Josh Quigley on Second Chances, Life Audits & Happiness – EP055
Season 2
Episode 55

Josh Quigley on Second Chances, Life Audits & Happiness – EP055

Hi there, I’m delighted to share this week’s episode with you. It’s a conversation with Josh Quigley. On the 2nd November 2015, Josh made a video that he shared on Facebook telling the story of surviving a suicide attempt. This video went viral and Josh’s life changed ever since. Josh came my attention a while after that when he gained media attention for his plan to cycle around the world (50k miles) to raise awareness from mental health, depression. Earlier in 2015 Josh attempted to take his own life. He hit a concreate barrier at 80mph. but someone survived and literally walked away. The Movie Unbreakable with Bruce Willis came to my mind when he explained this story to me. He talks about what lead up to it and what life has been like since. A really fascinating story and one that is continuing to evolve. Even since I’ve talked with Josh back in January, a lot has happened, and his journey continues to keep me, and many others on social media very interested. During the conversation, Josh talks about the days and the events that led up to his attempt. He was suffering from severe depression. Struggling with life. He believed that the pain of ending this life would be less than the pain he was feeling at this time. Our conversation goes deeper into these events and the hours, days and weeks that followed. He realized that something special has happened to survive this. He realized he had been given a second chance. It’s now his job to do something with his life. What was to be his last night of his life, turned out to be the best night of his life. A turning point! For the next number of months, Josh went back to his old life and kept the suicide attempt to himself and very close family. He had a conversation with his business mentor that was another big turning point. ‘What other excuses do you have Josh?’ was a question his mentor had for Josh that made him realize he was a victim and was blaming everyone but himself. So, he decided to take 100% responsibility for his life. He created a ‘life audit’ for himself and this helped him figure out how to live a better life! This lead him to start doing big things with his life that would have an impact not only on Josh’s life and mental health but on the lives of others. Topics covered during the podcast:
  • Looking back to Josh’s early life being a very happy and successful young man
  • Realizing that depression and darker feeling were probably always there
  • Breaking up with his long-term girlfriend in 2014 and see this as a trigger point to his depression
  • Gaining confidence from surviving the accident
  • Doing work on himself over the last couple of year, looking at ways to grow and develop
  • Being inspired by Chris Hoy to do some positive work on mental health and helping make others improve
  • Always having a very high ambition to achieve something great
  • A 50k mile Cycle around the world plan as the Tartan Explorer – going around the world on a bike and lessons learned from this experience – having a Forest Gump moment a year into the adventure.
  • Adjusting to life back in Scotland after a year on the bike and having to a few setbacks after the cycle, struggling to identify with a purpose
  • Deciding to do the Camino de Santiago walk in late 2017 which reinforced Josh’s believe that his real purpose is to continue to share his story and drive forward with helping others. It made him so grateful and has given him renewed passion to continue along this journey
  • Self-development through reading and learning
  • Plans for the coming months – more travel, learning and sharing his story helping to inspire others
  • Josh’s two goals are interrelated – his and others health and happiness
  • Being a huge advocate for Meditation and developing the art of doing nothing
1% Better Tips:
  • Having a business mentor that can tell you things very directly and straight
  • Create a life audit on yourself to identify areas in your life that can be improved
  • Meditation being hugely important – finding 20 minutes a few times a day
  • Living to the big 5 every day
  • Sleep & Detaching from your devices at least an hour or two before you go to sleep!
  • Book Recommendations (all on the book page on my site)
    • The Alcamist – Paulo Coelho
    • The Art of Happiness – Dali Lama
    • What to say when you talk to yourself – Shad Helmstetter PhD
  • Best Advice Josh has been given and shares forward – Have, Do, or Be Anything you want in life!
Contact & Connect with Josh: Just a quick note to say thanks for listening. There are a lot of podcasts to choose from and you picking this one means a lot to me. I know that sounds like a cheese-ball thing to say, but it's true! I'm enjoying creating these shows, learning from them and I'm hoping that you are too. To help me make the show even better, I wand & need your help. Your feedback is essential. So, please take a few minutes to get in touch (links below, or subscribe on iTunes and leave a rating or review). If you liked this episode, share out the link via one of the socials. It will help me reach a bigger audience. If One Person gets something from the Episode that makes them 1% Better, I'll be a happy man. Finally, if you really love the show, and really want me to take it to the next level, I've set up a Patreon site where you pledge some financial support. That would be awesome. You will also get exclusive access to upcoming podcasts and article posts that are just for those that are Patron. Connect in with Rob on the socials or via email on: Email    Twitter   Facebook   Website Subscribe to the Rob of the Green Newsletter Here

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