 Andrew Griffiths – ‘The Me Myth’
As an orphan growing up in Western Australia, Andrew survived neglect, abuse and tragedy. In spite of this childhood filled with so many negatives, he grew into a man described as contagiously positive, funny and endlessly enthusiastic.
He has gone on to found two boutique marketing and corporate communication firms, and is highly sought after as a keynote presenter and trainer.
Inspired by a desire to see others reach their full potential, Andrew has written eight hugely successful business building books.
The underlying principle of his latest book, The Me Myth, is that to truly grow, we need to stop thinking that the world revolves around us, stop being self-centred and self-focused. Instead, we need to look outwards to find the greatest lessons in life that will lead to satisfaction, joy and happiness.
The following is an extract from The Me Myth:
Welcome to the world of ‘The Me Myth’
Me, me, me – welcome to the battle cry of the modern world. When did we become such a self-obsessed race? Tom Wolfe called the seventies the decade of ‘me’. Have we become any less self-absorbed in the last 30 years? Not really. If anything we have become more self-centred with most of us living, to some degree, with the very limiting belief that the world revolves around ‘me’.
Most of us are desperately seeking a sense of peace, spirituality, contentment and satisfaction in the midst of a crazy and chaotic world. We are looking inwards for the answers. But are we finding them?
Not really. And every day we are bombarded with messages reinforcing this idea that the world revolves around ‘me’. Messages telling us what to eat, what to wear, what type of car to drive, the friends we should have, where we should live, the people we should marry (and divorce), and what imperfections we have and what we should be doing to fix them.
This massive amount of information has a significant impact on us. We feel constantly overwhelmed from the minute we drag ourselves out of bed till the moment we collapse back into the same spot at the end of the day. And rightly so. For many of us, this bombardment has become a way of life and it’s all we can do to tread water. The notion of getting a life, in any shape or form, seems to be a dream that is slowly fading away.
I’m not just talking about getting ahead with money or material possessions. I mean in all aspects of our lives, including our sense of wellbeing, our health, our spirituality, our relationships and our passion for life. Who the hell has time to appreciate everything we have when we are so busy processing this mass of information telling us what to do?
It all leads to a sense of ‘over-analysis paralysis’, a condition where we get overwhelmed with information, options and demands that are all about ‘me’. We become confused, we lose direction and we struggle to achieve clarity in our lives, which ironically are the things we spend so much of our time and energy looking for.
But the single most powerful impact that this over-analysis paralysis can have is a sense that we are no longer in control of our lives, and that, to me, is the greatest tragedy for any person.
Most of us desperately crave to become better people, it’s part of being human. We want to feel contentment, love, passion, energy and excitement every day. But when we live in a constant state of over-analysis paralysis, becoming a better person is lost in the struggle to survive.
My advice in this book is really very simple. There comes a time for each and every one of us, when we need to step up and take responsibility for our lives. A powerful place to start is by accepting that the world doesn’t revolve around ‘me’. It may seem like a contradiction in the world of self-development and growth, but the less time you spend thinking about ‘me’ and the more time you spend getting on with living, the greater your life will become.
We need to overcome our own over-analysis paralysis, ignore the communication bombardment, let go of the self-scrutiny, and stop beating ourselves up over our shortcomings and the shortcomings of those around us. It’s time to get on with life!
In other words, stop thinking and start doing. Getting on with living is the greatest self-development tool we can ever have. Like most profound realisations, the concept is simple. If you live in the world of ‘The Me Myth’ it is impossible to have a rich, rewarding and joyous life. Simply shift your focus outwards instead of inwards and you open yourself to a world of miraculous opportunity.
It sounds like a piece of cake, doesn’t it? And I am sure you’re thinking that I couldn’t possibly understand how complicated your life is. The demands that you have, the issues that you are dealing with, the responsibilities that you are trying to cope with and the fear of loss that you battle every single day of your life.
Well, you’re right, I don’t know the challenges you face, but I have had plenty of my own over the years. In fact, I started life with nothing but challenge. I was abandoned as a baby when I was only a few months old and that set the stage for the next 40 action-packed years.
I have spent a lifetime trying to prove to the world that I am worthy of existing. I have had to deal with tragedy at the most intimate level. I have tried to kill myself slowly through self-abuse and workaholism. But, at the same time, I have spent every year trying to become the best man I can possibly be. I have achieved things that no one believed I could and I have not only come to peace with my past, but I have learnt to use it to thrive, prosper and, most importantly, to help others to set themselves free from the chains that tie them to their old stories and beliefs.
Throughout The Me Myth I will share my journey with you. We all have a journey with many twists and curves, perhaps even the odd pothole and breakdown, but the quality of our lives today is really about the decisions we make along the way. In my journey I made the decision not to be a victim and to get on with living rather than over-analysing every little part of my life. By doing this I have had some big insights into myself and people in general. The realisations for me have been quite amazing and I am sure they will be for you too.
There is no doubt that parts of this book will cause you to reflect on your own life and the way you have reacted to past experiences. Hopefully you will be better able to understand why you react to certain situations in a particular way today. I never claim to have all of the answers, but I very honestly open up about my life and my own realisations for all to see. Some of it isn’t pretty, but all of it is real.
I hope that, as you share my journey, you will have your own realisations and moments of clarity. But mostly, I hope that when you put this book down you will feel a growing sense of excitement about the life you can have – the life you deserve. We all have endless possibilities, but they can only be realised if you understand that you are the one in the driver’s seat. It’s time to take control, get on with living and love the journey.
For more, visit:
The Me Myth online
Andrew Griffiths online
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