Kurek Ashley has had a pretty remarkable life. Whilst working as a stuntman in a Hollywood block-buster film, he witnessed the death of his five friends in a helicopter crash. Unsure of why he survived, Kurek spiralled into depression and addiction, and became homeless. After a series of transformative events, Kurek had a breakthrough and uncovered a gift – the power of love. Kurek’s aim is to now share this with the world.
I first came across the highly engaging, energetic and passionate Kurek at a work event a few years ago. I wanted to know more about his story so I bought Kurek’s book How Would Love Respond? I finished it within a few days and ever since some of his key messages have stuck with me.
The first being Kurek’s suggestions on how to succeed both personally and professionally. Given he coached the Australian women’s volleyball pair to gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Kurek knows about achieving goals. One of his approaches with the girls was to train their minds to focus on the results they wanted. This even included convincing them to buy the cabinet they would use to house their gold medal after winning at the Games. We keep hearing about the power of visualisation in sport, and Kurek also outlines how it can be applied to any other part of your life as well.
Additionally, Kurek believes that you must have goals in your life otherwise you have no direction. Along these lines, he states that “the only way to fail at life is the failure to participate.” Yet it is only goals that get turned into actions that lead to results. He encourages us to dream like a child to work out our “Grand Dream Goals”, which are not restricted by thoughts of money and time etc.
He also suggests that the most empowering question you can ever ask yourself is “how would love respond?” Love being the person that is closest to you. By asking yourself this question when faced with any problem, you can reframe your mind to see things from a different perspective.
For those looking for useful tips on how to achieve your dreams and enjoy life to the fullest, this book is the toolkit!
Because at the end of the day “everything in life is borrowed. You have to give it all back. The only thing you get to keep is the love you gave, the love you received, and the experiences you got to have.”