Taking a break for this series. We will be back soon with the in-person podcast!! Stay tuned for more updates.

There is a disconnect between investments of true value and the material.

I was guilty of spending more on material possessions than on my development. 

I was more concerned with servicing my car than my mind and body.

Then I invested in my first-ever book on self-development, Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins, and my life changed.

Just imagine investing in a book that fundamentally changes the way you think, behave and feel. 

In my opinion, books are the most wonderful value of all development tools.

As I finished the book, I realised that investing in my personal growth was the best investment I could ever make for myself and my family.

With a mindset that personal growth is of critical importance, I started to find the courses, books and learning that transformed my life.

Over the coming years, I took as many courses as I could afford, and each one taught me something that I still use today - this is a great return on investment you will never find in a bank.

The self-development genius Jim Rohn sums it up beautifully, 

“Work harder on yourself than you do on your job. If you work hard on your job, you can make a living. If you work hard on yourself, you can make a fortune."

So whether you pick up a book or take a course, put self-development at the top of your list, because it might prove the best investment you ever make.

Your coach 

Andy

PS - The best investment I EVER made into my life, career and happiness was to become a coach 12 years ago. Now I am on a personal mission to pass on this gift to a small group. In July I will run my 6-month treble accredited Diploma in Positive Psychology & Coaching, with a massive bonus, I will also train the group as Alcohol-Free Performance Coaches.

Click here to potentially make the greatest investment of your life!

PPS - Already a coach? 

You have two options:

Take my coaching specialism in Alcohol-Free Performance Coaching

Join my Coach Business School and take my world-class Coach MBA!

Today I launch a brand new course:

The Coach MBA (Marketing & Business training for Accredited coaches).

Last week I was with my old broking firm in the city of london.

And it hit me.

How wonderfully things have changed.

It was not long ago I told myself I was a drinker and I might as well just get on with it.

When I asked my old boss if the company would pay for my MBA.

He retorted, “How the F will that make me any more money?”

And followed it up with,

“Don’t try and be someone you are not!”

He was also saying you are a drinking, it’s what you are good at. 

People like you because you drink. You’re great fun and an entertainer.

They don’t care about your education!

My boss was both right and terrbilly wrong.

He was right when he said don’t try to be someone you are not.

But he had mistaken me for the person that alcohol created.

The real me, the authentic me, was bursting to be free.

The real me want to learn, grow and develop!

I quit that job.

Everyone said I was mad.

But I knew it had to be done.

And I trained as a coach.

Went back to university part-time.

Quit alcohol.

Wrote a book…

And the rest as they say is now history.

Here is the point:

Life is one massive self-fulfilling prophecy, and the stories we tell about ourselves always come true.

For decades, I told a story that I was a drinker. 

It was just who I was. 

It did not matter that my health was suffering, I was overweight, unfit, unhealthy, unmotivated and at times unhappy. 

This was my story and I was sticking to it. 

I, along with too many people, had fallen into the trap and believed that who I was is who I will always be.

When we look into the past for clues of how to behave in the present, we create a litany of similar behaviours. 

So you quickly get trapped in a loop.

Like Sisyphus, cursed by the Gods to forever push a boulder to the top of a hill, only to see it roll back down again. 

‘I haven’t done this before, I failed at something similar, I could never give up the booze, this always happens to me, I am going to give up trying to give up, I can’t do this, I am rubbish at this type of thing….. 

The list goes on and on.

Our past story keeps repeating in the present, which paves the way for our future.

Unless you wake up.

And realise that your future is unwritten.

Today, you can write a new story. 

The story of the life you always wanted to lead

The person you always wanted to become.

Within a few days or weeks, this will become your past!

And you will have transformed your future. 

It is so simple.

Don’t look back to decide your future. 

Write a new story in the present until your past reflects the future you desires!

Let me ask you a question - is it time you told a different story?

And what is the story you are going to tell today?

Your Coach,

Andy

PS - One of the best ways to tell a new story is to come and learn with me for the next 6 months and become a coach. 

During this time, you can rewrite the present and create the future you always dreamed! 

All you need to do is be brave enough to take action. 

Click here to find out how I can help you become a coach.

PPS - Already a coach? 

You have two options:

Take my coaching specialism in Alcohol-Free Performance Coaching

Join my Coach Business School and take my world-class Coach MBA!

After recently re-watching the amazing, yet slightly unnerving, Gene Wilder in the classic film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

I could not get the following verse from the song ‘Pure Imagination’ out of my head:

‘If you want to see paradise, just take a look around and view it’’ 

Sometimes enlightenment comes from the strangest places, and this sentence really struck a chord.

And following my long Camino walk I came to the realisation that paradise is very often all around us, we just have to open our eyes and see it. 

The problem with modern living is that we are in such a rush to be busy in our busy lives that we miss the paradise right under our noses. 

Lives run at warp speed, and whilst we chase emails, social media and 21st century living there is a danger that we miss so many of life’s great moments. 

When you throw in a few hangovers, our focus narrows further. 

Life becomes a ball of stress, worry and mental distraction that drags away from the beauty of the present moment. 

One of the great benefits of going alcohol free is that you regain some time and space back to slow down a little.

By slowing down I don’t mean dropping out or losing your edge, I simply mean staying present in the moment and enjoying whats happening around you. 

On a personal note, once I stopped drinking I regained the motivation to explore my inner world and discovered mindfulness meditation. 

The ancient practice is such a wonderful skill to enhance ones ability to stay present and enjoy life in the moment. 

Without sounding overdramatic, my world started to open up in ways I had never experienced before.

A classic example was my walk to work. 

Like most of us, I had walked this walk hundreds of times with the sole purpose of getting from A to B. 

My head was full of worries, concerns or to-dos for the day ahead. 

I was running on autopilot, the lights were on, but nobody was home. I was a perfect city worker clone. 

Running in the rat race of life. 

But one day, as my mindfulness practice developed, I did something crazy - I lifted my head, slowed my walk and looked around me. 

I opened my ears to the noise of the city and discovered that I could hear birds singing. 

I noticed flowers that I never knew existed in tiny green oasis that had previously slipped under my radar. 

It was as if I was viewing this same old route for the very first time. 

It was simple, I was learning to stay in the present moment.

And right in this moment, I did not have to worry or threat about the day ahead. 

I could deal with these concerns when the time came.  

Right now on my short walk to the office I could simply breathe deep and enjoy life. 

This was such a liberating feeling, as well as a powerful indicator of positive change in my life. 

Mindfulness was starting to make sense to me. 

It was not about sitting around doing nothing, trying to clear your mind all day. 

It was actually about building skills to notice the world around you in the moment and learning to enjoy its beauty without mental distraction about the past or future. 

Learning to cultivate a slower, more mindful pace will start to reveal little moments of paradise that were previously unnoticed. 

Perhaps you will find them in the beauty of nature, the taste of a home-cooked meal, the eyes of your loving partner, the softness of your child’s hand in yours. 

These are little moments of paradise on earth, right under your nose, all you have to do is look around and view them. 

Here’s an idea - today, try to spend just a few minutes totally present in the moment. 

You can take any situation, the coffee shop, the chat with your child after school, the walk outside - whatever it is, just slow down, stay present, aim to keep your mind from chasing worries into the past or future and simply stay with the moment. 

Breathe deeply as you do and see if you can find your little bit of paradise.

Your coach 

Andy 

PS - FREE workshop tonight! 
Come and join me and learn all about coaching and how it can provide the mearningful learning you seek. 
50% of our coaches take our course for self-development and career advancement! 
The other 50% to become part-time or full time coaches! 
So we have you covered! 
Click here to join me tonight on Zoom

It is great to be back, buzzing around my local woods and london!

I was re-reading a book on my way to meet a coaching client.

And a line struck me

“We grow more by getting it wrong than by getting it right.” Richard Rhor

What a great truth.

This message appears throughout the ages of ages within the great texts, myths and stories. 

There is a fall before the rise. The stumble before the stand. 

The death and renewal story, the Phoenix from the flames and night into day. 

The signs are there, yet, too many run from failure, too many stay small, hiding in the comfort zone of life.

A slip is critical to our growth. 

And I am fortunate enough to witness the falling, to rise on a daily basis, through my mission to help people transform their relationship with alcohol. 

This is why the story is continually told. 

You can’t choose your falling, it’s something that happens to you, and it hurts.

The job loss, break up, addiction, problem, illness, or bereavement are a few of many examples. 

I have witnessed the fall and rise so many times that it all makes sense. 

When life puts you on your backside, you uncover your mortality. 

The shortness of life is revealed along with a crack in the ego that allows you to see with new eyes. 

As the genius, Leonard Cohen, sings,” There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.” 

Old ways of behaving appear trivial, and you hear a new story, one that gifts you the space to change, grow and learn. 

A glimpse of your true, authentic self is revealed, which is life's greatest discovery.

Problems are a gift that helps us to grow. 

They don’t feel like this at the time, and if you’re in the midst of what feels like a terrible burden, perhaps this is your opportunity to rise and come back stronger, to experience the true meaning of your life. 

But during the fall, you only feel the pain; it's not until you rise that the significance of the fall is revealed.

You will find new eyes to view your world. 

To embrace and savour what’s truly important. 

So while it might hurt right now, just imagine that you are on the verge of something special. 

Your biggest obstacle is a chance for victory. 

As Marcus Aurelius points out,

"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." 

Andy

PS - I am biased, but one of the greatest ways to turn your defeats into victories is to learn how to coach and provide help to those who are facing the same struggles you have now overcome.

This is your fast pass to a life of contribution.

All you need to do is be brave enough to take action. 

Click here to find out how I can help you become a coach.

PPS - Already a coach? 

You have two options:

Take my coaching specialism in Alcohol-Free Performance Coaching

Join my Coach Business School and take my world-class Coach MBA!

Here is a great question for you, “What career would allow you to give back, leverage your years of work and life experience, help you make a difference and help you generate income to still do all those “nice” things?”

I have the answer, “Learning to coach others!!”

And all you have to do is join me in July and I will guide you from beginner to elite level coach in just 6 months! 

PPS - Already a coach? 

You have two options:

Take my coaching specialism in Alcohol-Free Performance Coaching

Join my Coach Business School and take my world-class Coach MBA!

As I crossed the 500-mile Camino finish line, it was straight to my next adventure.

My best man’s 50th in Ibiza.

You might argue from one spiritual experience to another!

HOWEVER!

The first stop was to view our re-invention retreat venue!

The retreat is designed to help people rediscover who they are and redesign what’s next.

(As this is my first EVER retreat, it’s exclusive to my coaches, but I will roll this out to everyone soon.)

The retreat venue is off the charts!!! (See photo above)

We are all buzzing.

Next, the party began.

And I had the best time.

My best friends, Tara, loads of laughs, great food, and brilliant company.

But then something happened that I now regret.

After the most wonderful day on a boat, and lunch with our feet in the sand at Juan Y Andrea in Formentera.

Things could not have been better.

Until the lads mentioned going to see DJ Calvin Harris at Ushuaïa.

At this point, I made a classic mistake.

I asked a rubbish question, which cascaded into more rubbish questions

Which resulted in lots of rubbish answers.

“Would I enjoy Calvin Harris if I were not drinking?”

“Would there be too many people?”

“I used to drink to numb out all the noise”...

The answer in my head, which was wrecked by the “will I, won’t I scenario”, responded with 

“No I won’t enjoy it”

So I didn’t go.

What I needed in that moment was a great coach to snap me out of the limiting thinking state I had gotten myself into!!!

When I woke the next morning. 

Fresh and in a different state the question was so obvious!!

“How can I go to Calvin Harris and LOVE IT because I’m alcohol-free!”

The answer to this question would have been, “LET’S DO THIS!”

Then I felt the pang of regret.

I missed out a great opportunity to test my alcohol-free powers!

Lesson learned.

And hopefully this is refreshing that 11 years in, I am still making mistakes and learning about my personal alcohol-free adventure!

This experience also reminded me of why moderation is a disaster for most people!

I will dig much deeper into this important topic on this weeks Alcohol-Free Advantage Podcast.

The learn from today is in quote form from Anthony Robbins

“The quality of your questions will dictate the quality of your life!”

Ask great questions, lead a great life!

Your coach 

Andy

If you want to come on the adventure of a lifetime.

I am enrolling for my July life/executive/alcohol-free coach training. 

I would love for you to join me. This is not just a course, it is a transformative experience of insight, action and contribution. You don’t need any experience; all you need to do is show up, and I will take care of the rest.
Click here for more details - www.andyramagetraining.com 

This morning at 7:30 am I began walking. 

Twelve hours and 28 miles later, at 7:30 pm, I arrived at my destination!

Santiago de Compostela.

My Camino walking adventure complete.

As I stumbled into the square in front of the Cathedral, I expected trumpets to sound, tears to fill my eyes and the crowds to cheer me on as I moon walked over the finish line.

But there was none of this.

Just the blissful joy of having completed a real adventure.

A goal that I first wrote down 6 years ago! 

As I sat (collapsed) on the cobblestones in front of the Cathedral, I smiled deeply.

And remembered the incredible truth about goals.

Lasting joy hides in the struggle to reach our goals, not in the end result.

And every step of this adventure was joyful.

There are so many big takeaways. 

In this week's episode of the Alcohol-Free Advantage Podcast, I am going to talk about something very personal that I don’t ever really talk about. 

And that I had not planned to talk about - 

The spiritual side of the Camino.

And why a personal life philosophy is vital to a life of purpose. 

In my opinion. 

If this sounds interesting, please click the link below to listen in, or follow the podcast wherever you get your podcasts from.

Your Coach

Andy

The power of now 

14 years ago, I took my first 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Relief (MBSR) course.

For two hours a week, we would meet in Camden, London from 7 - 9 pm.

It was a big commitment.

And I was still drinking at the time.

Plus, the daily mindful practice was for 45 mins!

Which, in truth, I rarely completed. 

And neither did anyone else, as far as I could tell.

Each week, you could hear the hushed tones. 

“Did you do the practice?”

“Sort or…”

“Erm….”

To make matters worse, if I were remotely hungover, I could not do the practice because I felt too anxious to focus on my breath.

The irony. 

Still, I made the effort to show up and do the work as best I could.

But I didn’t get it.

So I tried again a year later and took another full 8-week MBSR.

It still didn’t click.

4 years later and 4 MBSRs later, I knew exactly how to meditate but had still missed the point.

Mindfulness too often feels like a thing we should do to be mentally healthy.

But this is not what it’s all about. 

Walking the Camino has helped remind me of the true power of the present moment.

Forget the labels like mindfulness.

The great Eastern traditions, along with a few Western spiritual leaders like Eckhart Tolle, tell us that there is power in the now.

Walking without distraction creates the perfect space to be in the moment.

It also, in my opinion, helps to have a mind free from alcohol.

What I discovered as I walked is that the now is blissful.

There are no ghosts from the past or worries about what you must do. Or fears around imagined futures. 

There is just being.

A oneness with all.

When the past and future stories stop, there is a glimpse of something bigger. 

Rather than feeling like I should do my mindfulness. 

I am now craving the power of now.

It is hard to explain in written form, so I recorded a podcast episode specifically about this experience. It might be my most important to date.

A takeaway

Maybe take a few minutes to let all the stories inside your mind go. Don’t chase them back into the past or the future. Just settle into the moment. 

Where there are no worries, fears or shoulds.

Just oneness. 

Let me know what comes up for you.

Your coach 

Andy 

PS - Enrolling now - July cohort.  

If you want to learn more about the power of now, come and train with me on my next 6-month triple-accredited life/executive coach training programme. This is not just a course; it is a transformative learning experience, and I would LOVE for you to join me.

Click here for more information.

Hi,
Walking the Camino has taught me a great lesson.

Less is more.

For a long time, I held the conventional view that a life of fulfilment consists of adding more successes, bucket lists, and stuff.

But as I walk and read, I am experiencing a very different conclusion.

The secret to a great life is to subtract, not add.

If you can imagine life as a backpack.

When I first started the Camino, my backpack was overflowing with stuff.

You quickly figure out every ounce counts when carrying the bag for 8 hours.

You learn what’s essential and what's not.

And remove all non-essential items to end up with the vital few.

This is the powerful message behind one of my favourite books, Essentialism.

As Greg McGowen points out, 

“The way of the essentialist is the relentless pursuit of less but better.”

You might find that your life backpack is stuffed full of non-essentials.

That’s because, 

“If you don’t prioritise your life, someone else will” 

It is not until we check our life backpack we discover it is full of other people's plans, commitments, and non-essentials.

We often pick up these non-essentials without EVER checking to see if they are essential to us.

And it is the non-essentials that are weighing you down 24 hours a day.

As McGowen suggests:

“A non-Essentialist thinks almost everything is important”

“An Essentialist thinks almost everything is non-essential” 

Now imagine removing all unnecessary commitments, habits, and workload?

How light you would feel.

How would you feel if you could put all your life force into the work, causes, and people in your life that are most important?

Imagine the joy, meaning and contribution, you would experince if you could focus on things that matter most.

In todays podcast I will deep dive into some of the techniques you can use to remove the trival many and discover your vital few!

Before I go.

What is one commitment or habit you could remove from your life backpack today that will make you feel a little lighter?

Your coach 

Andy

PS - Enrolling for July now:

If you want to join me on the adventure of a life time. 

Come and train with me as a coach. 

It was learning to coach others that transformed my life and now I am on a mission to personally pass on this gift to you.

Visit - www.andyramagetraining.com for more information

I did not think this would happen so quickly.

Not even a week into my 500-mile Camino walk across Spain.

And already, the game-changing insights are beginning to surface.

People walk the Camino for three reasons:

Forgiveness

Help

And thanks

I am here to give thanks for everything I have.

And I owe so much to one change! 

I will say this for a fact. 

Had I not quit alcohol, this adventure would NEVER have begun.

There was no time, energy or clarity.

I was stuck in survival mode.

This week, on the Camino, I was in thrivival mode (That’s not even a word, but you get what I mean)

As I walked, I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

I am grateful that my relationship with alcohol woke me up.

Woke me up to my authentic self.

And I am so grateful that it has done the same for so many others.

So this message is not too long. 

I will cover two of the insights, and I save the BIG ones for my Alcohol-Free Advantage podcast. 

Click the links below to listen to this week's conversation. 

1. The hardest move in yoga is getting onto the mat.

It is the same for the Camino

It is the same for all our goals in life.

Once started, the adventure springs to life. 

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can; begin it. Boldness has genius power and magic in it.” Goethe 

But too many dreams and goals are never started.

They get pushed into the background, drowned by the busyness of life.

How many unfinished books lie dormant on laptops?

How many businesses never make it out of the pub?

How many meaningful careers never happen?

The secret, therefore, to the Camino and all our goals is the boldness to begin.

1. Stop worrying about the future

When you walk for hours without distractions, you hear your mind speaking. 

And mostly what it says is fear-mongering nonsense.

A MAJOR insight for me already is that most of the noise in my head is about the future.

As I continuously remind my coaches and clients.

If it is in the future, it is made up.

It can’t be a fact.

All it is, at best, a best guess.

But it's never a good guess.

It is usually the worst possible imagined thing in the future. 

It is the crash and burn scenario. 

Well, that’s what I found in my brain.

I now understand what  Mark Twain meant when he said,

“I am an old man who has known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened”

What a tremendous insight.

I know this is not new wisdom, but it was the first time I have EVER had this experience of hearing my brain so clearly that I saw it for what it is.

And now I will STOP trying to guess a made-up future. 

And begin to live more in the present.

**

I am already in danger of becoming like Uncle Albert from Only Fools and Horses, when he says, “During the war…” and everyone rolls their eyes - here he goes again.

“When I was on the Camino….”

My takeaway from this first week is to get out into nature and turn off your phone.

And take your mind out for a long walk and see what you notice.

Until next week, Buen Camino.

Your Coach,

Andy