Matt’s one of my favourite people. Whether he meant it or not, he’s taught me how to be better at my relationship, at friendships and at life.
He’s also taught me a lot about awareness.
In 2008, we went to see You Am I at a pub in Melbourne. My girlfriend at the time had done something to her ankle that day –twisted it, I think– but she was tough and you’d never know it if she was in pain. We were standing at the bar, just waiting, and immediately after I introduced her to him, and without her telling him anything, he grabbed a bar stool for her so she could sit down and rest. She looked at him as if he had just read her mind. And I probably did too.
He once told me, if he ever has kids, he wants to teach them how important awareness is. Awareness of who’s (and what’s) around them, how people around them feel, what they want, and what they need. He’s pretty much the best person there is to teach that.
He’s figured out what matters in life and how to live a good life. And he’s helped me make mine better too.
We were also on TV together once:
Here are the things he does and why…
—
Matt Grattidge
Mornings
- ‘If I am running late for something because I have overslept I never rush. Rushing first thing I have found, in the past, has set me up for a day where I don’t feel comfortable and always feel behind even though I might not be. So no matter what it is, even if I’m 20 minutes late I won’t rush because I found my day was lost when I do.
- The first thing I do when I get out of bed is to hug and kiss my girl Good Morning (If she’s still home). After that I will go and stretch for 10-15 minutes. The body gets so compact and tight during sleep that doing at least 10 minutes of deep stretching makes me feel lighter physically which in turn makes me more relaxed in my mind.
- Cereal or Eggs on toast for breakfast. Lately I have been eating breakfast really slowly and I find it to be very calming and it is helping to produce and organised, clearer mind for the day ahead.
- Whatever day it is I will always make time to go for a walk, even if it’s 1-2 km only or depending on my schedule, 20-30km. I love walking, it agrees with my soul. If I have time to walk somewhere then I will every time. I prefer not to drive in as many situations as I can or even catching Public Transport (PT). Not only is walking great for your body but if you have the time you are saving money by not spending it on petrol or PT fares.
- NOT using the word stress in any way in my life. I personally believe the word stress is a creation of Man and only contributes to your life in a negative manner. Problems and complications will always arise. By adding the word stress to it, I see people panic and get anxious and emotional instead of taking a second, looking at the situation, figuring out how important it actually is and then dealing with it accordingly in a calm manner. In developed countries we have this habit of saying ‘We are time poor’. This saying makes me sad because people use it as an excuse to rush around and feel as though they look important. I don’t want to rush for anything, in my experiences, every time I have rushed I have realised it was completely unnecessary and it has taken a while to calm down. And whatever I was rushing for or rushing toward, I have enjoyed less. When I decided to slow down on all those occasions I would have used to RUSH RUSH RUSH, I was more at peace and enjoyed my time so much more.
- My girlfriend Janina is the most important person to me in the world. Every day I take the time to think of something that will make her life easier or better. So whether or not that is simply tidying the house up, doing the washing, preparing dinner or even buying her some flowers or a treat from the bakery down the road, I just want to contribute to her day in a positive way.