The topic of conversation between my girlfriend, Angela and I as we were sitting on a bench at Bronte beach was how fortunate we are to be living in Sydney in 2014, so it was ironic that I nearly didn't wake up the morning after because of a low blood sugar level, and once again, it was Angela who saved my life.
She realised I was having a hypoglyceamic reaction (low blood sugar) and give me a shot of life saving Glucagon to get me back into normal function.
I do feel incredibly lucky to live in modern day Sydney as it is scenicly breathtaking, but I also feel lucky to live here as it is the city that Angela lives in. Not only has she saved my life twice, she is gorgeous, kind, she thinks she's funny, she loves her family, and she's makes tense situations calm. She makes the lives of people around her better.
She's the grog to my trash and she's the heat to my rash.
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Saturday, 25 January 2014
Playing in the puddles feels good
Tinkering with my motivational speech ahead of my first corporate booking in 2 weeks, I feel as though I'm practising what I'm preaching, which is a feeling I was worried I wouldn't find when I started my speaking business back in March.
Focusing on the game plan and letting the result take care of itself is how I've approached life since my stroke in 2005 which has brought me a long way - it allowed me to devote myself 100% to my rehabilitation which resulted in me getting out of a wheelchair, gettimg my drivers licence back, graduating from university, having my autobiography published, coaching a football team, climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, making a football playing comeback, and launching a business in motivational speaking. Along the road I had doubts that this was the best way to have lived my life, but as I was reading through my speech after making a few changes last night, I felt like the circle was closed.
The voice in my head was saying "yeah...Yeah...YEAH." Putting my personal struggles aside, I really am living a priveledged life, I get to write a blog about whatever the hell I want, whenever the hell I want, I have a family I love, a girlfrirnd I love, friends I love, I've just secured an author to write my biography, I've stood on top of a mountan with my sister and my mate,
I'm even reading a book I love.
Aiming for perfection is sure to lead to disappointment, but if you give 100% to whatever is in front of you at the time, if nothing else, you'll have fun playing in the puddles.
Focusing on the game plan and letting the result take care of itself is how I've approached life since my stroke in 2005 which has brought me a long way - it allowed me to devote myself 100% to my rehabilitation which resulted in me getting out of a wheelchair, gettimg my drivers licence back, graduating from university, having my autobiography published, coaching a football team, climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, making a football playing comeback, and launching a business in motivational speaking. Along the road I had doubts that this was the best way to have lived my life, but as I was reading through my speech after making a few changes last night, I felt like the circle was closed.
The voice in my head was saying "yeah...Yeah...YEAH." Putting my personal struggles aside, I really am living a priveledged life, I get to write a blog about whatever the hell I want, whenever the hell I want, I have a family I love, a girlfrirnd I love, friends I love, I've just secured an author to write my biography, I've stood on top of a mountan with my sister and my mate,
I'm even reading a book I love.
Aiming for perfection is sure to lead to disappointment, but if you give 100% to whatever is in front of you at the time, if nothing else, you'll have fun playing in the puddles.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Life is good - Celebrating summer in Australia
Standing on Gap beach in South West Rocks over the Summer holidays, just before getting chased out of the surf by a shark, being deafened by cicadas and eaten alive by mosquitos on the walk through the bush back to the car, and witnessing my girlfriend get stung by a blue bottle, it made me think how fortunate I was to spend summer at the beach in Australia with my girlfriend and my family.
There were also 2 tiger shark sightings forcing eveacuations at Horseshoe bay, massive rips at Back beach, oyster shell mishaps at Trial bay, a huge fire near a caravan park, and my niece said she saw a "rock with eyes" while we were floating down Back creek which was probably an eel.
It sounds more like a National Lampoons Vacation than an idyllic family holiday, but the way it started set the tone for the rest of the trip - at the Gladstone Town Hall, where it's thought my Grandfather told his mate when he saw my Grandmother at a dance "I'm going to marry that girl", my little brother proposed to his partner who accepted, and they will marry early next year. And the holiday kept on getting better from there.
We had early morning surfs, sunrise strolls on the beach, sunset dinners on the headland, dolphin sightings, kangaroo and goanna encounters, playing in the pool with the kids, and family egg and spoon races. It was such a good vacation that my brother and his wife declared it "the best holiday ever."
The trip was cooler than the other side of the pillow, so I was feeling pretty good about myself when I got back to Sydney, but then I got a booking for a 1 hour keynote at Toshiba's sales kick off in early Feb, which comes on the back of a booking for Chubb Insurance, so 2014 is shaping up to be a cracker.
So Summer in Australia rules, and South West Rocks...rocks.
There were also 2 tiger shark sightings forcing eveacuations at Horseshoe bay, massive rips at Back beach, oyster shell mishaps at Trial bay, a huge fire near a caravan park, and my niece said she saw a "rock with eyes" while we were floating down Back creek which was probably an eel.
It sounds more like a National Lampoons Vacation than an idyllic family holiday, but the way it started set the tone for the rest of the trip - at the Gladstone Town Hall, where it's thought my Grandfather told his mate when he saw my Grandmother at a dance "I'm going to marry that girl", my little brother proposed to his partner who accepted, and they will marry early next year. And the holiday kept on getting better from there.
We had early morning surfs, sunrise strolls on the beach, sunset dinners on the headland, dolphin sightings, kangaroo and goanna encounters, playing in the pool with the kids, and family egg and spoon races. It was such a good vacation that my brother and his wife declared it "the best holiday ever."
The trip was cooler than the other side of the pillow, so I was feeling pretty good about myself when I got back to Sydney, but then I got a booking for a 1 hour keynote at Toshiba's sales kick off in early Feb, which comes on the back of a booking for Chubb Insurance, so 2014 is shaping up to be a cracker.
So Summer in Australia rules, and South West Rocks...rocks.
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
Celebrating my 100th with the Demons (again)
When I think of celebrating my 100th, my mind goes back to Ern Holmes Oval in July and kicking the first goal of the day for Pennant Hills in front of a crowd that included my little sister who had flown back from London for one night, so how I'm going to celebrate writing my 100th blog early next year is a no-brainer...I'll be hosting a family day after a Demons pre-season training session in March, 2014.
Kids will be playing, boys will be training, the barbecue will be in operation, there is plenty of room for Mums and Dads to kick the footy with the kids, and the feature presentation will be a replay of the 4th quarter of the Demons 4th Division Grand Final win. There will be copies of my 100th blog available at the family day, but I'll have a special preview reading after training the Thursday night prior over a sausage sizzle.
So come along and join in the new year frivolity, bring the family to the family club and have a snag, a beer, a wine, a kick or all of the above.
Have a tremendous Christmas, and when you sit down to make your New Years Resolution, make it fair dinkum, don't get lost in the big picture, just make small, simple resolutions and make sure you get them done.
Focus on the game plan and let the result take care of itself.
Kids will be playing, boys will be training, the barbecue will be in operation, there is plenty of room for Mums and Dads to kick the footy with the kids, and the feature presentation will be a replay of the 4th quarter of the Demons 4th Division Grand Final win. There will be copies of my 100th blog available at the family day, but I'll have a special preview reading after training the Thursday night prior over a sausage sizzle.
So come along and join in the new year frivolity, bring the family to the family club and have a snag, a beer, a wine, a kick or all of the above.
Have a tremendous Christmas, and when you sit down to make your New Years Resolution, make it fair dinkum, don't get lost in the big picture, just make small, simple resolutions and make sure you get them done.
Focus on the game plan and let the result take care of itself.
Monday, 16 December 2013
Time to practice what I preach
Since I had my stroke in 2005, I've tried to live my life according to some advice one of my best footy coaches, Big Dan gave me...
"Focus on the game plan and the result will take care of itself."
Living my life by focusing on doing the small steps right and not distracting myself with the "big picture" has only brought me success so far, but I've realised that I've been moving away from that formula when it comes to my motivational speaking business, and I need to bring myself back to what I know works.
I feel really confident with who I am and where I'm going right now, so even though I may have plenty of limitations and innefficiencies (it's taken me 32 minutes to write this much of my blog), I'm going to keep running my business on my own. I'm well aware I could make a lot more money if I hired a copywriter, a book keeper and a social media co-ordinator, but making money is the "big picture" or the result of running a business, and it would go against what I've been doing successfully for the last 8 years.
So I'm going to keep plodding along and backing myself in, not so stubbornly that I won't be asking people for help, but I'm going to be practicing what I preach from here on in.
"Focus on the game plan and the result will take care of itself."
Living my life by focusing on doing the small steps right and not distracting myself with the "big picture" has only brought me success so far, but I've realised that I've been moving away from that formula when it comes to my motivational speaking business, and I need to bring myself back to what I know works.
I feel really confident with who I am and where I'm going right now, so even though I may have plenty of limitations and innefficiencies (it's taken me 32 minutes to write this much of my blog), I'm going to keep running my business on my own. I'm well aware I could make a lot more money if I hired a copywriter, a book keeper and a social media co-ordinator, but making money is the "big picture" or the result of running a business, and it would go against what I've been doing successfully for the last 8 years.
So I'm going to keep plodding along and backing myself in, not so stubbornly that I won't be asking people for help, but I'm going to be practicing what I preach from here on in.
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Angela saved my life...and then bought me a coffee
"Everyone stares at their band-aid"
The paramedic told me that everytime they're called out to treat a hypoglycaemic reaction (low blood sugar), patients are always fascinated by the plaster that's been applied to cover the prick on their finger where the blood has been drawn for the sugar reading.
The paramedic was next to me with his partner because my girlfriend, Angela had called 000 when I was non-responsive and apparantly had a blank look on my face, as if I was "looking right through" her. My blood sugar level was 1.9 (anything under 3.5 is low) when the paramedics arrived, a level that came about through thoughtlessness borne out of complacency - I've been diabetic for over 19 years, and it's been pretty well controlled so I'm fairly (over) confident that I know how much carbohydrate I need to balance my insulin intake, but this time I got it wrong. I had too much insulin and not enough carbohydrate, so I slipped into a diabetic coma.
Witnessing a stroke survivor slipping into a diabetic coma would freak me out, but thankfully my girlfriend is made of stronger stuff. Not only did Angela stay calm and make the the right decisions in what I can only imagine was a stressful environment, she went and bought me a coffee and helped me get to work 30 seconds early.
This incident has left me with a lot of lessons learnt:
- Diabetes can't be beaten. Whether you've had it for 19 years or 19 days, you can't get sloppy with your control or things might get ugly
- Rain falls on the just and unjust alike, but there comes a time when you just have to get over it and go and play in the puddles
- Give thanks for having good people around you - they might save your life one day.
The paramedic told me that everytime they're called out to treat a hypoglycaemic reaction (low blood sugar), patients are always fascinated by the plaster that's been applied to cover the prick on their finger where the blood has been drawn for the sugar reading.
The paramedic was next to me with his partner because my girlfriend, Angela had called 000 when I was non-responsive and apparantly had a blank look on my face, as if I was "looking right through" her. My blood sugar level was 1.9 (anything under 3.5 is low) when the paramedics arrived, a level that came about through thoughtlessness borne out of complacency - I've been diabetic for over 19 years, and it's been pretty well controlled so I'm fairly (over) confident that I know how much carbohydrate I need to balance my insulin intake, but this time I got it wrong. I had too much insulin and not enough carbohydrate, so I slipped into a diabetic coma.
Witnessing a stroke survivor slipping into a diabetic coma would freak me out, but thankfully my girlfriend is made of stronger stuff. Not only did Angela stay calm and make the the right decisions in what I can only imagine was a stressful environment, she went and bought me a coffee and helped me get to work 30 seconds early.
This incident has left me with a lot of lessons learnt:
- Diabetes can't be beaten. Whether you've had it for 19 years or 19 days, you can't get sloppy with your control or things might get ugly
- Rain falls on the just and unjust alike, but there comes a time when you just have to get over it and go and play in the puddles
- Give thanks for having good people around you - they might save your life one day.
Monday, 9 December 2013
172-Revisiting my Mission Statement
I have started a motivational speaking business, and in looking at how I want to run it, I've been grappling with a conundrum - can you be a good person AND make a lot of money?
It's a question I haven't been able to answer, so rather than get bogged down in philosophical questions that may be purely rhetorical, I'm going to Keep It Simple, Stupid, and make my business goals crystal clear, and not deviate from what I want.
The most important factor in my business pursuits is my personality - I don't want to be a different person in order to secure a deal - in every decision I make I want to be honest, reliable, genuine and compassionate.
My motto in business is simple:
"Be a good bloke."
The most important things I can provide for my family are meaning and security, if I end up with comfort as well, that's just a bonus.
The answer to my conundrum can be found by taking out two words - the question "can you be a good person AND make a lot of money?" can be solved by taking out "a lot." I want my business to make money, but not at ANY expense.
It's a question I haven't been able to answer, so rather than get bogged down in philosophical questions that may be purely rhetorical, I'm going to Keep It Simple, Stupid, and make my business goals crystal clear, and not deviate from what I want.
The most important factor in my business pursuits is my personality - I don't want to be a different person in order to secure a deal - in every decision I make I want to be honest, reliable, genuine and compassionate.
My motto in business is simple:
"Be a good bloke."
The most important things I can provide for my family are meaning and security, if I end up with comfort as well, that's just a bonus.
The answer to my conundrum can be found by taking out two words - the question "can you be a good person AND make a lot of money?" can be solved by taking out "a lot." I want my business to make money, but not at ANY expense.
Barnaby Howarth
"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."
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