Andrew Jobling - Kicking on

KICKING ON

ANDREW JOBLING

First published 2017

Copyright

Andrew Jobling asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. Except for short extracts for the purpose of review, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.

About the Author

A ndrew Jobling is an unlikely athlete and an accidental author. He played professional football in Australia, has been a leading wellness professional for almost thirty years and is the bestselling author of six books to date. His message is simple: you can do it... no matter how unlikely it may seem.

Introduction

A S A FOOTBALLER THE expression kicking on is a familiar one to me. In Australian culture, its a slang term and refers to someone who has taken their career, their business, their wellbeing or any other aspect of their life to the next level. It may simply refer to the friend who you went out with one night, left to go home to bed, and then heard the next day that they kicked on till 6am! It may refer to that person you went to school with who struggled in many aspects of school life but who, you discovered later in life, has created a successful career and is happy and healthy. We say that they have kicked on .

In this book I will be talking about kicking on in terms of making seemingly illogical decisions, overcoming obvious obstacles, moving forward against apparently overwhelming odds and achieving unlikely success. Im inspired by the countless stories of amazing people who, despite undesirable circumstances and the opinions of others, have kicked on to create abundance in their lives.

Former British Prime Minister the great Sir Winston Churchill is a classic example of someone who we could describe as kicking on . Throughout the Second World War and in the face of some of the most seemingly insurmountable odds, his perseverance, attitude, and belief shone through. In fact, he described kicking on in a different way... he used the phrase, Keep buggering on! He kept buggering on to victory!

Ludwig van Beethoven was easily one of the most influential composers of all time, yet it wasnt until he was in his thirties that he created some of the finest pieces of music in human history. These included: the Ninth Symphony, the Fifth Piano Concerto, the Violin Concerto, the late Quartets, the Missa Solemnis . What makes these achievements even more mind-blowing is that Beethoven had lost his hearing and during the last twenty-five years of his life was totally deaf. I think we could consider Beethoven as someone who kicked on!

Drumming is not a simple and passive pastime; its an all-body activity. Both hands are needed for sticks, both feet for the kick-drum and hi-hat. In 1984, Def Leppard drummer, Rick Allen, suffered the complete amputation of his left arm following a high-speed car accident. Incredibly Allen was back, drumming with the band, only two weeks out of hospital. He and Def Leppard front man Joe Elliott had worked in tandem with some clever engineers to develop a drum kit that allowed Allen to use his foot to trigger the snare. The result was that Def Leppards fourth record, Hysteria in 1987, was its biggest selling ever. One arm down, Rick Allen had no choice but to kick on.

Those who kick on make the best of any situation, no matter the circumstances. They take what looks to be an unlikely and unreasonable aspiration and turn it into reality through a simple set of principles that I will outline in the book.

So, who am I?

Actually, to be honest, no one that extraordinary. I am a household name in one house that I know of! My strength has been and still is that I can take something that seems highly unlikely and totally illogical, and navely turn it into a reality. Thats certainly the case for my professional football career with the St Kilda Football Club in Melbourne, Australia.

I was skinny, I was sooky (for non-Australians: sooky refers to a person who whines and complains.) and I really wasnt that talented; whilst I wasnt a champion and didnt achieve everything at the time I would have liked, the mere fact that I got to that level is something Im surprised about and proud of. I played professional Australian football for seven years and as I look back, reflect and share some of the stories in this book, I can see vital lessons that I hope will make a difference in your life.

Then after fifteen years in the Personal Training Industry, working seven days per week in two businesses, with a background as a footballer and non-academic, I did something that has stunned many people... me included. I surprisingly and illogically created the most bizarre of careers as an author, speaker, and mentor. I am someone who has accidentally found his greatest professional passion in life.

I wish the same for you. I hope you resonate with some of the ideas I have to offer and take immediate and positive action. I want to encourage you to think less and act more. Its my desire that you will stop thinking about what seems too hard or is too unlikely and start to imagine the feeling of doing it anyway.

Then take the first step to kicking on .

The first step is to read this book. Then if any of it resonates with you, the second step is to disengage the part of the brain that would normally overanalyse and hold you back and the third step is to take action. To help you with step three if you need help, that is this next section, at the end of each chapter, is for you.

Kicking On...

There is a section at the end of each chapter called Kicking On . In this section I have highlighted the main lessons from the chapter and outlined some Key Questions for you to consider and Action Steps for you to move forward with.

The only way to change your circumstances is to do something different. I hope this book inspires you to take action and can give you the direction to help make kicking on a reality in your own life

Enjoy kicking on .

Chapter 1 Trust the Inner Child