Don't focus on what you cannot control, focus on what you can control.
Through my journey and my work I meet influential people that have made it their goal to improve the lives of others. I want to enable them to take their message to a larger group of people.
Body and Mind Coach John McGrath talks to us about himself, his industry and the world in the future.
John has a proven method for unlocking greatness. Through sheer force and control of his mind he’s been able to perform feats deemed to be impossible, earning him the moniker - The Last Strongman of Africa. In that same vein he’s been able to coach and impact athletes and business people alike - demolishing self-confining mental boundaries, propelling clients out from lethargic mediocrity and onto claiming excellence for themselves.
He is available for speaking engagements, team building events as well as one-on-one coaching sessions. He can work with you to help you to achieve performance and business excellence, motivate your staff and customers, inspire you and change how you view yourself within a few minutes.
If you want to know more about John or book him for an event you can either contact us at shawn@intunecom.co.uk
Born the first of four sons, John was one of those boys who, during
that time, were often not able to receive positive, empowering input towards
their sense of self, life-skills, education and vocation. With the rise in unemployment
and poverty, thousands of Irish fled the country for the safety of the States
or the UK, leaving behind a bleak socio-economic vacuum, that was the Ireland
of the 80’s. John now looks back at his roots and sees how they shaped his
belief that challenges can either make or break a man; a powerful forge for
transformation. It is always a choice, he says, to rather see the obstacle as a
challenge to tackle with tenacity, persistence and discipline – instead of a
blocking, limiting problem. It was by this very mechanism of choice that John
turned his apparent ‘lack’ around into a relentless motivation to not only
overcome, but triumph.
At the age of 13, John discovered the sport of rowing which radically
transformed his life, seeding within him a strong conviction that he could not
just be good at something, but excellent. The key to unlocking this excellence
lay in making the choice to willingly submit to the intense transformational
forging of ruthless, goal-focused discipline to strengthen and sharpen both
body and mind, from the inside out.
The physical exertion and mental tenacity required by rowing proved to
be a powerful equalizer of status. John’s rowing peers pursued law, mathematics
or medicine at university, whilst he held down two humble and physically tough
jobs – one as a binman and the other as a sheet-metal worker. But as always,
determination outpaced dollars, and sweat washed away all status, leaving each
young man as equally deserving as the next of respect and opportunity. Sport literally
changed John’s identity, refining and redefining his values, goals and what it
was that set him apart as uniquely excellent.
At 23, John was selected for the Irish team where they competed in
Belgium, winning the International Open Championship’s gold – with his rowing
career taking him around the world to Mexico, Spain and Germany. Winning a
sports scholarship from the Waterford Institute of Technology allowed John to
study Sport Management & Science where he could extend his sport knowledge
with academic theory.
Suddenly, mid-race, he was struck with excruciating pain, his lower
back betraying him with a bulging, leaking disc. Again, John made a choice: to
transform the agony of his disappointment into a challenge to conquer – despite
doctors and surgeons announcing his sports career over. Refusing to accept
their opinion as fact, he returned to his earlier interest in the martial arts
as a means to increase his mobility and strength. While his physical condition
improved dramatically, he was unable to sufficiently rehabilitate himself and
return to rowing.
When one door closes, another opens. John’s journey led him to new
heights in his career, where he travelled between the East and West in a sort
of pilgrimage, studying self-mastery and the potent power of the mind, learning
how to harness the mind to push the body through the most extreme physical
barriers.
Under the master tutelage of DoJuNim Ji (Bruce Lee’s teacher), John
earned his black belt in Hapkido – as well as in four other styles of martial
arts: Karate, Kombatan, Kung Fu and kickboxing. At 39, John fought for Ireland
in the European Kickboxing Champions in Macedonia, making the semi-finals.
Whilst martial arts can be classified as a ‘sport’ due to its
competitive physicality, it is intrinsically an art. Based on an ageless,
universal philosophy teaching respect, discipline, hard work, sacrifice,
patience and humility, this art – as with all art – requires relentless
discipline, deep study, heart and dedication. Art means the application of
techniques and skills – and not specifically the end product. Process is prized
more than product. The beauty is in the journey itself – and not the
destination, with self-discovery emerging along its path.
John’s work with organisations and individuals involves the application
of these principles, with the ongoing goal of continuing improvement. One of a
series of success tools John uses is goal-setting which he bases on the belting
system of martial arts where the ultimate goal is divided into smaller,
realistically achievable goals. Another martial arts concept John demonstrates
through the ‘breaking arts’ is the breaking of barriers – particularly the
fear-based, self-limiting beliefs that hold us back from achieving our
authentic potential.
I continued to work on my company by attending an online seminar by Brian Walsh from Real Entrepreneur. I will give you my feedback tomorrow about what I learned during the seminar. https://www.realentrepreneur.co/
