He cried out, “100% of people will die” - Yeah… Obviously

In my early 20s there was a period where I drank two bottles of vodka a day. Plus some Sambuca shots on top of that. It didn’t happen all of a sudden. You need to work up to that level of drinking. I had previously read Michael Caine’s autobiography ‘What’s it all about?’ In that book he described drinking 3 bottles of vodka a day. Maybe unconsciously I took that as a challenge. 

What's interesting as I look back on that experience, is my similarity to Michael Caine’s story. I don’t remember being drunk at this time. I certainly didn’t stagger around bumping into walls. I wasn’t sitting in a bar drinking. It was integrated into my normal everyday life. Whenever I felt thirsty I’d unscrew the bottle cap. Pour the clear liquid into a glass. Then take sips like it was orange juice as I went about my day. (Ironically that ritual is the same today except the glass on my desk is now full of water.) 

I did mix it up every now and then. That’s where the sambuca came in. I had two of the tall elegant Galliano bottles. One black and one white. Into a classic shot glass I would fill it half way with the white liquid. Then came the challenge.

I’m very much a perfectionist. It must be precise. Like really precise. In wood and metal shop at secondary school I got perfect 10s for my work. To touch the wooden pencil case I crafted was a heavenly sensation. The silky smooth wood sent tingles down your forearm. 

I’d get my face down close to the half full shot glass, the black nectar is then ever so slowly dribbled down the side of the glass. The black barely penetrates the surface of the white, then is pushed back and stays separate. As the liquid continues to flow it spreads out over the top and fills to the brim of the glass. I’m glowing inside at my masterfulness. Two separated liquids in one glass. The tall source bottles stand proudly as trophies of my success. Savouring the moment I behold my creation. Then in a single sweeping motion the glass is scooped up and the liquids combine as they pass my lips. The glass finds itself back down to a satisfying ‘Ahhhhh’ from me.

This level of drinking in my life lasted for several months. Maybe it was life's necessities that changed my focus. I’d had a terrible car accident earlier that year. No one was seriously hurt but I did total 5 cars. And I wasn’t insured. Insurance companies would not touch me after that. I had no money to buy a car anyway. So the point was moot. 

A push bike was affordable. There was a beautiful deep blue 10 speed road/cross bike that caught my attention. I was drawn to it. Like a space ship caught in a tractor beam. This blue beauty was pulling me in. 

I was unaware but secretly it was was calling out. ‘Damian, Damian you need me. I’ll be your saviour.’ It’s funny how events unfold. A car accident that caused me much grief, was a cause for buying a push bike that saved me from a spiral down into alcoholism and who knows what else might have eventuated. 

Almost immediately after getting the bike my drinking and smoking stopped. This lead to a whole bunch of new health activities. While drinking I hadn’t noticed my body was deteriorating. Yes that is stating the obvious. But in that downward spiral the obvious passes us by. I was drinking, smoking, not eating well and not very active. I’m sure lifting a vodka bottle doesn't count as exercise. 

When I started riding the bike all that stopped. The food passing my lips became more nutritious. Soon a gym was frequented regularly. That increased to twice a day. My body became ripped. I had abs and glutes that the Greek God, Adonis would envy. Clubs were still frequented by me with friends, but no drinks for me. The incentive to keep healthy further increased when beautiful women openly commented that my arse was a 10. I was in my early 20s. What’s a guy to do?

Your body is an amazing thing. It has a wonderful ability to recover from the most savage of treatment. Stanford University reports that your body replaces itself with a new set of cells every 7 years. Basically every 7 years you have a completely new body. On top of that when damage is done, your body repairs itself. This was clearly evident from the periods in my life when I smoked. 

When you stop smoking, the lungs begin to heal immediately. Your lung function improves which helps your circulation. Not too long after that the cilia begin to function normally and symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath reduce or disappear.

This was my experience when I started riding that sleek blue bike. At times it was like wild fire in my lungs. Combined with the feeling that my lungs were being pierced with knitting needles driven through my chest as I rode home. Stop and the journey takes longer. So I keep going. However, within weeks my lungs no longer hurt. Very quickly my body was bursting with energy. My body had repaired itself. 

To be fair, at that point I also played with being a teetotaller and a vegetarian. The gym was frequented twice a day and my main mode of transport was a push bike. 

Around this time I took a work trip to Malaysia and spent time with some locals. They offered me a Malaysian Chicken Curry. The aroma made me salivate profusely. I declined and only ate the vegetables. After dinner there was spirits and cigarettes. Again I declined both. They looked at me strangely. One piped up and said, ‘You still have sex right?’. I just laughed. 

There is lots of talk today that the world has changed (or ending). My Dad sent me a post circulating on social media quoting Nostradamus.

There will be a twin year (2020) from which will arise a queen (corona) who will come from the east (China) and who will spread a plague (virus) in the darkness of night, on a country with 7 hills (Italy) and will transform the twilight of men (old people) into dust (death).

I’m not going to speculate on the validity of prophecies. Certainly there are powers beyond my understanding and I am comfortable with that. However, it did cause me to ponder those two different approaches to my health from my early 20s.

Viruses have been around for as long as life has existed on our planet. Roughly 3.5 billion years. They evolve and adapt. They also need lifeforms to exist. A virus cannot survive for long outside of a body. If viruses had the ability to wipe out life, they had 3.5 billion years to do it. 

The fact that life is still here today is testament that viruses ending all life is very, very, very, very unlikely. It’s a great stretch to accept that out of 3.5 billion years of existence, suddenly right now, something has changed and we’ll all be wiped out. Personally I think that thinking is over inflating your own importance or very neurotic. I’m juxtaposed as to which. Maybe it’s both.

For 3.5 billion years there has been a constant. Viruses attempt to attack cells in a body. Bodies that don’t develop an immunity get inundated. Bodies with sufficient heath develop an immunity to the virus. Viruses evolve and start a new attack and healthy bodies develop further immunity. And the cycle continues. It’s part of the basis behind evolution.

Today’s coronavirus is a virus. The people who have survived COVID-19 to date have developed an immunity to the virus. Developing an immunity is the only known cure for a virus. Your body must develop an immunity. There are two ways your body can do this. 

1. Get the disease and recover.

2. Get a vaccine to help develop an immunity. A vaccine is a mild version of the virus that trains your body to develop an immunity without getting too sick. Basically it's human intervention to achieve Point 1 above.

Many of you may be questioning your own mortality today. I know I won’t live for ever. Everyone will die. It’s just a matter of when. 

All other things being equal if you take care of your health, when you die will be a long way in the future. Alcohol intake, smoking, poor eating, lack of physical exercise and putting other such nasties into your body puts stress on your immune system. Your body needs to fight off all this to survive. Add to that the further stresses of a negative mind set and you are really putting your body under pressure. There is only so much your body can do. Now place on top of all that stress, COVID-19. It's the hay bale that breaks the horses back. Yes genetics also come into play as well. Some people are just better at surviving. 

At the time of writing 146,320 people have recovered from COVID-19. Our way of life can only return to normal when 80% of the population has developed an immunity. The current world population is 7.7 billion. There are still 6 billion people who need to develop an immunity to reach 80%. That will happen in time.

I’m thinking about the future. To a time when the next virus mutates and wreaks havoc on the planet. There are actions I can do now that will make it easier for me. 

A healthy body has a natural ability to develop an immunity to viruses. 

It sounds so simple when you state it like that. 

That’s the reality. Sometimes you take the simple things for granted. Then you forget their importance. This negligence becomes a habit. Soon you’ve forgotten all about doing things that are in your own best interest. 

That’s how I was able to drink two bottles of vodka a day. I didn’t suddenly chug down a couple of bottles. It started slowly and before I knew it my habit of smoking, drinking, poor food and no exercise was my norm. Fortunately, changing that habit wasn’t hard. 

You need to face and overcome your Supreme Ordeal.

Holding onto past thoughts of your identity limit your ability to change. In your mind you are still the person that does the old behaviour. This is why you find change is difficult. But it doesn’t need to be.

I’ve worked with many people to help them implement immediate change. Here on LinkedIn I get many requests for assistance. People that have followed my advice have experienced Exceptional Effort. They are now charging toward to the life they dream. 

Unlike a physical wall, barriers in your mind are only there because you Choose for them to exist. 

You have the power to Choose any future you want. Including a future where you have a healthy strong body that can quickly develop an immunity to coronaviruses. 

What do you Choose for your future?

I highly recommend the following people to help your move confidently toward the future you Choose.

Heather Hauka - Medical/Health/Wellness Content Creator & Strategist

Annemie De Smedt - Vitality Management for C-Suite Executives

Stephen Lenz - Exercise Physiology, Health Enthusiast, and Special Educator

Enrique Acosta Gonzalez - Develops struggling leaders into the successful leader everyone wants to follow.

Sanjay Suri - Empowering humans find inner balance, peace, and happiness to fulfil their dreams

And me, Damian Andrews - I slide Elephants through Eyes of Needles