Hello, this is Andrew East, and welcome to my blog.
(You have no idea how excited I am to write those words)
For those of you who don’t know me… what rock have you been living under the past few years?! Okay, jokes aside, I’m a professional athlete (currently rostered with the Oakland Raiders), a trained civil engineer, the holder of an MBA, a Christian, and the middle child in a wild family from Indiana. I think that just about covers it…
Oh, and my wife is a gold medal-winning Olympic athlete. You might have heard of her.
I might still be in my mid-twenties, but I’ve lived a pretty full life. I have four siblings, each of whom I love very much, each of whom is completely amazing in their own way. Both of my parents were pretty athletic, with my father playing football at Purdue, and my mother cheerleading there too (thanks for the awesome genes, you guys!).
I’ve always been a sports nut, trying out every kind I possibly could. Somehow I ended up being given a scholarship to Vanderbilt, where I was a two-time captain on the football team. While I was there, I balanced collegiate athletics with studying for a degree in engineering, which… was a little tricky, to put it mildly! I stuck through it though, got my MBA from business school, and caught on with the Kansas City Chiefs afterwards.
The following years weren’t always easy, to tell you the truth. I was flying around for tryouts with different NFL teams, never quite making the grade, while also trying to earn a living. Through it all, Shawn (my wife, for those of you who were too lazy to click the link before!), has been my rock. In turn, I’ve done my best to support her in everything she’s done.
So, why am I starting this blog?
Well for starters, I have a lot to say. Anyone who’s ever met me, or has watched one of the many YouTube videos in which I co-star (I like to think of myself as the star, but Shawn disagrees), will testify to that.
Specifically, I think the things I have to say can help people. I had a strong support network growing up, with my older brother JD being my role model. Now, I have a wonderful wife who’s always there for me. A lot of young guys out there haven’t been as lucky as me. To these fellow millenial men, I hope to provide guidance based on my own experiences. I want to let you in on the things I’ve learned - from my family and friends, my faith, and my own experiences - on a wide variety of topics: dating and marriage, self-esteem, goal-setting, entrepreneurship, exercise and nutrition… the list goes on.
Above all else, I want to motivate you. I want to help make you a more courageous, creative, confident man. Through sharing my own insights and experiences, I want to help you lead a more meaningful and positive life.
Sounds like a pretty tall order, right?
Well, guess what? I’m a pretty tall ambitious guy!
Remember that I’m writing this for you - through all this, I want to hear your input. What you like, what you don’t like, what you want more or less of. Comment on here, hit me up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and let me know what you think. This thing could be great, but I won’t be able to do it alone.
With that, I want to thank you for checking out this first post, and invite you back for plenty more in the future.
One thing’s for sure - this is going to be one heck of a ride.
