I’m VERY prone to birthday freak outs where I stress that no one will come to my party and everyone will pretend to be struck down with a mysterious fever/ find some half assed reason to bail at the last minute.

Only Bloody Good Chap got to see my pre-bbq anxiety as I flapped around wishing I could cancel it all and go to bed.

Happens every year.

But luckily, all these legends showed up! I made everyone pause their birthday frivolity to take a photo so I could prove I have mates! Look at them all, woohoo, I just wanted you to know that I’m cool and that I fit in. Been trying to prove that my whole life until I realised a few years ago that I don’t fit in, I fit out, and so I best hang out with people who are legendary enough to go against the grain and ‘fit out’ with me.

And so, together we had an awesome birthday BBQ with only REAL conversations.

And lots of chocolate. But alas, no shrimps on the barbie! But some other BBQ items. And so. Many. Salads. Healthy friends eh, sheesh!

You are the sum of the people you hang around with most…

Lucky I’ve stumbled across some absolute legends since moving to Melbourne! Yesterday was a far cry from last year when I literally cried on the floor with loneliness and I-don’t-fit-in-ness a number of times.

I’m privileged to be mates with the most ridiculously honest, open people you’ll ever meet + people who are working on amazing projects that are changing people’s lives and getting paid to do it. We all inspire each other to be more awesome. It’s awesome.

Probably the single most important thing you can do to live a bloody good life?

Hang out with legends! Being around such passionate, kind people is what gives me energy. I’m infinitely grateful for everyone I have in my life.

I’m lucky enough to have amazing friends and family who encouraged me even when I madly quit a “serious” future as an architect to travel the world, study myself, mindfulness, sex, nutrition and coaching and set up my own business coaching rad people to live a bloody good life!

I’m sure some of them wanted to give me a few valiums and say “settle down Andrea, life is hard, just get yourself a nice office job as an architect and be serious. Stop dreaming”, like everyone else did. But they didn’t, they stuck behind me, and they’re still cheering me on now that it’s all excitingly taking off in a way I never expected!

Mates… they’re the most important thing you can possibly have. No amount of bloody goodness is any bloody good without some bloody good mates to share it with.

Take this week to be grateful for your mates –

perhaps you could even sent them a card with a quick scribble of something you think is awesome about them.

Or a text, whatever you’ve time for.

And never stop making friends! It’s never too late to find people who are passionate about what you’re passionate about – or just passionate in general! The internet and meet up sites (and co working spaces and networking groups and hell, even Tinder) make it possible to step outside your comfort zone and find your people all over the world who share your values. How cool is that?

Here’s to friends. To all my friends, old and new, thank you for being fucking awesome.

I definitely have the best friends in the world, all around the world, and I bet you do too. Tag the friends who help make your life way more bloody good.