Andrew Hand

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Mike Veny – Transforming the Stigma of Mental Health

Mike Veny is a speaker, author, drummer, and all around inspiring dude!  Mike’s message is to open up about mental health, stop the stigma, start the conversation, and begin to open our hearts and minds so that people stop suffering in silence and dying.

I first connected with Mike when I lived in NYC but basically we were just connected because of being musicians in the Big Apple.  He hand’t started his speaking work, which is a POWERFUL story of its own, and so I was just aware of him as a drummer and cool guy.

With that…

My purpose is to show you some of Mike’s work so that you can connect.  Maybe he can be a part of your work or you can be a part of his.  I just think you ought to connect!  So, to that end…

Here’s a few videos of Mike in action and links to his sites.  Please send me an email here if you’d like to connect with Mike.  Tell me about your work and where I can check you out and I’ll make an introduction!  You can also just reach out to him and let him know I sent ya!

A Short Trailer of Mike’s Message

Mike’s Powerful Mini Doc “A Real Man”

Mike In Action with a Compelling Keynote

Mike’s Bio from His Website:

Mike Veny is America’s leading mental health speaker and a high-energy drum circle facilitator. He delivers educational, engaging, and entertaining presentations to meetings and conferences throughout the world. As a 2017 PM360 ELITE Award Winner, Mike is recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in the healthcare industry. He starred in several OC87 Recovery Diaries documentary films, two of which were featured at the 2017 Reel Minds Film series.

Mike is fiercely committed to wellness, suicide prevention, and helping people work together more smoothly. If you are looking for a proven speaker who can address the stigma surrounding mental health and deliver a corporate drumming event, then you have come to the right place.

With 15 years of experience electrifying audiences and making meeting planners look good, his mission is to empower people to connect authentically.

Now, Let’s Connect You Two!

Why Being the Hero Might Destroy Your Happiness

Focus.  Focus is a word that defines so much of our reality.  Where we are in our lives, where we are in our careers.  Are we happy enough, healthy enough, doing enough of what excites us?

In this quest to see ourselves, create balance, and build our perfect life, where is the right place to focus?

I used to believe that vision was the paramount ingredient in living a life that mattered.  Do everything you can in service to the vision!  Then, I began thinking purpose was the defining point of clarity to make life meaningful.

Define your purpose and suddenly life gets so much easier and clearer.  All your actions become congruent to a master mission.

As I continued to get no closer to my vision and I seemed to be further and further from actually fulfilling my purpose, I began to look towards community as perhaps the piece that I’d been missing.  Though this seemed much closer to living a happier life, it too left me feeling unfulfilled.

I’d done great spiritual work, felt very content in my own energy, experienced extreme inner peace and meditative bliss for months on end:  Yet, I felt no closer to being the higher version of myself I saw.  I started to think, ‘maybe I’ve got a serious chemical imbalance here.’

As I began to push myself to feel okay, despite the chemical shifts I felt in my brain, things became easier, but I didn’t feel any closer to the vision I had for myself.

Then, something changed.

A friend and musical collaborator killed himself.  I saw the vision of who I wanted to be live in front of me and I felt hollow.  I leapt into the unknown and I felt alive again.  Then, wound up sitting in a room with all my old journals:  The history of my adult life lay before me.

As I opened the pages, what I saw was the same patterns repeating, over and over and over again.  Feel a new clarity has been reached, take action with joy and belief, see actions fail, grow despondent, sink into depression, and question entire point to life, find way out, and then repeat.

Was I living out the hero’s journey over and over, year after year?

It’s like I was forever caught in the loop of hearing the call of my vision, answering the call with purpose, taking action, sinking into the pit, finding the answer for how to move out, ascending to new heights, celebrating my victories and feeling THIS was finally it.  I finally would be the hero to my own life and BE who I longed to be.

It never happened.  It still hasn’t happened.  But, something has changed.

I’ve let go of needing to be the hero.  I’ve realized that living each day and trying to be the best version of myself is all I can really control.  I can’t bend the universe to my will.  I can’t make my dreams happen.  I know others can and have, but I have had no success with this approach and generally it’s left me with nothing but stress and angst at not being where I long to be.

So what’s this mean for you?

I think that by letting go of who we “need” and “want” to be and by focussing on who we are, there is a freedom that comes with that shift.

This doesn’t mean we don’t seek to grow, change, reach goals, follow our purpose, and passions, but it does mean that we’ve let go of needing a result, needing a victory and to be the hero to our stories.

I’ve seen my life flash before my eyes.  I’ve felt great meditative bliss.  I’ve felt great love, loss, and the depths of depression, but I’ve never let go of needing to be a hero.

As I’ve made this subtle shift of letting go of the outcome, I feel a general sense of ease that I haven’t felt for a long time.  Beyond that of a blissed out meditative state, this one feels firmly grounded and rooted in actual life experience, as opposed to just living in the spiritual bliss of the present moment.

My life purpose and vision remain the same as they have for decades.  The only thing that’s changed is my focus.  Instead of looking at a destination, I’m focussed on the journey and stepping forward each day as the best version of myself that I can be.

7 Step Pattern Interrupt for Positive Change

I wanted to share this video with you in hopes that it might provide some useful ideas for when you’re going through a tough day or just having a moment of overwhelm, frustration, or feeling stuck.  I call it the 7 Step Pattern Interrupt for Positive Change, mostly because that’s easiest to remember ;-)

I don’t want to pretend or gloss over the fact that life is hard and we face MANY challenges.  I consider myself very fortunate, that despite my struggles with depression, I have lived a very good life, free from extreme suffering.

The ideas in this video are just steps that seem to consistently be part of the formula that helps me bounce out of the negative zones I get into.  Sometimes they last a long time and I don’t actually get out of them due to anything I’ve done…often I’m too depressed to WANT to change my state and I prefer to wallow in my depression.

I don’t know if you can relate, but if you can…I understand and I’m sending my thoughts and energy out to you and hope that through our connection, I can provide something useful to you in your life to increase your moments of joy.

So, these steps came about the other day because I was in another pattern of feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, uncertain, and not knowing what to do to make a change in my life.

I decided that the best thing to do was to just start writing in my journal and asking myself some questions.  Pattern Interrupts are something I first learned about from Tony Robbins.  Although I value Tony’s work, I’ve never been able to just change my state and suddenly catapult my life into some extraordinary place.  Now I don’t discount that this can happen, but in my experience, the shifts for me are more subtle and slow moving, not to mention cyclical.

Maybe I’m just not as mentally strong or am lazy in building a more consistent psychological state, I don’t know.  All I know is that I desire to have more good days than bad and would like to grow into a better version of myself…

The first question I asked myself is “what is ONE thing that I can do right now to feel better?” – that answer came back as breathe.

As I began to take some deep breaths, my nervous system began to calm down and as I relaxed, the corners of my mouth began to turn upwards into a slight smile.

I can’t tell you exactly what’s happening chemically when you’re breathing deeply and smiling, but I do know that the dopamine and serotonin begin flowing and correspond with a state of contentment, peace, and well-being.  So, it’s no surprise that in this state, I started to appreciate the beauty around me.  A quick Google search will show that low levels of serotonin and dopamine correspond with depression…so obviously we need ways to increase their amount if we’re ever going to stand a chance of moving OUT of depression.

Once I was smiling, breathing, and appreciating the beauty around me, and obviously now being flooded with dopamine and serotonin, I wanted to get up and move around.

Walking has been shown to increase creative inspiration and boost your mood and, as I waited for inspiration to strike in answer to what I needed to do to feel better, an idea came to me to just start writing about this experience.

Interestingly enough, a Stanford study showed that creative inspiration was increased by 60% in students who walked for anywhere from 5-16 minutes during, and after walking.  They noted it was especially helpful in those searching for an answer to a problem.  Pretty cool!

I realize that I’m not expressing anything new, but in writing things you already know and likely already have used in the past, my hope is that this post serves as a catalyst or reminder to create a useful method for you to add into your day.

The last two steps are just to take action on the idea/inspiration you’ve received and then to celebrate that positive action.

Taking action is one of the hardest things to do in my experience, but it’s also the only thing that creates a change.  I think the thing that excites me most is that by just priming yourself through breathing, smiling, and moving with appreciation for the beauty of life/nature, taking action then becomes MUCH easier.

Once you’ve done something to move yourself into taking action, you’re likely already feeling much better and I think that it’s really important to honor and celebrate that.  Be proud of yourself that you actually took control of your mental state and actively changed it.  That is pretty incredible and is good evidence to show that YOU have the ability to be in control of your thoughts and feelings.

Now I know that it’s not that easy all the time.  As I said before, I often lack the desire to change and oddly find comfort in my depression, but I KNOW this is limiting and it doesn’t serve me.  My goal for myself and for you would be that we more consistently practice an active changing of our mental states.

Don’t we deserve more?  Don’t we deserve to live with as much happiness and joy as we’re capable of creating?  I feel the answer is yes and I hope you do as well.

I hope you have gotten value from this and also that my song “The Best Day” that plays at the end of the video can be part of stoking the fires of joyfulness.  You can get that song, as well as many more in a similar vein in my Studio Classics Collection.

In closing, try these 7 Steps out (It can literally just take a few minutes or less) and see if they work for you…

1.) Breathe deeply a few times

2.) Smile, even if just slight…it will get bigger

3.) Notice the beauty around you/appreciate or practice some gratitude

4.) Stand up, go for a walk, or just move around for a few minutes staying in this relaxed breathing/smiling state

5.) Wait for an answer or inspiration to come for the question, frustration, or dilemma you’re facing

6.) Take immediate action towards that, no matter how small.  THAT is your momentum for continued action

7.) Now celebrate what you’ve done.  Feel good about consciously making a change

I’d love to hear from you in the comments below and if you’re not already subscribed to me…you can do that below.

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A Spiritual Life Center – Neutrality and How It Can Help Bring Peace

A spiritual life center …what does it mean, why seek it and how can this mindset serve us as the world becomes faster and faster?

Of all the things in life that we could be, neutral seems to be one of the least appealing. If your father asked you, ‘so, what do you want to be when you grow up?’ and you were to reply neutral, I suspect you would not receive praise for your decision.

We are taught to be for things or against things. This is the way that society has socialized us. But what if it is in neutrality that you can move outside of your known perceptions and step into the realm of endless possibility. The realm where the universe can only fulfill your desires. You aren’t pulling or pushing, but merely standing still while moving along the track of life waiting to receive all that you need from your source.

If you can get outside of your own mind-race enough to be the observer of your thoughts and see that through all things there is only what exists right now in this current moment, then it is possible to see all the effort that is put into trying to create your own reality will ultimately fade away and leave you with a sense of loss. However, if you can maintain neutrality, knowing you are moving forward toward your soul’s fulfillment, then all things that come to you appear to do so directly from the bounty of the universe. As if another stone has been placed in front of your feet and then you take the step forward to land securely on it.

I understand that such statements can be viewed as being naive or too optimistic, not living in REALITY, but I would invite you to continue reading and keep an open mind. I understand your feelings. I have felt them many times through my life as I’ve wrestled with myself and my perceptions.

Recognizing the Push & Pull

The first step that I would like you to begin practicing is to observe your thoughts and your life. Look to the areas that you feel dissatisfaction with. What is going on in these areas? Are things not good enough, not quite right, leaving you feeling frustrated? Do you feel that just a few more things need to fall into place and then you’ll have everything you need to be happy? What is it that you are pulling yourself toward and what is it that you are pushing away?

We need goals in life, they help us learn things about ourselves and connect to other human beings, which is the whole point of this journey here. We have come here for a purpose, to learn something by which we can grow into our souls more deeply. The question is in whether it is the destination or the journey that leaves you feeling fulfilled. The push and pull are all about the destination. So focussed on it in fact that the journey never seems good enough because the journey is NOT the destination. It never can be. The destination may never be reached, it may change and in so happening will leave you feeling defeated and angry. But, if it is in the journey that you feel peace, the journey that you feel growth, the journey that you feel empowerment, then you can never go wrong. You are on a journey your entire life. A series of journeys that lead to more journeys, on and on until your life reaches its end.

That thought right there might have just got you upset. My life ending with just a bunch of journeys?! ‘That is pointless,’ you might say, ‘What was accomplished?’ If a goal was not reached then what was the purpose of the life. This is the internal wrestle, the push and pull. It happens both externally and internally, sometimes at the same time, stirring you up into a ball of emotional turmoil, feeling out of place, out of sync and out of control. These are the moments that it is critical to re-ground, re-group and re-assure yourself that you are on your path. You are here, right now and growing in this moment with perfect design. You return to neutrality and calm and stop pushing and pulling. You open to accept what comes into your life and live with joy.

That might sound too easy and in fact it is THAT EASY, but that simplicity is what makes it hard. When we are goal minded it just seems too easy to focus on the journey, the present step. If I take my eyes off of the destination then I will falter, I won’t reach it, I won’t be focussed. The goal will not be achieved. There is a retraining of the mind that must take place to embrace this ease of flow. You must begin to witness the thoughts. Witness the resistance and then consciously let it pass out of you and feel neutrality. It is like a wave of peace coming over you, like a breeze of fresh air blowing in and cleaning out all the pain, hurt, worry, fears and frustrations that stagnate in the mind as they roll back and forth, ever repeating their loop of discontent. Breathe in now, a deep breath, that flows through your entire body. Feel the push and pull stop…feel the calm at the center and know that this is your rock. This is your soul, centered deeply in your body, like a rod of light that runs head to toe. It will never steer you wrong and it is a magnet of attraction for all the things you need in your life to continue your growth. Listen to its call and follow it. It exists beyond the mind, deeper than the mind, more powerful than the mind.

This is the first step, the first recognition. Now the task is to practice this daily. Practice centering yourself, recognizing the pushing and pulling and returning to neutrality.

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