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How To Rewrite Your Life Story with John McAvoy #210

Oct 19, 2021 2h 5m 33 insights
CAUTION: This episode contains themes of an adult nature.   Before he came to see me today, my guest John McAvoy took a walk around Strangeways prison. For a former inmate, that might sound an unlikely way to start the day. But for John, it’s the sort of thing he does on a regular basis, to remind himself where he’s come from. This is John’s third appearance on the podcast, but for those new to his story, he was a teenager raised into a life of organised crime. By the age of 18 he was one of the UK’s most notorious armed robbers and was sentenced to two life sentences. John spent 10 years in maximum-security prisons but during that time he transformed his life, describing his release as a ‘rebirth’. Today John’s not just a record-breaking, Nike-sponsored athlete, he’s a man on a mission to make amends and make sure no other child goes that same route into crime. Through initiatives like his Open Doors campaign, to give young people access to school sports facilities during holidays, he’s inspiring new generations to rewrite their stories. But it’s not just youngsters John’s experience and wisdom speaks to. He’ll be too modest to agree with me, but I hear a spirituality and philosophy in his words that we can all benefit from. Our deep and honest discussion covers John’s move to the Alps to live a simple life, rejecting the wealth he could easily command. We talk about connection, forgiveness, the importance of not judging people – and we even ponder the meaning of life. I’m struck by how people like John, who have achieved incredible self-transformation, are the perfect figureheads to help inspire and create positive change in society. He’s a master of storytelling who uses his own, unique experience to give us access to new perspectives. I really hope you enjoy this conversation.    Show notes available at https://drchatterjee.com/210   Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. Follow me on https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee Follow me on https://www.facebook.com/DrChatterjee Follow me on https://twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk
Actionable Insights

1. Transform Your Consciousness

Radically transform your own consciousness by overturning limiting conditioning, trusting yourself, and living your full potential, as individual change contributes to broader societal transformation.

2. Practice Radical Honesty

Embrace radical honesty and take full responsibility for your actions, acknowledging your role in past events, as this is crucial for personal change and growth.

3. Let Go of Anger

Release anger, resentment, and bitterness, as these negative emotions are toxic to your soul and hinder personal growth, preventing positive experiences from entering your life.

4. Prioritize Happiness Over Money

Make life decisions based on your personal happiness and contentment, rather than solely on financial gain, to avoid destructive outcomes.

5. Give Life Meaning by Giving Back

Give meaning to your life on Earth by actively giving back and helping other people, providing them with opportunities to improve their lives and the lives of their children.

6. Act Now, Appreciate Life

Cultivate a deep appreciation for the brevity of life and the uncertainty of tomorrow, motivating you to act on your desires now to avoid future regrets.

7. Prioritize Quality of Life

Calculate your minimum financial needs and prioritize a higher quality of life, even if it means a significant reduction in income, to achieve greater contentment and freedom.

8. Focus on What You Control

Identify and focus your energy solely on aspects of your life that you can control, releasing attachment to things beyond your influence.

9. Cultivate Unbreakable Self-Belief

Develop an absolute, unbreakable belief in your own ability to achieve your goals, even when others doubt you.

10. Embrace Small, Consistent Improvements

Understand that significant achievements come from tiny, consistent, daily incremental steps, requiring discipline and an unwavering belief in your potential, rather than expecting instant results seen on highlight reels.

11. Seek Understanding, Not Judgment

To solve problems and address behavior, seek to understand people’s motivations and the reasons behind their actions, engaging in dialogue even if you disagree with them.

12. Simplify Life, Cut Out Noise

Simplify your life by actively cutting out unnecessary ’noise’ and focusing on what truly makes you happy and content, such as spending quality time with family and friends.

13. Prioritize Daily Exercise

Make daily exercise a fundamental part of your routine, as it is a powerful tool for managing stress and improving your mindset.

14. Reflect on Your Journey

Regularly reflect on your past journey and how far you’ve come to gain perspective and appreciate your present moment.

15. Develop Hardship Perspective

Draw upon past difficult or ‘dark’ life experiences to gain perspective on what truly constitutes ‘bad,’ helping you manage current challenges.

16. Acknowledge Nuance in People

Avoid the tendency to view people as entirely good or bad; acknowledge both the positive and negative aspects of individuals.

17. Treat Everyone As Equal

Recognize that all human beings are fundamentally equal, and while people may have different acquired skill sets through practice, no one is inherently superior to another.

18. Don’t Suffer in Unhappy Job

If you are unhappy with your job, actively seek change by learning new skills or pursuing different opportunities, rather than enduring suffering, because life is short and precious.

19. Take Risks, Leave Comfort Zone

Take calculated risks and step outside your comfort zone to pursue happiness and contentment, as life is uncertain and not a safety net.

20. Support Dreams Practically

Identify practical ways to support your primary dreams or goals, even if it means taking on supplementary work, to sustain your progress.

21. Cultivate Daily Appreciation

Cultivate a deep appreciation for every day you are alive, your freedom, and the opportunity to experience beautiful places and interact with people, seeing life as a rebirth.

22. Evaluate Life’s Priorities

Regularly evaluate your life to identify and prioritize what is truly important, recognizing that many perceived necessities are just ’noise’ that don’t contribute to genuine well-being.

23. Use Platform for Social Change

If you have a platform or influence, consider using it to create social change and help others, rather than solely for commercial gain.

24. Engage Sport for Connections

Engage in sports or physical activity to expose yourself to positive people and role models who can help you grow and develop.

25. Provide Safe Spaces, Role Models

Provide children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with safe spaces, access to sport, healthy food, and positive role models to support their development and well-being.

26. Educate on Basic Nutrition

Actively seek and provide knowledge on basic nutrition, as many people lack fundamental understanding of healthy foods and their preparation.

27. Give Back to Make Amends

If you’ve made mistakes in your past, find a purpose in life by giving back and helping others, especially young people, to prevent them from making similar errors, viewing it as a way to make amends.

28. Inquire ‘What Happened To You?’

Instead of asking ‘what’s wrong with you,’ inquire ‘what happened to you’ to foster deeper understanding and empathy for people’s behaviors and challenges.

29. Avoid Judging Others

Refrain from judging others’ behaviors, recognizing your own flaws and the shared humanity that makes everyone a flawed character.

30. Embrace Personal Growth

Recognize that everyone undergoes a process of growth and change, and be open to how new interactions and experiences can reshape your worldview.

31. Act for Change

If you desire change in your life, you must actively take steps and act, acknowledging that the process will be challenging.

32. Assess Life for Happiness

Periodically assess your current living situation and life choices to determine if they genuinely contribute to your happiness, and be prepared to make significant changes if they don’t.

33. Prioritize Loyalty, Legacy

Choose to align with people and brands that showed loyalty to you, valuing your personal legacy and the meaning of your achievements over greater financial gain.