'The Rhino Principle' Part 1 - 'The Gift'

The Rhino Principle is my first book, divided into 5 parts: The Gift, 631, The Rhino Principle, Soaring to New Heights and finally Take the Plunge. Parts 1 and 2 set the scene, part 3 is the story and parts 4,5 are where my life accelerates post my 50th birthday.

The sun streamed through the open doors of our first floor bedroom at the stunning Villa Cendrawasih in Seminyak, Bali. I lay there saying to myself 'Well this is it, this is the day I hit 50, the big 50.' We had already had a wonderful holiday which was our first experience of Bali - the noise, the smells, the traffic particularly the huge number of mopeds weaving and dodging their way through the narrow streets, the culture and the mix of bustling towns and peaceful, idyllic countryside. For me, the holiday was about to get a whole lot better and I was to be given the gift that started to change the course of my life.

After a quick coffee in bed, my wife Leona turned to me and said 'come on, let's go for a walk on the beach together.' Off we headed, through the side door by the pool and down this narrow alley that ran down and then opened out onto the beach and the ocean. It was a glorious morning and we walked lazily past the hotels with our feet paddling gently in the water as the sun rose ever higher in the morning sky. We didn't walk that far and after a few selfies turned and headed for 'home.'

Once we pushed our way back through the side gate, Leona took control, ushering me upstairs and back to our room. 'Wait here darling' she said and disappeared back down the stairs. Within minutes I was summoned with the instruction:

'You can come now but once you get down stairs close your eyes and keep them closed.'

I was guided towards the living area - a big open space bordering the luscious garden and pool. I opened my eyes to see the glass of champagne, freshly poured, and a collection of happy, smiling faces - our three girls and great friends Jason and Jo along with their three boys. I enjoyed the champagne amidst a round of hugs, kisses, high fives and wonderful birthday greetings.

Then came the gift - a life enhancing and life changing experience. Back in Sydney and totally unbeknown to me, our eldest daughter Emma had been secretly looking out 50 photos from different times in my life. She had tied string around the living area pillars to create a line from which to peg the photos. Between each photo was a speech or palm card upon which one member of the party had written a sentence or two about why they loved me. 50 photos and 50 speech cards. It was an incredibly thoughtful, creative and beautiful act that took time, planning and execution. I walked around in silence, apart from the occasional 'wow' at the words on a particular card or an expression of happiness at the memory evoked by one of the photos. I was truly humbled and tears were in my eyes. I was humbled by the thought, the act and the words. Some were funny, some were simple, some were deep but all were meaningful. It was a powerful experience and one I both recreate in my mind but also use to project forward as part of my visualisation routine.

On checking my phone, I saw a video message from my son Tom, who lives in England. Tom had also sent me 50 photos of us together - 50 photos in 50 seconds backed by the M People song 'Search for the hero inside yourself' - it was our song and we often played it when travelling through England in the car together.

Totally blown away by these wonderful acts, the words, the pictures and the people around me, I set myself a challenge. I decided I would achieve more in the next 25 years of my life than the previous 50. When so many people are completely settled into a pattern or are already thinking about slowing down, I decided it was time to disrupt my own pattern to think bigger and to accelerate. It started a wonderful process of thinking through exactly what I wanted to achieve - to dream big, think big, aim big and do big! Fuelled by the inspiration and some champagne I was ready to take on the world.

Leona then gave me three books as part of my birthday present - 3 books I read at speed and all were totally aligned to this energy and feeling. The first was 'On Fire' by John O'Leary, then 'The Miracle Morning' by Hal Elrod and finally 'Beach Money' by Jordan Adler. These books have all helped continue to disrupt and accelerate my thinking and unquestionably aided my personal transformation.

The photos, the cards, the video, the books, the company and the holiday were all incredible gifts, but the greatest gift I had received was the realization I wanted to be more, do more, become more and share more. I wanted to create and leave a legacy and to make a massive difference. I wanted to pass the 'rocking chair' test - to be able to look back on my life not with a sense of 'I could have, should have, wish I had' done various things but with a certainty that I had lived to every once of my potential and given it everything. Of course, not everything has or will go to plan, but I will look back knowing I gave it a real go.

'The Morning Miracle' contains a powerful process to start each and everyday, one thay I have adopted. It enables me to centre myself through brief moments of silence, go through my affirmations and visualisation routines whilst I exercise and finally reminded me of the power and criticality of both continuous learning and journalling.

I am a firm believer that greatness requires stillness and from stillness clarity emerges. Journalling is a way to capture the thoughts that emerge and build on them over time. From this morning process my true purpose emerged - clearly it is better to find your purpose at 50 than not at all.

The evening after my 50th with spirits still incredibly high we all wondered down that same alley to the same beach but this time we walked along the sand and into the W hotel. The next couple of hours, over a few drinks and dinner, sealed the deal. Over a few drinks the conversation flowed and the mood was celebratory. Then, out of nowhere, came the challenge from Jo, the mother of the other family.

'When are you going to do your own leadership thing?' followed by one of the most important questions anyone has ever asked me:

'When are you going to be the CEO of your own life?'

This stopped me for a second, taking me straight back to the feeling I had inside me when I first looked at the photos and cards pegged around the living space in the villa.

Wow! I knew in that moment, my life needed to change. The only question was the timing. It was my time and I did need to achieve more in the next 25 years of my life. it was my purpose and I needed to follow my passion and pass the 'rocking chair' test.

Within six months it was decided that I was leaving my corporate life and within ten months I was gone. I had been offered a huge GiFT and I had accepted it.

Andy Fell is the Founder of both GiFT631 and #youth4good. Andy is an optimist, connector, energiser and believer in the art of the possible. His fuel is a positive, can do attitude and a desire to help other people reach their true potential and soar to new heights. As an aside he is a conference speaker, MC, facilitator, business consultant and loves to run leadership and talent development programmes, seminars and masterclasses. 2018 will be his best year yet :)