Don’t Die With The Music In You!

What a title to an amazing book!

The book is written by an Australian football coach. “Football coach?” Yes a rugby league  coach, but he is so much bigger than this box into which most Australians fit him (as are we all- boxes don’t work!). My husband bought the book and having seen Bennet on T.V and finding him to be a fascinating, wise, multi layered person I read it. I loved the book. It says in the introduction that he is a contradiction.

“Had Thomas Edison put enough time aside to work him out we’d still be sitting in the dark.” He’s also a Queensland Father of the Year.

 ” Wayne and his serene and beautiful wife Trish faced the heartbreak of seeing their first born son Justin become mentally disabled after an adverse reaction to immunisation. Elizabeth was their first daughter and then Katherine was born with physical disabilities that left her wheelchair bound.” People who know Wayne Bennet speak of a loving and gentle father who has been a mentor to many hundreds of young footballers over the years. A strong role model who made a promise to his mother not to smoke or drink or gamble like his father, and who has made something extraordinary of his life despite the odds being stacked against him.

The whole book page after page is a philosophy of life, his life and his wisdom. It’s quirky, funny but above all enlightening and thought provoking.

ATTITUDE MAKES THE DIFFERENCE.

Why? because a human being can alter their  life by altering their attitude.

Bennet says constant reinforcement is the key.” Where do you get it? By spending time every day, every week, listening and reading and mixing with positive people.

We can all learn from people who have turned around their lives. I have a book here called Never Give Up, and it is a good book, carefully stacked alongside Michael Jordan’s I Can’t Accept Not Trying and biographies of Muhammad Ali and Winston Churchill, Fred Daly and Weary Dunlop.

When trying to develop a better attitude, it’s important to keep away from people who continually knock what you’re trying to achieve.

Small people do that, while the greats make you feel like you too can become one of them. Hey, if you can’t keep away from small people, just teach yourself to ignore them.

Ask yourself these questions:

* Am I allowing my life to be governed by daily activities, or do I choose to live in accordance with good principles?

* Am I allowing my life to be governed by outside forces?

* Am I so busy putting out fires that I don’t have time to start any?

* Do I have important goals and dreams I am committed to, or am I creatively avoiding commitments by filling my life with daily activities?”

The quotes Bennet uses are from diverse sources, his insights life changing. His humour dry! If you can find his book I am sure it will inspire you.

Good luck on your journey!

WAYNE BENNETT -DON’T DIE WITH THE MUSIC IN YOU.  First published in 2002 by ABC Books for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Reprinted by Harper Collins Publishers Australia Pty Ltd. ISBN 978 0 7333 2219 8.