The Bottom of the Pool

By Andy Andrews 

This book flection is written and narrated by Leigh Martinuzzi 

It all sounds a bit gloomy – the bottom of the pool. Immediately I think of someone dead laying at the bottom of the pool, however, the book is nothing of that nature. It is a book designed to encourage and inspire. As the subtitle suggests the aim is to help the reader to think outside the box, outside our comfort zones and beyond, in efforts to live a more extraordinary life. Rather than swimming on the surface of the pool with the status quo, Andy strives to take the reader to the bottom of the pool, a place where boundaries are limitless and opportunities endless. 

It is a book about going beyond. All our lives we are taught about how things work, how things are done, how to best live our lives, how to live, laugh and love. For the most part, as Andy explains in chapter 6, most of what we are told, the tools and formulas we are given, are true. At most times they produce “workable and occasionally exceptional results.” Of course, this is fine, if we are happy to stay on a level playing field. Yet, if we moved beyond this, went deeper, what else could be possible. How could our lives be transformed?

Go deeper with your pattern of thoughts. Go deeper into your imagination. Go deeper into understanding how things work. And with all that perhaps we could produce innovative and extraordinary results.

The book is filled, chapter by chapter, with short anecdotes and thoughts about how we can look at things, life, via different perspectives. It’s not loaded with science-backed research of heavy theory; it is simply what I’d call Andy wisdom. He has a way with storytelling and words that satisfyingly fills curiosity, imagination and thought. It left me thinking about my life and how I could move beyond what I’d consider common or average to doing things differently, so to raise my success and happiness. What if???

As I headed towards the bottom of the book by Andy Andrews, I felt his wisdom intensify. Particularly when he started talking about choice as it relates to our destiny and the influence our thinking has over our choices. We all know of that famous quote by Gandhi (see below) and Andy puts his spin on it. If our choices direct our destiny and are influenced by our thoughts than our thoughts are the foundation of the journey in life we experience. And, I believe, we can influence our thoughts by what we expose ourselves to. What we listen to, watch, and consume. And then in within the experience we have, we will deepen our belief, our thoughts and therefore our destiny.

Andy summaries it by encouraging us to connect the dots. To do this we must reflect, go deeper and try to always encourage a deeper understanding of what each dot represents. In doing so may we use all dots to shape a truly enriched life, one that is beyond boundaries and extraordinary. I am guilty of always wanting to go, go, go and one thing I have begun to appreciate is the need to slow, slow, slow. Pause a little. Take time to understand and reflect and in doing so may our thoughts, choices and ultimate happiness be grander.

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.” Gandhi

If this book sounds of interest you can purchase The Bottom of the Pool: Thinking Beyond Your Boundaries to Achieve Extraordinary Results here.

Please leave your thoughts, comments & questions below.

Peace, passion and purpose…

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