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You’ll Rarely Know Your Impact

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You’ll Rarely Know Your Impact

Which is why it is even more important to leave your mark.

Over twelve years ago, I posted a short video called “The Best Way To Die.” I chose that name because I had repeatedly searched for that phrase for years. I uploaded it to a YouTube account I no longer use and thought I had lost access to long ago.

I wrote about this video in my book, Still Here: How to Succeed in Life After Failing at Suicide. The video has received far more negative comments and dislikes than positive feedback, as people were upset that I didn’t provide an easy option for suicide. That was the intention behind creating the video – I wanted people to momentarily direct their anger at me instead of themselves.

Last month, I unexpectedly regained access to that account and discovered a comment that filled me with gratitude and moved me to tears.

comment on "The Best Way To Die" video


I’ve been contemplating updating my book, Still Here, for a while now. I’m taking this comment as a sign that it’s time to do so. It will be gratifying to revisit the mention of this video and reflect on its impact eight years later. YouTube has also evolved for the better over the years. They no longer display the number of thumbs down a video has received, and multiple warnings and support resources surround the video.

This comment served as a powerful reminder that we should all share our experiences. We can’t predict the ripple effect of anything we create and release into the world. Embrace vulnerability and share more of yourself.

The original “best way to die” video:

Don’t keep your gold to yourself. Please.

 

Be well,
Andy

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About The Author
Andy Grant

Andy Grant is a best-selling author, award-winning speaker, Transformational Energy Coach, Healer, and suicide prevention activist. He holds certificates in Positive Psychology, the Enwaken Coaching System, Infinite Possibilities, The Modern Mystery School, and more.

Andy teaches workshops ranging from energy tools to ebook publishing. He is the founder of Real Men Feel, a movement encouraging men to come out of the emotional closet. As a survivor of multiple suicide attempts, Andy knows how low we, as human beings, can feel. He is committed to helping people realize how magnificent life is meant to be.

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Photo by Lucas Newton on Unsplash

Life Activation Anniversary!

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Happy Life Activersary to Me!

I am very excited today because it is the seventh anniversary of my Life Activation. It is my seventh life activersary! I want to thank Shawna Pelton, who activated me, Jordan Bain, who became my guide, and founder Gudni Gudnason of the Modern Mystery School for making this available to the public.

Life Activation is a 1000s of years old healing modality from the Modern Mystery School that turns all of you on. It flicks all these switches in you. It used to be called DNA activation because it brings more light and energy into your spiritual DNA, all of the building blocks that make you, you.

Even better than how you feel when receiving a Life Activation are all the unique ways that your life can improve in the weeks, months, and even years following your activation. My life is so much better now than it was seven years ago. I’ve grown in ways that were unimaginable to me. I’ve met many amazing people, learned powerful skills, and become a healer.

Before my activation on January 28, 2016, I had this vague sense of needing to do something specifically for men, but I didn’t know what it was. I launched the Real Men Feel podcast just two weeks after my activation. Two months after that, I became involved with the ManKind Project. A few months later, I became a contributor for GoodMenProject.com. And a few months after that, I became a lead editor for the GoodMenProject. Everything just kept building and building, filling me with more purpose, gratitude, expression, and creativity in ways never before.

I’ve become so much more of service, whether through writing, podcasting, teaching, coaching, or healing. It’s been such a gratifying journey. I still remember midway through receiving my Life Activation, thinking I don’t know what this is, but I know I will learn how to do it.

I also want to thank everyone that I have had the honor and privilege to activate since I was certified as a Life Activation Practitioner in 2018. See the videos below that I shot before and after my activation. I made them because I didn’t know what I was doing. So on a whim, I decided to shoot a video sitting in my truck before it happened. And after it, I felt so amazing. I wanted to capture that somehow. All I remember is that I was laughing and laughing, and I don’t know if anything made sense in the video, but you can check those out to see what I thought about the experience during the exact moment.

Just before my Life Activation:

Moments after my Life Activation:

If you want to feel that good, feel more aligned with your talents, skills, and purpose, consider a Life Activation for yourself. You are worthy of this, and you won’t regret it.

These can only be done in person. If you can’t come to me in Littleton, Massachusetts, I’ll help connect you with someone closer to you. Send an email (andy@theandygrant.com) or fill out the contact form, and I’ll get back to you right away.

http://theandygrant.com/lifeactivation

Be well,
Andy

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About The Author
Andy Grant

Andy Grant is a best-selling author, award-winning speaker, Transformational Energy Coach, Healer, and suicide prevention activist. He holds certificates in Positive Psychology, the Enwaken Coaching System, Infinite Possibilities, The Modern Mystery School, and more.

Andy teaches workshops ranging from energy tools to ebook publishing. He is the founder of Real Men Feel, a movement encouraging men to come out of the emotional closet. As a survivor of multiple suicide attempts, Andy knows how low we, as human beings, can feel. He is committed to helping people realize how magnificent life is meant to be.

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Taking a Big Leap | SkyJump

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Ending 2022 With A Big Leap

While in Las Vegas for a wedding last month, I jumped at the opportunity to take an 855′ leap from The Stratosphere tower on the strip. I wasn’t nervous at all until I saw someone do it. The time from the 3, 2, 1 countdown to me moving felt like a very long moment. The SkyJump was more thrilling than any ride I’ve been on and even more than parachuting. The only time I did that was a tandem jump, so taking that first/last step wasn’t up to me. You can see the video of my SkyJump here:

Here’s the view from the ground, shot by my wife.

One thing that hit me, which I couldn’t put into words right away, was the difference between taking that leap into nothingness for fun versus taking a jump for my demise. On the SkyJump, my nerves vanished once I jumped from the platform, and I experienced joy, thrills, and fun. Nothing in my being communicated that this was a bad idea. I felt completely safe, even though I had no idea how the mechanism that would slow me down worked. I didn’t even ask about it.

I’ve also had the experience of standing atop a building, believing I wanted to die, and trying to get myself to take a much less fun jump. At that moment, everything in my body and energy was saying don’t take this step. There was tremendous resistance, fear, and trepidation. I ended up calling a suicide support line for the first time.

While plummeting through the Vegas night, full of adrenaline and joy, it struck me how fearless the experience was. There was no concern or desire to go splat on the ground. I felt safe and alive, thrilled to be alive.

Whereas in my attempted doom jump, I couldn’t get myself to take that one step into nothingness. I hated myself then, judging myself as weak and pathetic, but looking back, I was safe in a very different way. My better aspects wouldn’t let me take that seemingly one small step.

The first half of 2022 was a dark crucible. I didn’t feel fully alive until July. I knew I wanted a year-end celebration. The SkyJump was a Leap of Life for me. A victory lap for all I had persevered through. I will never forget it and hope to do it again.

I wish you your own Leap of Life this year, a celebration of you and all you have made it through.

If you are in crisis and contemplating any sort of doom jump, please text or call 988 for immediate support. https://988lifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/

 

Be well,
Andy

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About The Author
Andy Grant

Andy Grant is a best-selling author, award-winning speaker, Transformational Energy Coach, Healer, and suicide prevention activist. He holds certificates in Positive Psychology, the Enwaken Coaching System, Infinite Possibilities, The Modern Mystery School, and more.

Andy teaches workshops ranging from energy tools to ebook publishing. He is the founder of Real Men Feel, a movement encouraging men to come out of the emotional closet. As a survivor of multiple suicide attempts, Andy knows how low we, as human beings, can feel. He is committed to helping people realize how magnificent life is meant to be.

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55 Things I’m Grateful For

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55 things I’m grateful for that would’ve surprised me at age 25.

July 1st was my birthday, and I wanted to do something to celebrate living another year other than complain and lament it. I don’t know when society shifted from admiring older people to worshipping youth. The only alternative to living longer is no longer being here. Hopefully, respect, admiration, and meaningful consultation with our elders becomes the “in thing” again.

I had the idea of making a list of what I”m grateful for that would surprise me at a younger age. My goal was 55, as that is now my age. I spoke them to my phone, listing all I could think of. Today, I finally made that note into a numbered list to see if I was at all close to my goal. It was 55 on the nose.

Here’s my original brainstormed list.
  1. I weigh at least 20 pounds less than I did at age 25.
  2. I am stronger and more fit than I was at age 25.
  3. I do not take any prescription medication.
  4. I have not had alcohol in 2 1/2 years.
  5. I have visited 23 countries.
  6. I have seen Metallica 35 times live.
  7. I’ve been married for 23 years.
  8. I continue to take classes and learn each year.
  9. I have quit far more jobs than I have ever been fired or laid off from.
  10. I have written and published 8 books.
  11. I’ve been a couple of feet from mountain gorillas in the wild.
  12. I’ve worked on more television shows and movies than I can remember.
  13. I am 0° of separation away from Kevin bacon.
  14. I have met all of my favorite bands.
  15. I drive my dream car, the Tesla Model X.
  16. I have hosted over 245 episodes of Real Men Feel.
  17. I have attended more than 236 concerts.
  18. I still love amusement parks and roller coasters.
  19. I have coached hundreds of people to lives of greater happiness and meaning.
  20. I have performed over 1,000 Akashic records readings.
  21. I have been happier each decade of my life than the prior one.
  22. I have coached hundreds of people to publish their first book.
  23. I have made a positive impact on more lives than I will ever be aware of.
  24. More people have made a positive impact on my life than I will ever be aware of.
  25. I am part of a 3,000+-year-old lineage of healers.
  26. I’ve only had sex with one person for 26 years.
  27. I haven’t had red meat in a year and a half.
  28. I do intermittent fasting of 18 to 20 hours each day.
  29. I’ve adopted three dogs and two cats from shelters.
  30. I love to meditate.
  31. I am a professional actor.
  32. I pray every day.
  33. I am a professional screenwriter.
  34. My house always smells like sage.
  35. I’m a professional speaker.
  36. I love to cry at the movies.
  37. I get paid for being me.
  38. I have been a multimillionaire, and I’ve been on welfare.
  39. I still like to play with Lego.
  40. I’ve produced and directed award-winning television shows.
  41. I sing at the top of my lungs every time I’m alone in my car.
  42. I’d rather be 55 than 25.
  43. I sold my collection of over 250 Concert t-shirts.
  44. I used to think I was a quitter.
  45. I’ve seen Kiss enough times to be bored by seeing Kiss.
  46. I still turn all the lights off, crank up the music, and dance around my house like I’m on stage.
  47. I like yoga.
  48. I take Barre classes.
  49. Sushi is my favorite meal.
  50. I’m more flexible today than I was at age 25.
  51. I’m psychic, and you are too.
  52. I’ve lost track of how many radio shows, television shows, and podcasts I’ve been a guest on.
  53. Physically and mentally, 55 feels pretty much the same as 35 did.
  54. I can honestly say that I love myself.
  55. I am blessed to still be alive.

 

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About The Author
Andy GrantAndy Grant is a best-selling author, award-winning speaker, Transformational Energy Coach, Healer, and suicide prevention activist. He holds certificates in Positive Psychology, the Enwaken Coaching System, Infinite Possibilities, and more.

Andy teaches workshops ranging from energy tools to ebook publishing. He is the founder of Real Men Feel, a movement encouraging men to come out of the emotional closet. He also facilitates monthly men’s groups and is a contributor to the GoodMenProject. As a survivor of multiple suicide attempts, Andy knows how low we as human beings can feel. He is committed to helping people realize how magnificent life is meant to be.

To All The Good Men of The World

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Father’s Day is one of those days that seems to upset as many as joyously greet it. Some people have lost their fathers or are estranged from them. Some never met their fathers, and many adult men aren’t dads themselves.

But whether we are close to them or not, we all had a father.

Even if we never met him, and we all know fathers.

I am not a father, and mine is no longer with us, so I celebrated Father’s Day by taking one of my favorite dads to lunch. Demetri Albizu’s young enough to be my son but feels like a brother. I honor all the men out there living with an open heart and proving how beautiful and supportive masculinity can be.

This made me realize that for any holiday that might trigger us, make us feel sad, or focus on something we don’t have, there is also the opportunity to reach out to someone and create a new tradition. Be it Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Secretary’s Day…whatever, and look for someone you might celebrate and honor in your life.

Be good to yourselves.
Andy