200-Fat's 200th-How Penno coaches shaped my life

I played a season in the AFL under Rodney Eade & Damian Drum at the Sydney Swans, did a pre-season under Neale Daniher at the Melbourne Demons, had 2 seasons under Graeme Yeats at Sandringham and played under David Noble at the RAMS - but it was the advice I got from coaches at the Pennant Hills Demons that showed me that you have to keep giving life a crack no matter what comes along to try and stop you.

The first piece of advice I got was from Trevor Daykin when I was just a boy - Trev used to tell us that no matter what the score was, whether you're 100 points up, 100 points down, or scores were level, you keep trying just as hard. It sounded like good advice in theory, but when his son Matthew kicked a goal on the siren to beat Baulkham Hills in a Grand Final after it looked like Penno were certain to lose, I knew it was advice I'd draw on again.

I was still a boy when I moved into the senior club at Penno and played under club legend Steve Barratt, but after getting pumped by Wests by 96 points in the Grand Final qualifier, I thought it might have been Barro that needed some advice. How he responded to that loss however, taught me a lot about how to deal with a crisis - not so much by what Barro SAID, but what he DID. He stayed calm and kept making good, rational decisions. He didn't freak out and start dropping players and bring in new blokes, he made a subtle change to the game plan that he thought might confuse St George in the preliminary final enough that we could beat them, then face Wests again in the Grand Final. This approach worked a treat - we beat St George in the preliminary final by more than 50 points (16-12-108 to 7-10-52) to put us into the GF against Wests - our young side won the mental challenge - scores were level about 2 minutes from full time, but Wests won the physical challenge and kicked 2 late goals to win the premiership.

Some of the best advice I got was from a Penno coach who took us nowhere near a Grand Final, but I've lost count how many times I've repeated things I learned from Danny Ryan when times have been tough. The team got a lot of pearls from "Big Dan" - some full of wisdom, some full of something else - but one of the best was "focus on the game plan and the result will take care of itself," which to me always meant you should make your decisions with conviction, then stick to your guns no matter what comes along to try and knock you off the path you're walking.

One of my most important coaches was the man who coached me in my 100th game, Jarrod Myers. I actually don't remember anything Jarrod said, but he won the Grand Final that year so he must have been good.

So if you're a Pennant Hills Demon, listen to your coach - even if it's Clarkey - you may not realise it at the time, but they will be giving you all the tools you need to give life the biggest crack you can.

199-200th Blog reading-TOMORROW

If good things come to those who wait, my 200th blog reading tomorrow night (Thurs 14/5)  - about how Pennant Hills AFL coaches have helped me give life the best crack I can - will lift the lid off Al's Bar at Mike Kenny Oval in Cherrybrook after Demons training.

I have been honing my story to make sure it leaves audiences with the tools they need to take on life's challenges, and this blog will do exactly that. As well as the message I will pass on when I read my 200th blog, I will also be giving out 92 copies of a shortened version of my book - there was a printing error that leaves the book finishing 2 pages into chapter 9.

So for anyone looking for a shot of inspiration, come down to Penno training tomorrow night, watch the boys run around, grab a copy of "Playing in the PUDDLES", and hear my reading of my 200th blog.

*Training starts at 6.30 & finishes at 7.45, I will read my blog at around 8 pm at Mike Kenny Oval, Shepherds Dr, Cherrybrook. 

198-Never underestimate "being there"

When a loved one is in need, people around them often lament "I feel helpless" or "what could I possibly do to help?", but yesterday, during my wife's straight forward day surgery procedure, her sister & nephew showed exactly what you can do...

Just be there.

As we sat in the waiting room waiting for Angela to be called, there were no pearls of wisdom or psychologically consoling conversations, the wait was as uneventful as a visit to the dentist. Ange's nephew played limbo under the line marking strap at the reception counter, then Ange taught him how to say "giddy-up" as she played horsie and the waiting room was filled with the laughter of a 2 year old.

Thanks largely to the sheer presence of her sister & nephew, when Ange's name was called she walked to the rooms calm, composed and supported. When the surgery was complete and we were called in to be with Angela in post-op recovery, she was feeling so well that she offered to play horsie with her nephew while she was still hooked up to an iv tube.

After the discharge briefing from the nurse, we left together like we had just been grocery shopping together - there were no raised emotions and no stress - it was actually quite a pleasant day. In what could have been a trying day, it turned out there was no "time of need" because Angela had her sister by her side.

So next time you feel helpless, or that you're not able to help your loved one because you don't know what to do, don't underestimate the value of just being there.    

197-what mothers do for their children

Whatt my mothers Denise and Mary did for Angela and I today showed how lucky we are to have the mothers we have.

The day started at Mary's house, where Angela and I went to cook breakfast for mum #1, but found that all the ingredients had already been bought. So Angela and  I took our 6 eggs (the only ingredients Mary hadn't bought) and went and cooked up some bacon and eggs-Mary also provided ham, cheese and rose hip tea!

From Mum #1, we headed to mum #2-my mum, Denise in Thornleigh, where we found her out the front of our family home which was in the middle of an open house inspection before auction in a couple of weeks-she was with her car that was loaded with a lawn mower, a garden hose, a guerney, several brooms and a rake. She was coming out to Quakers Hill to help Angela and I tidy up the house Ange has just about finished renovating, and tidy we did! Thanks to the help of our mothers and our good friends Mirelle and Hany, Quakers Hill is 1 working bee away from being finished.

So to our mothers-happy Mother's Day tomorrow, thank you for everything you have done for us, and everything you continue to do for us.

We both love you very much.

195-Blepharospasm- blink and I'll miss it by Kokoda

My uncontrolled blinking condition (blepharospasm) has been getting worse & worse since it started a couple of years ago - due to wildly fluctuating blood sugar levels - but after seeing a new diabetes expert today, I feel like the problem could be solved before I walk Kokoda in October.

Blepharospasm started out being a funny little quirk, like when I walked into a telegraph pole while I was walking along holding a girl's hand, but yesterday I fell into a flowerbed after tripping over the stone wall, so it's now getting downright dangerous - but today I saw Wendy Bryant, a type 1 diabetes and insulin pump expert who started talking a language I felt was going to fix my blepharospasm. We readjusted my basal rates, increased my insulin sensitivity, and tomorrow I'll be fasting so we can understand how my bodies natural insulin production works.

I have no idea if these new tactics will work, but I got a good vibe, so hopefully the next time I talk about blepharospasm is when I say "yeh-I used to have that."

194-Barnaby's message going full circle

The message I've been developing over the last few years in my speaking - that all anyone can do in life is give whatever is in front of them the best crack they can and let the chips fall where they may -was largely developed on the footy field, but this morning it goes full circle when I talk at Roseville Public School in front of a former team mates daughters.

One of the best footballers to ever play at Pennant Hills -Tim Nunan (Noodles), sent me a note saying I'll be speaking in front of his 2 daughters at Roseville this morning and it made me proud to think that my speaking has gone from a 'nice story about a guy who's gone through some hard times & come out of it stronger', to an inspiring speech that adds value to any audience who hears it.

So I can't wait  to pass on my message to Roseville Public.

193-Good decisions + good people = good results

Sometimes life is made too complicated, but after a potentially messy roster change at work yesterday was made as smooth as duck poo on a linoleum floor, it made me realise that simply being good to other people means they're usually good to you in return.

My wife & I wanted to spend more time together, so I decided to apply to have Monday's off work, and it was all organised without a shred of drama. Getting a roster at work changed may not go down as a lifetime achievement, but it demonstrated how when you keep life simple, things seem to fall your way.

A combination of good decisions and being good to people has resulted in good results for me, so I thought I'd share my process. Life is complicated enough as it is - just watch ABC News 24 one day for proof - so why make it more complicated by worrying about things you can't change? All I've ever done is what my footy coach used to tell us: "focus on the game plan & let the result take care of itself."

Life's not fair, and there are no answers, so don't lose sleep trying to find them - rain falls on the just and the unjust alike, but there comes a time when you just have to get over it and go and play in the puddles.

PS. As I was writing this blog, I got an email from the publisher of my book, IndieMosh Publishing which gave proof that being nice to people can end up in good results. I ordered 111 copies of my book. but  IndieMosh rounded the order up to 115 "as a small thank you for being so nice to work with"

192 - Ange & Barns round the world honeymoon-leg 4-Camden

The round the world honeymoon continues-last week Ange flew a Cesna 182 aeroplane at Camden airport-see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbx62vbxmXY

191-"Playing in the Puddles" on sale

Type 1 diabetic & stroke survivor Barnaby Howarth was three-quarters through writing his autobiography in 2005 when he had a stroke and was placed on life support after being bashed outside a nightclub in Sydney. When he recovered, he finished writing his manuscript and had it self-published, but couldn't shake the feeling he'd let himself down. He didn't feel like he'd done his story justice, but now he's finished what he started and is telling his story in Playing in the Puddles

This is one of the proudest things I've ever said:

My book has been published and is on sale - the story speaks for itself, just buy a copy... 

https://www.createspace.com/5422401

(Or buy it on Amazon if you prefer: http://www.amazon.com/Playing-Puddles-Barnaby-Howarth/dp/192521981X/)

190-Find your drive through disappointment-motivational speaking by Barnaby Howarth

Not everyone is going to get diabetes or have a stroke, but at some stage we'll all be disappointed, and I want to help you find your drive through that disappointment, so I have a special offer for anyone who makes a booking before June 30, 2015.

Any speeches booked before June 30 will be offered at $2500, before increasing to around $4000. The reason for the increase will be revealed in good time, but for now, it is between me and the lamp post, but it means for now, there is a bargain to be had.

What you will get if you take up this offer is a speech by a real Aussie bloke talking about how he used the disappointment he has faced in life (being diagnosed with diabetes at 14,  getting bashed in an alcohol-fueled gang attack and having a stroke at 25, then seeing his girlfriend diagnosed with breast cancer) to find his own drive (which helped him play a season of AFL football for the Sydney Swans, write 2 books, film 2 documentaries, climb Mt Kilimanjaro, play his 100th AFL game for his local footy club and be inducted to the Sydney AFL Hall of Fame, and then marry his girlfriend.)

You will then be told about how the tools you need to find your drive aren't that far away. If you would like to take advantage of this unique opportunity, fill out the booking enquiry form on my website (http://barnabyhowarth.com.au/bookings-contact/).

189-Give it a Crack is back

Did you hear about the guy who lost the whole left side of his body in an industrial accident?

To find out how he is, get your tickets to Give it a Crack, 2015.to be held at Sydney's Comedy Store on Wednesday November 11 at 8pm, where I will reveal the answer in a stand up comedy set.

Give it a crack is a night of comedy by some of the most promising stand up comics in Australia - they have been handpicked by the Comedy Store at the RAW Comedy Festival. They will be nervous and inexperienced, but they will also be passionate and excited, and they will be there to Give it a Crack.

75% of funds raised will be donated to the Pennant Hills Football Club to say thank you for helping me get back on my feet after a having a stroke.

188-Fat’s 200th Blog reading May 14 at MKO

When I played my 100^th game for Pennant Hills, record numbers of Demon’s supporters came along to be a part of an event that Rugby League Legend Garry Jack described as the best day of footy he’s ever been to. 

So when I celebrate my 200^th blog after Penno training on May 14^th, basic maths suggests my 200^th should be twice as good as my 100^th.

After training and while players enjoy a sausage sandwich at Mike Kenny Oval in Cherrybrook, I will read my 200^th blog (about how Penno coaches shaped my life), and you’re invited to come along.

Come & join the Penno community & hear my reflections on my years as a Demon.

*Training starts at 6.30 & finishes at 7.45, I will read my blog at around 8 pm.

187-Change the world by NOT making it worse

Making the world a better place is tough, it takes a lot of traits that only a few people posses, but NOT making the world a worse place is easy - just keep making good decisions.

People often complain "I'm only one person - nothing I do can change the world," but that couldn't be further from the truth - things you decide NOT to do can make the world better. A perfect example of this can be seen in the lead story on ABC News 24 this morning about the school cleaner in Leeton who is alleged to have murdered a young lady who was to be married this weekend. This peanut was obviously battling some pretty big demons, but he (allegedly) made 1 bad decision that has made the world a worse place to be right now. Had he made a good decision, the top story on ABC News 24 would be something less tragic, thus making the world a better place.

Today's society makes us feel that unless we are praised, lauded or gifted with tangible rewards, our actions weren't successful, but if this cleaner had made a good decision instead of an (allegedly) evil one, he wouldn't have got any pats on the back (he should have got a punch in the face just for considering what he [allegedly] did), but his decision NOT to (allegedly) be an evil toolbox would have changed the world by NOT making it worse.

So if you're not getting promoted, pay rises or morning teas in your honor, or trophies, ribbons or medals recognising your good decisions, don't despair - things you decide NOT to do can be making the world a better place.

186- "Playing in the puddles" on the way thanks to Julie Lewthwaite

The biography of Barnaby Howarth  - "Playing in the puddles" - is less than a fortnight away from being printed, and it is there thanks mostly to one person, the girl who wrote it, Julie Lewthwaite.

When I decided to write my biography, I wanted my story told by someone who would do it justice, so I posted the job on E-Lance - a freelance writers website where authors pitch for advertised jobs. I got a number of responses, but one of the best ones I got was from Julie Lewthwaite, a professional writer from Britain, and after reading some examples of her published work, I decided she was my girl.

I sent Julie my autobiography, media articles, documentaries and blogs, and it made me realise how much of a footy-centric life I've lived, and I was a bit worried some of the subtleties of AFL might not be picked up. Not only did Julie get it though, she researched things she wasn't sure on and filled in any gaps I'd left her. One of the best examples of this is how she describes how to kick a "drop punt" - an AFL style of disposal. This probably sounded like it was Japanese when Julie read it in my autobiography, but she has described it in "Playing in the puddles" better than any AFL coaches manual could.

My brief for Julie was to write a true account in an entertaining, fictional sounding style, and she absolutely nailed it - I lived through every story in the book, but I can't wait for the book to come out! Above anything else, I wanted this book to do my story justice, but thanks to Julie Lewthwaite, I think I come out of it sounding like a better bloke than I am in real life.

185-Kokoda-come & give it a crack

Walking the Kokoda Track with friends and family is a prospect that will most likely only come up once in a person's life, and that opportunity is right in front of you, right now. 

To give yourself enough time to prepare, you need to sign up by the end of July. The tour group recommend a 3 month training regime, and there are 20 spots, 4 are taken, and it's first in best dressed.

To help you make a final decision if the challenge of Kokoda is something that tickles your fancy, an information session has been organised for Sunday April 12 at 12.30 in Thornleigh, where a past Kokoda Trekker will be talking about his successful campaign, and a future Trekker will be on hand to answer any questions. There will be a detailed information sheet to take home, but most importantly, there will be sausages - a BBQ will be firing to keep bellies full to help make decision.

FatScooter productions will be filming a documentary about the trip, so if this once in a lifetime opportunity has you interested, please email me at barnaby@barnabyhowarth.com.au.

Details on the trip are:

Kokoda To Owers Corner

• Duration: 8 days
• Departs: 21/10/2015
• Arrives: 29/10/2015
• Price: $3,685
• Led by: Australian Led

To book your spot, email Kokoda Spirit (enquire@kokodaspirit.com) with your full name and preferred postal address and a Booking Confirmation letter will be emailed to you, once the letter comes through, put your deposit down ($500) to reserve your spot.  

184-Exciting news...watch this space

I can't tell you what it is, who it involves or where it's happening, but I have some big news that's got me excited! It's still another month until it's ready to announce, so until then...watch this space.

It's easy to sit back and SAY "c'est la vie", "good things happen to those who wait," or "sometimes s%$t just works out for you" but DOING it is a much tougher prospect, so if you stick to your guns and s%$t does work out for you, it feels like you're cooler than the other side of the pillow.

One of my best footy coaches used to say "focus on the game-plan and the result will take care of itself," so over the last few years all I've been doing is trying to keep my diabetes under control, work as hard as I can on my stroke recovery, love my wife and do my job as well as I can, and the result feels like it's taking care of itself.

So I can't tell you anything about what my news is, but when I can, you'll be the first to know, but in the meantime, just know that I feel good.

183-Your path might not be as hidden as you think

Sometimes we think that nobody understands us and we're all alone on the path we're walking, but a random encounter with a little Indian man made me realise that more people understand us than we think.

I was going through my next speech in my head, so was deep in thought when my Indian mate (who later introduced himself as Mr Yogi) walked past and looked intently at me as he did so, then he doubled back and revealed some things he'd read about me that made my hair stand on end. His first observation was that I was a lucky man - tick.

After I asked him whether it was him or me who would be luckiest at the end of the Australia vs India cricket game, he then told me I have a good heart - tick (I like to think so at least), then he asked if I had a partner. I told him I was married, and he told me "you are going through some heartache."

Whether his observations were mystically insightful or just a good guess didn't really matter, I do feel like the luckiest man alive right now.

182-My wife and I officially going to Kokoda!

This blog is more an outlet of joy than a passing on of useful information - I just paid the money that ensures my wife and I will be going to Kokoda in October.

It's going to be one of the hardest things either of us have ever done, but we started our training yesterday, we will be riding in the Cure to Conquer Cancer together just before Kokoda, we will be doing it with Keira Howarth & Scott Myers, we will be filming a documentary, we are doing it thanks hugely to Leo Brown & the ARA Group, and we will be doing it all together.

I have to cut this blog short as I have to head to dinner with my wife to celebrate our 18 month anniversary...

180-Ange & Barns Round the World honeymoon continues - leg 3, Echuca

Here's a re-release of a documentary I finished on Saturday - Leg 3 of Ange & my Round the World honeymoon, this time we're in Echuca, Victoria. It's a really cool doco, so I hope you enjoy it...

----------------

A honeymoon is usually a one off, relaxing holiday, normally in a location that seems like paradise, but Angela & I just got back from our 4th honeymoon  holiday, and this time it was to a Victorian country town.

Our honeymoon started on the central coast of NSW, then went to Auckland, New Zealand, Khao Lak in Thailand, and now Echuca in Victoria, where we filmed a documentary about the good people in our lives (see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP8Z0I2AUlU). Our next stop will be Moonee Ponds in Victoria, but we don't want to stop there - we want to keep travelling for as long as we can - I currently have enquiries for motivational speaking (I need to keep working to fund our travels) in North America, South Africa and Japan, but we are open to going anywhere in the world.

Our Round the World honeymoon is going to Moonee Ponds in May, the Ride to Conquer Cancer in October, and then Kokoda a week later - but that leaves plenty of time in between if you, or someone you know wants to get on board - email me at barnaby@barnabyhowarth.com.au if you are interested in giving your next conference an inspiring dose of reality.

179-Barnaby to help communities think differently in front of 1300 people

18 months ago, I spoke to Warakirri College, a community learning centre in Sydney, and afterwards, it was suggested I apply to speak at the "Communities in Control" conference - some of the speakers in 2014 were Tony Abbott, Julia Gillard and Michael Kirby, so I thought I was kidding myself even applying, but I gave it a crack, and I've just been confirmed as a speaker at the 2015 conference in May.

There will be 20 speakers talking on the theme of "Think differently: Ideas that change communities," and Christine Anu will be performing a musical...performance at Moonee Valley Racing Club in Melbourne on May 25 & 26, with tickets at $350 per person. I will be talking to about 1300 guests about how 2 community groups thinking differently have changed my life and given me a future that, despite it's uncertainties, I'm excited about.

My wife will be joining me for the trip to Melbourne, and we will be filming leg 4 of our round the world honeymoon documentary.

Sometimes in life if you're unsure how something is going to turn out, you just have to close your eyes, jump in and give it a crack - sometimes it won't pay off, but when it does, you feel so good about yourself that the risks feel well worth it.

To see more about Communities in Control 2015, go to: http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/cic2015

181-Diabetic stroke survivor to do Kokoda with breast cancer suffering wife

Type 1 diabetic and stroke survivor, Barnaby Howarth will be walking the Kokoda Track with his wife & breast cancer sufferer, Angela Guirguis-Howarth, in October to prove to himself that his struggles don't have to stop him living a normal life.

Barnaby, a NON-DIABETES RELATED stroke survivor, former AFL footballer for the Sydney Swans, author, film maker, Mount Kilimanjaro conqueror and motivational speaker is hoping to give himself something he's yearned for since he was diagnosed with diabetes at 14 - proof that a normal life IS good enough.

They will be using their trip to raise funds to help find a cure for what they've gone through - money raised will go to The National Stroke Foundation, the Cancer Council of Australia, and an Australian diabetes charity.


To follow Barnaby & Angela's story, read their blog at:

http://barnabyhowarth.blogspot.com.au/

Thoughts on Kokoda by Barnaby Howarth

After I had a stroke in 2005, I didn't need to be told I could be an Olympian, or a Prime Minister, or a Hollywood actor, I didn't want any of those things, I just wanted to be told that being an everyday Joe Sack O'Rolls was good enough, but there was no one out there celebrating a "normal" life, so I'm going to have to do it myself.

When I played a season in the AFL with the Sydney Swans in 1998, I thought I'd beaten adversity, but then I was bashed in an alcohol-fueled gang attack and had a stroke, and I found myself back at square one. I never wanted to turn my life around, I just wanted to get back to living the life I wanted to live, and I've always wanted to do Kokoda, so that's what I'm going to do. I will be taking on this challenge the same way anybody else would - nobody holding my hand, no doctor looking over my shoulder, no cotton wool to be wrapped in - I will be struggling my way along like everyone else, 

This is by no means a diabetics or stroke survivors only trip - it is for anybody who wants to inject some adventure into their lives, some people on this trip will have challenges and some won't. Joining me on Kokoda will be my wife, my sister-in-law, and an old football team mate. We will all be travelling with "Kokoda Spirit" – the group who took wheelchair athlete Kurt Fearnley on his crawl of the track. 

Kokoda Spirit recommend a 3 month training program to prepare for the trip, so if you'd like to take on this challenge, signing up by mid-July should give you plenty of time to prepare. If you are interested in joining us, email me at barnaby@barnabyhowarth@com.au and I will let you know everything you need to know.

 If you would like to follow our story, just follow  this blog.

178-Kokoda ANZAC day trekker to be on hand at info session

The Kokoda information session in April is designed to give people weighing up whether they should come on the trip all the information they need to make a final decision, so what better way of learning more, than asking a man who leaves for the track himself four days later?

The information session, on April 12 at 20 Handley Avenue, Thornleigh at 1230, already has a special guest speaker talking about his successful campaign to Kokoda, but now he will be joined by a man who will be taking off for Kokoda on April 16 - Richard Laing will be on hand to answer any questions people may have regarding what to expect.

If the challenge of the Kokoda trek is something that tickles your fancy, come and have a sausage sandwich, read the comprehensive information sheet, listen to Jason Clarke tell the story of his successful campaign to Kokoda, and ask Richard Laing any questions you have before he stands on Isuarava on ANZAC day.

If you are coming along, please email me at barnaby@barnabyhowarth.com.au and I look forward to seeing you then.

177-The perfect diabetes message

When I was diagnosed with diabetes at 14, the message I wanted to hear was that the life I was living right now was good enough, and on Saturday night at the Diabetes NSW "Live your Life" ball I heard it.

I sometimes feel as though society is trying to tell us that unless we win whatever we are doing, we are a failure - unless we get 100% in our high school exams, graduate with honors from university, make the first grade team at our sports club or get that promotion at work, we're not good enough and we've let ourselves down - but after the compliments guests showered on my wife & I after I closed my keynote speech at the Live your Life ball by telling people "there's no rhyme or reason to what happens to us in life; good things happen to bad people & bad things happen to good people, but I hope tonight helps you feel proud of the life you're living RIGHT NOW," I feel reassured that people are proud to be living a "normal" life - they just need to be reminded.

After acknowledging a standing ovation by 2 time Walkley Award winning ABC journalist Andrew Geoghegan, and apologising to former Australian Rugby League fullback Garry Jack for keeping my clothes on during the speech (there IS a story behind that that makes it not weird), CEO of Diabetes NSW, Sturt Eastwood was the first person to come to my table to offer a congratulations - Sturt introduced me to some of the event's corporate sponsors who were touched by my speech and snapped up a business card - I was then pulled away by a former depression sufferer who told me my message was exactly what he wanted to hear - he told me he was proud of his "normal" life, and told me had had the "best wife in the world," but I had to burst his bubble and tell him his wife was the second best! I spoke to friends of former Swans team mates, swapped business cards with CEO's, tried to encourage other diabetics to join my wife & I on Kokoda in October, talked to other diabetics about their impending climb up Everest, their netball careers, and lamented our future BSL readings after the pavlova we had for dessert.

All in all, the best part of the Live your Life ball was the fact that everybody in the room was proudly doing the exact same thing - they were just living their life.

176-Barnaby Howarth speaking to the MBN in Echuca

Fresh off the back of his keynote address at the Diabetes NSW ball, Barnaby will be speaking to the Murray Business Network in Echuca on March 5, letting them know that being an everyday Joe Sack O'Rolls is something to be proud of.

The Howarth's (Barnaby & Angela) will be having a long weekend on the Murray River - having a coffee at a local cafe, visiting a merino farm, and visiting an antique clothing display in the Kyabram town hall - all while filming leg 3 of their round the world honeymoon documentary. 

Barnaby's message that as long as you're giving 100% to the task in front of you, living a "normal" life is something to be proud of, is reassuring audiences that the life they're living is more than ok. He will be making people at the MBN dinner at The Rich River Golf Club come away feeling comfortable that the path they're walking is the right one.

175-Bunnings BBQ boosts Ride to Conquer Cancer funds

The surge of momentum of our cycling team for the Ride to Conquer Cancer continued last weekend at our fundraising BBQ at Marsden Park Bunnings. 


Angela & I are part of the number 1 fundraising team in Australia, Quick Nicks. In their RTCC debut in 2012, Quick Nicks had 5 riders, and raised $21185 - this year, with our 26 riders, we have raised $20,712.63 (who donated 63 cents??). The team started with 8 people - it now has 26, and given the event isn't until October, and with plenty more fundraising events lined up by our team captain, we are well placed to reach our team goal of $100,000.

If you couldn't make it to Marsden Park Bunnings on the weekend, but would like to contribute to Quick Nicks' fundraising efforts, the link below will take you to my wife's fundraising page where you can donate any amount you like (even 63 cents if you want).

Thanks to everybody who donated, cooked, served, sponsored, or just bought a sausage sandwich at Bunnings, there are more Bunnings BBQ's coming up, but if you don't know if you'll make it, please donate to Angela's ride by copying and pasting the link below into your web browser...

http://sy15.conquercancer.org.au/site/TR/Events/Sydney2015?px=1524052&pg=personal&fr_id=1220

174-Diabetic slap in the face

The first thing I remember about this morning was being on then phone to my Dad and hearing him saying "put Angela on the phone, you're having a hypo!"

It was 10 o'clock and work had tried and failed to get me on the phone, Angela had left early to go to Quakers Hill to help her builder put a deck up, and as the reality of my situation sunk in the longer I talked to Dad, the more serious diabetes became, and the more I realised that I'm not an endocrinologist and shouldn't adjust my insulin rates on my own.

My sugar level had dropped through the night due to my own basal adjustments (insulin infusion) and when I finally started making sense of things, I tested my sugar level and it was 2.6 (normal range is between 3.5 & 8). I had slipped into a mild coma, and thankfully Dad got me on the phone before things got dire - I got up and had some breakfast, rang work (who had arranged it so I could take the day off-good people!), rang my endocrinologist and adjusted my basal rates over the phone (my endocrinologist has officially retired, but when I told him this was an emergency - he dropped everything to look after me - good person), and went to a cafe & had a coffee.

I've been taking diabetes with a grain of salt and been pretty blasé given it's standing in the pecking order of things I have to worry about at the moment, but diabetes is responsible for most of the health related dramas my wife & I have gone through over the last few months, so I'm going to leave the tinkering of rates to the people who went to university specifically to avoid what I did this morning, but while they're doing their thing, I've still got a life to live, so I'm going to keep getting on with it.

  

173-Celebrating good people in Echuca

My wife and I are about to head off on leg 3 of our round the world honeymoon, and this time we're off to Echuca in Victoria where we will be filming a documentary about the good people in our lives.

This trip came about through one of the good families in our lives - the Byrnes'. An ex Pennant Hills AFL team mate, Greg, booked me in to give a talk to the Murray Business Network at the Rich River Golf Club next month, so Angela and I decided to turn it into a long weekend getaway as a part of our growing honeymoon.

Organising the trip has allowed more good people into our lives - Tegan Mills from the MBN had most of this trip organised before Christmas, Greg & Sarah Byrne are hosting Angela & I for the weekend, Marg has booked flights & cars, and has said that we can come & check out her sheep & cropping farm, Ron from emmylou.com.au is looking into a paddlesteamer trip for us, and Rhonda from River's Edge apartment was still helping us out after our "official business" was finalised.

Angela and I are surrounded by good people who make our lives brighter everyday, and we are looking forward to more of them coming into our lives in Echuca.

172-Get yourself ready for a challenge: Kokoda info session April 12

If you want to challenge yourself in a society where almost everything you need is less than an hours drive away, come and do it tough on the Kokoda trail this October. And if you want to find out all the details of the trip, come to Thornleigh on April 12 where I will be giving you all the information you need, and there will be a speech by a man who has completed Kokoda, and will be on hand to answer any questions.

Kokoda is going to be really hard - narrow paths, steep hills & river crossings across slippery logs, but coming to this information session is going to be easy, just turn up to 20 Handley Avenue, Thornleigh at 1230 on April 12, have a sausage sandwich, read the comprehensive info sheet, listen to Jason Clarke tell the story of his successful campaign to Kokoda, and then ask any questions you need to help you make a decision.

If you have already booked your spot, there will be some valuable information on what you need to do now to get ready for the trip, or if you'd like to have booked your spot before the information session, email Kokoda Spirit (enquire@kokodaspirit.com) with your full name and preferred postal address and a Booking Confirmation letter will be emailed to you, once the letter comes through, put your deposit down ($500) to reserve your spot. 

Challenges aren't easy to come by in today's society, previous generations would say that most of us have it easy, but if you want to put yourself on the hard road for a few days, come and join us on Kokoda.

171-How my wife inspires me

My wife Angela told me last year that she doesn't want to be referred to as an inspiration, so I won't be doing that in this blog, I'm just going to tell you about the bike ride we just got back from around Centennial Park.

When our friends Mary and Ramy asked us to do the Ride to Conquer Cancer in October, her biggest concern was that she wasn't fit enough. Rather than decline the invitation to join though, she signed up, bought a new bike and got training.

On a training ride around centennial park this afternoon, we had finished our ride and were heading home and we came to a huge hill. Naturally I powered up leaving Ange eating dust, but she kept on peddling, battling her way towards the top, but halfway up she hopped off and started walking the bike. I thought that was fair enough as it was a solid hill, but what she did next is what inspired me (note I didn't call your an inspiration Ange?). she jumped back on her bike and made her way to the top, and as she rode past where I was waiting for her she said

"Come on, let's keep going. "

My wife inspired me because she wasn't sure she could do something, but she decided to give it a crack anyway. She may not be the fittest rider come October, she may not be the fastest or have the best bike, but she's doing it and she inspires me.

170-ARA Group sends Ange & Barns to Kokoda TOGETHER

At a friends' wedding in Brazil, the seed was planted by an old footy team mate to take on the Kokoda trek - and from then, I've been building towards it. I have the motivation, I've done some training walks, I have friends and family coming with me, I've paid my deposit, and thanks to an old friend from the Pennant Hills Football Club and the ARA Group, as of yesterday, I have financial backing.

If you try and tell me being part of the Pennant Hills Football Club isn't one pf the best things I've done in my life, then I'm not here - I sat down with my friend from the footy club yesterday to ask for financial backing for the Kokoda trek, and 2 sentences into my pitch, he stopped me by saying

"You've got it."

The backing means that my wife and I can do the trek together, and I get excited at the thought of taking on such a huge challenge side by side with my wife.

Far more than just a business transaction, this contribution will change mine & my wife's lives - I can't express my thanks to my friend and the ARA Group enough in this blog, but I'll give it a crack:

THANK YOU

There are still spots left on the trip, so if you want one to be yours, follow the instructions at the bottom:

Kokoda To Owers Corner

• Duration: 8 days
• Departs: 21/10/2015
• Arrives: 29/10/2015
• Price: $3,685
• Led by: Australian Led

To book your spot, email Kokoda Spirit (enquire@kokodaspirit.com) with your full name and preferred postal address and a Booking Confirmation letter will be emailed to you, once the letter comes through, put your deposit down ($500) to reserve your spot. 

169-Ange & Barns-Better Together-Leg 2-TAKE 2

I had to resend this blog as the video contained in the link of my wife & my honeymoon is some of my best work, but I don't think the link was working in the first release

Angela & my round the world honeymoon continues - this leg was Khao Lak. Thailand. If you enjoy this documentary even a fraction as much as we enjoyed our trip, you are going to love it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dpew6aHG7Y

168-Wife's compliment one of the nicest things I've ever heard

As we were listening to a sermon at Church yesterday, my Wife said one of the nicest things ever said to me.

The topic of the Sermon was that you can change people's lives by impacting your own backyard, not by feeling you have to change the world, I felt like it was a sermon that was talking directly to me, so I was pretty inspired as it was, then my wife lent over and whispered in my ear,

"You're changing people's lives."

I felt like Martin Short in the 3 Amigo's - I didn't know what to say, so I just went...

"Ugh."

Then in a bookstore near work a little while ago, I was browsing the biography section, and the importance of impacting your own world hit me like a brick in the face. There were shelves full of biographies - from a Bali Bombing survivor to an Australian autistic girl inspiring other autism sufferers by living life the way she wants, to the story on "The King of Vodka" - the story of Mr Smirnoff, to a lady who spoke out about wrongdoings by Mormon ministers. So many amazing stories by amazing people, but they were selling for as little as $3 a book, which made me realise that you don't need to change the entire world to change people's lives, just impacting your own little world can do it. Introduce yourself to your next door neighbor, say hello to a colleague at work you normally don't speak to, ask the guy you buy a packet of chewing gum off how his day is going - or better still, write a book, go back to church, or start a band. You're story might not be the biggest puddle in the pool to everybody, but it will be to somebody, so go and make that puddle bigger, and people WILL notice.  

 

  

167-Special offer from Australia's most "real" motivational speaker

Barnaby Howarth is a real Aussie bloke making his way in life like everyone else. As well as hating referring to himself in the third person, he has been telling his story through his motivational speaking, and he will be continuing taking his inspirational story around the world by offering a special, limited time offer.

Barnaby's next 10 motivational speeches will be offered at $2500, which comes as a natural progression after his first 10 speeches were at no charge, and his next 10 at $800, all of which were received with glowing testimonials from groups such as Toshiba, Chubb, NSWACTAFL, Marian College, The Hills Grammar School, Diabetes NSW, the GWS Giants & Sydney University to the Hornsby Soccer Club, the Sydney AFL representative teams & the Coolamon Football Club.

Writing in third person means I could just be talking myself up to sound good, but the proof of the quality of my presentation is in the pudding - I have a booking to deliver the keynote presentation at Diabetes NSW's inaugural Live Your Life ball, and I have speaking enquiries from Unilever Japan & Sydney, the American Heart Foundation, & a NSW Government conference in the Blue Mountains. I appeared on SKY television in New Zealand before Christmas & I have a book being published, so I am selling a proven product.

If you would like to take advantage of this unique opportunity, fill out the booking enquiry form on my website ( http://barnabyhowarth.com.au/bookings-contact/), or give me a call or send me an email.

Barnaby wishes you a happy Australia Day, reiterates that he hates referring to himself in the third person, and encourages you to take advantage of this sensational offer.

166-Wedding Album by Luke Turner & Lauren Eve released

I found myself crying on a public Sydney Bus this morning, and the blame lies solely on Luke Turner and Lauren Eve.

I started welling up as I was browsing pictures from mine and my wife Angela's wedding album that Luke and Lauren just released - (see the album here: http://lukelaureneve.pixieset.com/barnabyandangela/) I got emotional not just because the images brought back so many beautiful memories, but because of the gesture of Luke and Lauren to capture our day.

The importance of having good people around you hit me like a circa 1997 Troy Cook shirtfront while I was crying on the bus - on our wedding day, the weeks leading up to it, and the time since, our wedding photography, a potentially stressful part of a wedding day, was an absolute pleasure.

Being an ex-AFL footballer and a manly man with a healthy ego, I should point out that my "cry" on the bus wasn't a blubbering sob, it was just a slow trickle - I stayed strong.

If there are any questions about my masculinity, please direct them to Luke Turner and Lauren Eve.

165 - Ange & Barns Round the world honeymoon – leg 2 – Khao Lak, Thailand

Angela & I were married on November 2 & we have done more than we could have hoped for in a lifetime since then, and in 6 hours time the fairytale will continue when we board our plane for Thailand.

Since we were married, we have stayed at the Intercontinental with views of the Opera House & Harbor Bridge, stayed in a beach house on the Central Coast of NSW, spent 4 days in Auckland, New Zealand, went on a tall ship cruise with our parents, had Christmas with our families, went to the best wedding since November 2 when my little brother married my new sister, and now we are about to walk out the door to spend 21 weeks at a resort in Khao Lak, Thailand.

We are making a documentary about each leg of our trip, for the latest instalment, jump on Facebook and search for my post on New Years Day called: Ange & Barns Round the world honeymoon – leg 2 – Khao Lak, Thailand