Andy Ramage Podcast

Days Left On Earth: 17492 “Never be that drunk guy at the end of the bar who says I coulda made it if it weren’t for the…” My dad. Have you heard someone say, or have you said, something similar? “I coulda shoulda woulda if it were not for the drink, the problem, the luck, the other person…” We have all heard the tales of woe, after a few drinks.

Days Left On Earth: 17493 “I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost Are you willing to take the road less travelled by? Let me know in the comments

Days Left On Earth: 17494 A few years ago I was given this advice by someone I admired greatly, "Don't try to be someone you're not'. This well-intended advice was both totally WRONG and RIGHT. The person who offered the words of wisdom had assumed I was the persona that alcohol created and I should therefore stick to being this person.  But I was trying to NOT be this persona, I desperately wante...

Days Left On Earth: 17495 In the classic Robin Williams film, Dead Poets Society, where he plays the unorthodox teacher John Keating, he tells the boys to look at pictures of long past pupils and says, “Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because you see, gentleman, these boys are not fertilising daffodils. But if you listen real cl...

Days Left On Earth: 17496 “You are a slave, Neo. Like everyone else, you were born into bondage, into a prison that you cannot taste, see or touch - a prison for your mind.”  Morpheus then offers Neo (Keano Reeves) a choice, take the blue pill and go back to your “normal” life or take the red pill and see the truth. Morpheus offers one final warning, take the red pill and “See how deep the rabbit...

Days Left On Earth: 17497 Bede, known as the father of history, wrote: “The sparrow, I say, flying in at one door and immediately out the another, whilst he is within, is safe from the wintry storm; but after a short space of fair weather, he immediately vanishes out of your sight, into the dark winter from which he had emerged. So this life of man appears for a short space, but of what went befor...

Days Left On Earth: 17498 Almost all our instincts favour the short term.  The short term is easy.  It's easy to eat the cake, it's hard to resist it.  It's easy to drink, it's hard not to. It’s easy to be negative; it's hard to be positive It’s easy to skip the exercise class today and hard to show up consistently for the next 50 years. Stop the rot   It is bullshit to think that I will do it per...

Days Left On Earth: 17499 I want to create new friendships with people who are on the same adventure as me. I have little interest in late nights and drunk people. If you want to connect let's do it at sunrise! Tara, my girls, brothers, best mates and parents are most important.  It’s on me to find different ways to connect in ways that do not involve alcohol. Nurture new friendships and be brave...

Days Left On Earth: 17500 After arriving back from a break, I was totally unprepared for the day.  I woke and my clothes were not ready, I did not have a plan,  I stumbled around tired and left the house.  I brought the wrong keys and could not get into the office. The day started on the back foot. Why did this happen? I did not prepare the night before. This reminds me of the importance of not go...

Days Left On Earth: 17502 Imagine there was an invisible line that predicted greatness. Greatness for you might be found in launching an app, writing a book, taking a course, creating a community, a business or product that could make the world a better place.  Or maybe your greatness is to raise a loving family or inspire others, quit alcohol or transform your body. Now imagine how many people ha...

Days Left On Earth: 17502 Well sort of. I love this wisdom, but I have to admit the thought of attempting this in a practical sense scare the pants off me.  Now in truth, this feels easier if you have some sort of rhythm. A ginger middle-aged man throwing shapes is a different game. But anything is possible. Because the truth is no one really cares. They are too busy worrying about what everyone e...

Days Left On Earth: 17503 Imagine there was an invisible line that predicted greatness. Greatness for you might be found in launching an app, writing a book, taking a course, creating a community, a business or product that could make the world a better place.  Or maybe your greatness is to raise a loving family or inspire others, quit alcohol or transform your body. Now imagine how many people ha...

Days Left On Earth: 17504 Here is a poem Eisenhower used to keep him grounded  “Take a bucket, fill it with water Put your hand in - clear up to the wrist Now pull it out; the hole that remains  Is a measure of how much you will be missed  The moral of this quaint example: To just do the best you can, Be proud of yourself, but remember  There is no indispensable man” Newsflash the world does not r...

Days Left On Earth: 17505 Social media is run by artificial intelligence or algorithms. These computer programs decide what content you see.  And if you play along like a good human, the robots will show your post to others. When someone likes your post, you become like one of pavlovas dogs salivating at the thought of a reward, which encourages you to do it again.  And again. What happens next is...

Days Left On Earth: 17506 “We can be knowledgable with other men’s knowledge, but we can’t be wise with other mens wisdom” Montaigne.  Knowledge is easy, google it. Consistent use of knowledge is hard. Wisdom comes from the application of knowledge.  Your challenge today is to turn your knowledge into action and, therefore, wisdom. Let me know Andy  

By saying yes to one thing, you’re saying no to a thousand other things you could be doing. Saying yes to reading a book means saying no to a conversation with a friend, swimming, or cooking. If we agree that saying yes means saying a thousand no’s, then it makes sense to fully immerse ourselves in what we’re doing, right? You have chosen this activity from a thousand others. So rather than do it...

“The true self is what you have built from your nature, not just what your nature started out with”:  David Brooks The Road To Character  Your authentic self is not a static persona that sleeps beneath your actions. You chisel your authentic self from the raw material of your nature.  You are the sculptor of your being.  You don’t have to allow life to force you into a shape of its choosing, you c...

Days Left On Earth: 17509 Business has fallen into the same trap as psychology. For years psychology was so focused on healing the sick that it forget its origins, to help those in need AND nurture talent and boost well-being.  Healing the sick is wonderful and vital. But so is creating thriving individuals. Fortunately, 20 years ago, the head of the American Psychology Association and the biggest...

Days Left On Earth: 17510  Franz Kafka was one of the 20th century’s great novelists. His short story ‘Before the law’ gave me so much courage that I wanted to share it with you. For this episode, I will read this short story and then look at the reflection I wrote in my journal. What does Kafka's parable mean to me? The man wants to be handed the law on a plate. He is posturing to be let in but,...

Days left on earth: 17511 We are so busy doing, getting stuff done, rushing, getting through it - for what?  In the hope that one day life will slow down and we can experience its wonders? But this is to assume you only experience the wonder and beauty of life when you have your to-do list is done, financial freedom, promotion, retirement… Most people are living this way. Dreaming of a perfect tom...

Days Left On Earth: 17512 A life without problems would be horrifically dull.  Yet no one welcomes obstacles. But what if your challenges are specifically designed to make you stronger?  I like how Thomas Merton describes it, “Souls are like athletes that need opponents worthy of them. If they are to be tried and extended and pushed to the full use of their powers.”  The universe is testing you. ...

Days Left On Earth: 17513  You can meditate all you like. Exercise like a hero Eat like a saint  But if you’re still drinking too much you’re missing an essential ingredient of performance that almost everyone overlooks. In summary - You can’t out mediate, out exercise or eat your way out of the hole a few drinks creates. These are the facts. Even a few drinks destroys the quality your sleep. All...

Days Left On Earth: 17514 You can't keep up with the Joneses because you will notice more Joneses living on a better street with better stuff as soon as you catch them. So it would help if you worked longer and harder to keep up with a moving target. You'll permanently adapt to the bigger house, better car. But you will never get the first school assembly, nativity play or netball match, sunrise o...

Days left on earth: 17516 Earning £38 per week as a football apprentice was the wealthiest I ever felt.  Living at home with no bills, with everything taken care of by my lovely mum and dad, all I had to do was play football and afford the odd night out. Driving a beat-up Ford Fiesta that you could start with a house key, with no heating, so I had to wear ski gloves in winter - I felt like a milli...

Days Left On Earth: 17516  ' It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.' - Seneca. As I read these words from one of my heroes, Seneca, the roman philosopher,  all I could think about was death. Even writing the word 'death' feels uncomfortable. To be clear, my thoughts were happy ones. I suddenly realised that no one has the right to a long life. Fait could take i...