it’s important to imagine and think about the great things you want in your life.
I was listening to an audio the other day talking about the power of the greatest nation. In it, the speaker used an example of a basketball team struggling to convert free throws into scores. The coach decided to try a different tactic. Rather than getting the players on the court throwing free throws, he got them to sit in the stands and simply imagine that they were throwing free throws and hitting them every time. They hit 100 free throws in their minds each day for the next week, and when they played their next game their conversion rate more than doubled. That’s the power of the greatest nation. In my podcast this week called, Have a crack, I speak with Pablo Miller about his wonderful life of adventure. His latest project started by imagining becoming Mayor of his town in Western Australia, and now he is in the process of making it a reality.
It’s now over to you. You can sit and think about what you don’t have, what you don’t want, and what you don’t like, and guess what? You will keep getting it. When you harness the power of your imagination and start visualising what you want, then get into action, you will be amazed at what you can create. Start living in the positive dominion of the greatest nation today.
by admin | 7 Oct, 2023 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
Last week I wrote a non-blog because I was feeling non-plussed. I was trying to gee myself up and force myself into a positive place, and it just wasn’t working. I am glad I gave myself permission to be flat, to have low energy, and to be less productive. Why? Because it allowed me, in my time and space, to get to the point to be ready to bounce back.
There are many ways to describe the concept of ‘bouncing back’. Resilience is probably the most common one these days. You could also use, grit, moxie, determination, persistence, pushing through, or toughing it out. I don’t know about you but, without exception, all of these descriptions are scary, overwhelming, intimidating and seem to suggest that the only way to bounce back is to force the issue. I used to be a firm believer that this was, in fact, the only way to bounce back.
As a footballer, the saying, when one of the players was struggling with keeping up, with some kind of soft tissue injury, or some other stiffness or soreness, was ‘jog it out’. We were fed the crazy idea that you can actually jog out an injury. It became a running joke (pardon the pun). “Did you hear John broke his leg”. “What’s his problem, he should just jog it out”. “Fred just got concussed and was carried off on a stretcher”. “He is so soft, why doesn’t he just jog it out”. We thought this was hilarious, but in fact, I now believe this is a very dangerous mindset when it comes to bouncing back, and to living a happy, healthy, and meaningful life.
Do I believe we all need resilience, grit, moxie, determination, persistence, the mindset to push through and tough it out at times? Absolutely. I don’t think anything great happens by just sitting, praying, visualising, affirming, wishing, or hoping it will just come knocking at your door. We have to get up and work towards what we want with an attitude that exudes, ‘I will do what it takes to make this happen’. However, I now firmly believe we need to honour ourselves. That means celebrate when we are in the zone and making things happen and welcome the times when we may hit the wall and need to fall flat for a while. This is what I have just been experiencing.
It is actually allowing ourselves to be human and understanding that we will experience the whole spectrum of emotions, moods, and energy levels. Instead of judging ourselves when we are feeling flat, I want to encourage you, as I have just done, to accept it, welcome it, and even enjoy it. When you do, the desire to bounce back will come naturally, without berating and forcing yourself to get up and go again when the get up and go again has temporarily got up and gone.
When I think about the most obvious representation of bouncing back, it would have to be the rubber ball. When you drop a rubber ball, it bounces back, right? You don’t have to slam it into the ground or force it to do something it is not designed to do. Inherently, its properties are such that bouncing back is a natural response. Did you know, that as a human being, you also have the same natural property? I don’t mean if you jump off your roof, you will physically bounce back up to where you came from! I mean, it is built into your DNA to find solutions, deal with adversity, overcome challenges, and achieve great things. That being the case, there is no need to force the bounce back, all you need to do is give yourself the time to be down, and process where you are at, then like magic the answers, motivation, and mood will return to get you back and bouncing again.
I know this is true because I have just experienced it for myself. What I did during my down time was resting, my couch got a hammering, I eased off my training, I walked, I noticed, and I spoke to the important people in my life to let them know where I was at. In my heart, I want more for my life and I always want to be moving forward. However, I know the only way to continually move forward, is to stop at times to re-fuel, body, mind, and spirit. If you want to drive your car across the country, you will have to stop at times to re-fuel and service it. Why would we be any different? I spoke with the wonderful Jim Wilson in my podcast this week called ‘Sam’s legacy’. Talk about bouncing back! This is a man who has achieved amazing success in the media, but also experienced incredible heartbreak. He lost his 6-year-old son Sam to brain cancer but has bounced back to use it as a way to impact lives and keep Sam’s legacy alive.
You are an amazing human. I hope you believe that. You are good enough just as you are. You have been created to do more, have more, and be more. You have also been created to have quiet, reflective, and non-productive times. Embrace it when the flat spot comes. Enjoy it, and just know that when you are ready you will naturally come bouncing back.
by admin | 28 Sep, 2023 | Andrew's Blog, Joyful Longevity
I love where ideas come from. I love how they randomly appear when you just allow them in. I love that I don’t always have to be on my game and productive to feel good about myself. I love that I can write a blog about essentially nothing. This is my non-blog.
It sounds random I know, but I am sitting here racking my brains trying to come up with a great subject to write about. Something that will inspire, something that will empower, and something that will entertain. Guess what I came up with? Nothing! I was just about to start berating myself for not being creative, productive, and proactive, which has always been my go-to, when I stopped myself. Why can’t I write a non-blog? I can, and I will.
In life we all go through phases. There are times when I am on-purpose, in-the-flow, and getting stuff done. There are other times when it all just seems like a bit of a struggle, and I feel like a bit of a non-event. I know this is not just me, even though I used to think there was something wrong with me when I felt this way. Now I know I am representing the masses when I say this. I want to remove the stigma of the flat-spots, the low-energy-space, and the non-productive moments. In fact, I want to celebrate the non-events with a non-blog!
If you have ever watched Seinfeld, you will know it is described as a show about nothing, and it is hilarious. Well, my opinion anyway. We spend so much time in our lives trying to be on point, on track, and on target, that we miss out on being on the couch and switched off. Sometimes being on the couch is exactly where you need to be. In fact, after I finish not writing this non-blog, I am going to have a nanna-nap on the couch.
If I am being honest, there are certain parts of my life right now that are not buzzing as I would like them to be. My creativity is feeling a little blocked; hence the non-blog. My energy is a little lagging; hence my desire for a nanna-nap. My motivation is a little lack-lustre; hence I am just about ready to wrap up this non-blog. With all these feelings, which in the past I would have judged and condemned, I am now open to and even celebrating. Why? Because it happens to us all and it is simply part of being a fabulous human being. Don’t fight it, embrace it.
I know it won’t be long before I get my mojo back. Until then I am going to enjoy my down-time, my lack of productivity, my lethargy, and my non-blog. I want to encourage you to do the same when it happens to you. When you feel fabulous, go hard. When you feel flat, give yourself a break. There is so much to learn in life. Every situation, every experience, and every feeling can help us accept ourselves for who we are and what we do, or don’t do. In my podcast this week with Danielle Matthews called, Post traumatic growth, we discuss learning and growing from every situation, even the low spots.
Enough from me, the couch is calling. Enjoy your non-moments, as I have enjoyed not writing my non-blog.
