It was all going pretty well there for a while. I was an author, trainer and I had a law degree. I financed my studies by working in the movies as a stuntman - working alongside stars like Tom Berenger and Titanic's Billy Zane. My work week was a little unusual - hanging out of helicopters, falling off buildings and being set on fire.
I'd written a successful inspirational book, been interviewed on national TV and was about to launch overseas. I taught self defence to kids, had a black belt and won several titles in full contact martial arts. A real tough guy. But then I got hit with the hardest punch of all - the one you don't see coming - a complete mental and physical collapse. A stress induced melt down landed me in hospital battling depression and anxiety. I found out I wasn't so tough. It was a fight for my life.
From breakdown to breakthrough
They say the only way out is through. But my recovery took incredible support, an unlikely angel and a yearning to change. I searched for a simpler approach to work and life. I fired my facebook and squashed my Blackberry.
Then came the hardest, most rewarding part - re booting my mind with new ways of thinking. Negative thoughts are like toxic weeds. You've got to weed them out before they take over the garden. It's called awfulising - and I got really good at it. You invent worst case scenarios which are never going to happen - but it's as if you try to make them happen. Little do you realise it's the thoughts themselves that do the damage.
I learned that thoughts are the seeds which determine our feelings, which lead to our actions. And it's our actions (or inaction) which determine our results and our future. Good, bad or great, it all starts with a thought.
I'd written a successful inspirational book, been interviewed on national TV and was about to launch overseas. I taught self defence to kids, had a black belt and won several titles in full contact martial arts. A real tough guy. But then I got hit with the hardest punch of all - the one you don't see coming - a complete mental and physical collapse. A stress induced melt down landed me in hospital battling depression and anxiety. I found out I wasn't so tough. It was a fight for my life.
From breakdown to breakthrough
They say the only way out is through. But my recovery took incredible support, an unlikely angel and a yearning to change. I searched for a simpler approach to work and life. I fired my facebook and squashed my Blackberry.
Then came the hardest, most rewarding part - re booting my mind with new ways of thinking. Negative thoughts are like toxic weeds. You've got to weed them out before they take over the garden. It's called awfulising - and I got really good at it. You invent worst case scenarios which are never going to happen - but it's as if you try to make them happen. Little do you realise it's the thoughts themselves that do the damage.
I learned that thoughts are the seeds which determine our feelings, which lead to our actions. And it's our actions (or inaction) which determine our results and our future. Good, bad or great, it all starts with a thought.
And it's why some people dance in the rain...and others just get wet.
Here are some 'dance lessons' for life and business that I learned, and now share in my talks:
Aim for the Gaps - A simple way to perceive every situation as an opportunity
From Can't to Can - You're stronger than you think
Dream Big - Get on the front foot and start now!
Fatness to Fitness - How I lost 14 kilos by following 3 simple "Golden Rules"
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