CHANGE IS SUCCESS Life has no Remote Control; Get up and Change it yourself. If nothing ever changed there would be no butterflies It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it. Arnold Toynbee

This book is about change and not about being sweet and PC. If what you read angers you or rubs you up the wrong way then my job is done because the truth has a knack of creating these emotions. Take what you read with a pinch of salt but know that you have the choice to change at anytime. Why not start today New Years resolutions are for the weak. You start when you take action and by purchasing this book you have already admitted to yourself that you want change and you want it now.

PERSON 1

You dont own the four walls you live in and help the owner pay their interest and mortgage by a means called rent (which they possibly take a small profit from to add insult to injury) pretty much everything within it is on credit purchased using the good credit you once had. Your friends are probably in a similar position; smoking and bad health is a common trait amongst you and your family and you probably drink to escape your reality which doesnt help your health.

You live a keep up with the Jones lifestyle trying every moment to appear to be financially well off but in fact you are in debt and savings is as uncommon as owning an asset. You procrastinate and fear taking a chance because you already feel like a failure and failing at one more thing will only make you feel less inadequate. Last but not least you hate your job and cant stand giving up 80% if your life to go and fulfil your bosses ambitions and chase his/her dreams because yours..well your dreams dont count why because youre broke and have no wealth.

WHAT IS WEALTH? Wealth is the ability to control ones surroundings; and of course the more money you have at your disposal, the more willing people will be to assist you, for a price naturally.

Success comes from change and change stems from action. Action is something we either control or react to. Below are two types of people who fall into one of these categories. They are completely different to the point that one is in paragraph format whereas the other is listed through bullet-points. Which one are you and be completely honest with yourself because how can you ever change what you cannot accept.

PERSON 2 - Owner of several properties

- Mortgage paid by tenants (Mortgage is an option)

- Car owned not leased (if leased because you chose to as a financial option not because it was the only option)

- Owns several assets, has minimal liabilities and expenses in comparison to their income

- Their income increases annually not as a result of a long awaited promotion but because of the positive steps taken to make that a reality

- Credit is literally perfect and keeping healthy is something done as fun to stay in shape not to get in shape

- Has several savings, ISAs, bonds, stocks and shares is a hobby and constantly learning and tapping into asset purchases and management

- Constantly surrounded by positive people who empower and make those around them better. Never seen with those who put you down or lead you down the wrong path. They have a positive impact on your life.

- Never tries to appear rich or in good wealth like someone with a great body it is always visible whether you try or not.

- Not boastfully intelligent but anyone talking to them can hear intelligence, wisdom and experience that no school, college or university could teach them.

- Admired, respected and looked up to you. People are either on their path or attempting to follow in their stead

- Procrastination does not exist in their life and the only thing they fear is not trying

This person is a walker not a talker

Of course there are more than two types of people in this world and I am overgeneralising to say the least; but the key is to find where most of your traits liein either person 1 or in person 2.

In no way am I trying to offend or belittle anyone here but lets be Frank not Kwame for a minute; given the choice would you rather not have a choice than to be made to feel you do. The Merovingian from Matrix reloaded quoted,

CHOICE IS AN ILLUSION CREATED BETWEEN THOSE WITH POWER AND THOSE WITHOUTSuccess to me is achieving a certain level of financial intelligence and control of ones surroundings and as a result being able to make the choices you want; not what someone or something is telling you to. It is why so many are unhappy there pursuit is of someone elses happiness, someone elses goals, not their own. Their choices are limited to a box and only that which is therein. To imagine a world where they can make their own choices and do what is within their hearts requires change. A complete makeover; except in this instance the Gok Wan is you no one else.

Now if your lifestyle and habits are more closely related to person 1 then we have already established that you need change; now you ask What do I change How do I change and Where do I start.

WHAT DO YOU CHANGE? The difficulty most find with change is that they have become accustomed to that way of living and changing what I describe as ways of life can be very challenging. I read a book by Tony Robbins The giant within and he describes something called NACs (neuro associated conditioning). In a nutshell NACs are conditions in our neurological make up that are put there through repetition and eventually become trigger points for things we do in our day to day lives. So perhaps when you get stressed and have a lot on at work you usually ask a colleague for a cheeky fag and pop downstairs for a smoke. This relieves you and helps you deal with workload. You do this perhaps twice a month till after several months it becomes a habit that whenever youre stressed the thought of a cheeky ciggie puts a smile on your face. You have now neurologically conditioned your mind to have a cigarette whenever The going gets tough the puffs get going. Or rather than a cigarette lets substitute it for a chocolate doughnut both as irresistible and addictive for the weak minded.

Now imagine trying to stop this feeling this urge that you have been doing for the past 10 years.how in heavens name do you stop.

THE KEY IS TO CHANGE THE FOLLOWING

Thinking/ Mindset

Stress levels

Health

Associations

Financial knowledge

Employment

Thinking or Mindset

The way we think about situations and respond to them is sometimes the problem. We all face challenges in our day to day lives but sometimes the problem isnt the issue it is how we handle the situation that can increase the severity of the problem and potentially make things worse. Panic, anger and becoming emotionally lost in a challenge can remove the necessary focus essential to resolving the issue swiftly. You see all challenges/problems etc will eventually pass but like a tornado tearing through a village; the key is to reduce the damage they may cause during their presence or simply reduce the lifespan of their very existence.

When a challenge strikes rather than dwelling on the issue immediately think of the solution and what to do next. Most people spend too much time thinking and mourning the repercussions of their personal issues; whereby had they targeted the solution straight away they would more than likely be in a position much closer to the solution.

How we think is the primary step and angle for creating change. It is from thinking that all action is created so by changing your thought mechanism and process then the actions will follow. Many of our thoughts are put together by society and our circle who derive of average and unfortunately poor people. When I say poor I dont mean financially they cannot afford bread or shiny things; in fact many of the designer clothes and expensive trinkets sold are purchased by the poorer communities because they yearn to show that they are anything but.poor.

Now when I say poor; Im speaking of the poor minded or financially nave individuals that walk this planet with their minds closed and their mouths permanently open. You see wealthy people think in a completely different way to the poor and as a result have a totally different environment.

DIFFERENT THOUGHTS = DIFFERENT ACTIONS = DIFFERENT RESULTSNow I want you to begin to see yourself as a wealthy person and do as they do. You will begin to see changes and people in your network will notice the changes too. Infact some of your close acquaintances may speak negatively of your change and advise you to change your ways. Ignore them they are the anchors in your life holding you back and the changes you are making are like litmus paper exposing their true colours. How can they be on your level when they think differently from you? Distancing and ignoring these acquaintances doesnt mean you write them off. They may be family or people who have your best interest at heart but their wishes advice and responses are not in line with the new you. How can they possibly understand where your mind is at?

No disrespect as some of my younger clients often say, but soldiers do not sit amongst Kings.

HealthDespite preventing Heart disease, Cancer and other poor health related diseases; good health and exercise should be an important aspect of our lives and can prevent stress and make us feel better about ourselves inside and out.

Regular exercise means being healthy in mind. Its a no brainer that making all these changes and achieving goals can be a difficult task and energy draining. Regular training can provide you with that get up and go mentality that is essential to achieving your goals. In this day and age it is easier to get into the training routine as having a good bod and fit abs has become fashionable; its great but you have to be mindful that you do not let the pressure of social media and other platforms draw you into a place of low self-esteem. Remember these mediums are successful because users are able to illustrate what they want and hide what they want reality couldnt be further from the truth.

1. Take things one step a time

Dont overdo it

Start with an easy program

Once you get used to that the next step of increasing will feel less challenging

2. Make a list

At work I have a to do list which I use mainly when I have a lot on and it makes things so much easier

3. Write it down and make it a reality

Writing things down makes a personal promise with yourself and increases the emphasis to yourself to make it happen. It makes whatever you write real. Write on the whiteboard in the kitchen leave post-its on your fridge or by the front door and use this method to praise yourself also.

4. Get a buddy

5. I do have mixed feelings about this point and hypocritically I work out alone but then again Ive been training my whole life. Having a training buddy is great for days when youre not feeling motivated or to give you that little bit of healthy competition.

I like working alone. No one to demotivate me or put me off training and in my line of business you have to be very self-motivated (especially on the days where you feel like youre dragging your feet). I also like being focused and in animal beast mode when I hit the gym. I get my head down and get into it no time for small talk or talking for that matter. Its just me and my music.

6. Contact a local support group

Some of us need a little more support than the rest of us. But do not fear there are fantastic support mechanisms around to assist those with a variety of barriers

7. Reward yourself

I like to reward myself with a spa day not just for a keeping fit but after a tough week in the office. Life is too short to wait for good deeds from others. Treat yourself if youre following these steps you deserve it.

8. Set forfeits

So you used to smoke and you went and had a cheeky fag the other night when out for drinks. Give yourself a little punishment in line with the offence. It was one cheeky fag miss one reward like a the bottle of wine you were going to have Friday night and use that evening to do 20 sit ups to balance the equation. The aim is not to demotivate yourself but to ensure you only discourage the bad habit youre trying to rid (#teamchangemyNACs)

9. Kit yourself out for success

Dont go over the top here but get yourself the outfit. It will make you feel the part and really get into the swing of things

10. Be realistic

Take it one step at a time and go for gold. Overexerting yourself in the first couple weeks could demotivate you and make you feel less likely to want to go out and break a sweat; especially on those sluggish days.

Big life changes take time. Taking babysteps are proven to lead those who have just started to success

11. Work with a personal trainer or life coach

A life coach will be able to discuss what you want to achieve and design a bespoke programme to significantly improve your chances of success.

Maintaining regular contact will keep you on the ball and reduce the likelihood of failure

Intake As a young man I studied a wonderful subject in London Metropolitan University called Biochemistry. It was one of my favourite topics as Science for me provides answers to things in life we take for granted like growth and what happens internally. Now it is a well-known fact that you are what you eat and all you intake. So lets look at two of my old habits

Drinking, Smoking.

In my line of business; recruitment and sales it is almost impossible to pass these two habits up. As many jobs in London it can be very stressful at times and having a little smoke and drink can help take the pain away and ease the pressures that come with the fantastic financial benefits of sales. It is the part of the job they dont tell you in induction. Now my reason for boring you with this information is to let you know that I speak from experience when I say it is extremely tough to give up on these two legal drugs so when offered for the first time please consider the addictive and health implications that come with it.

An office always seems to catch a cold from someone whereas another who dresses anyhow and doesnt cover up never seems to sneeze is an illustration of how similar yet different we are. Our genetic makeup and strength of our immune system is not necessarily inherent. In other words just because aunty Jane smoked for 50 years before dying of an unrelated disease this does not mean the same for you. Perhaps the smoke you inhaled while in her presence from a young age; while your immune system hadnt fully developed may have had a negative impact on you - Food for thought.

Lets not even talk about the amount of money you could save by not buying these extortionately priced narcotics. Dont get me wrong I believe its good to enjoy life and enjoy but who I am addressing here are the addicted whether they believe it or not.

Yes you look cool, rebellious and like someone who doesnt take life so seriously, you may even feel you are part of a secret society where initiation involves public illustration of a beer and a fag in hand.

I honestly used to feel that the odd punt (East London colloquial term for a cigarette) was harmless until I studied Biochemical Toxicology which discussed how the small yet regular intake of carcinogens (hazardous chemicals found in cigarettes) can be just as harmful. We also do something which is completely nave and thats to compare to family members,

But my Aunt smoked until she was 73

The fact is we are all different. Just as one person in

AssociationsAs you grow your circle will diminish. For self-improvement and negative acquaintances are inversely proportional. Do not take this as weakness for it is simply the beginning of a filtration process called growth, change for better and continuous improvement. In Japan it is referred to as Kaizen. Unfortunately even those you love most may fade away and their absence will be felt but do not change you or your path toward greatness, you are beautiful and this is evidence that all you desire is close. It is important to no longer look for change in others, complaining about who and what someone has done or said but to look within yourself. As Bruce Lee put it you must become like water.You never mold yourself to people around you; because you have no shape you are who you are wherever you are. This way you cannot be affected by those who only bring negativity into your life and be open to those who bring positivity and prosperity. Know this reader that your new journey will create new associates who too have a filtrated circle; and like you, are on a path called Kaizen. This is the challenge, the benefit and the journey of change. This analysis is very tricky as not all negatively influential people make you unhappy. Sometimes they are the very ones who bring a smile to your face. Beware for not a smiles are built on bricks and stone some are built on falsehood and short term happiness with long term negative repercussions.

RelationshipsNegative influential traders (NITs)

Have you ever had nits. I would hope not but they are troublesome little so and sos and contrary to common belief do not prey on the unclean and dirty. They infact love clean hair yes pest with OCD. So having great hair hygiene is in fact make you more susceptible. They are also easily transferred from one persons hair to another. They feed on your scalp taking from you and in return give you an itchy scalp and the only way to rid of them is to cut all your hair off (or a more easier route would be to buy lice killer and put it in your hair however for this analogy the initial resolve is more fitting) ridding yourself of them for good.

Well this is exactly the characteristics of Negatively influential traders (nits) they trade with you in a way that you lose and they gain. They feed on the good and healthy and prosperous and take take take. Lets call this prosperous prey HAIR (Have All I Relish) The only way to rid of them is to CHANGE and remove all method of contact to rid of them for good

This is probably the most common of all NITs are those who prey on those who have what they want or wish they had. These are some of the attractants that work very well on NITs

- Happy Home owners- Happily Married/In a great relationship- Prosperous at work and doing well- Great parent- Beautiful inside and out- Making good money - Regular exerciser and healthy person

- Unhappy Home- Relationship is in tatters/Pretentiously looks great but isnt behind closed doors

- Bored at work/Hates their job and sees no prosperous future- Part time parent as too busy playing a predator- Broke or financially nave- Maybe sometimes be pretty on the outside but most definitely ugly within

- Not fit or healthy/Cant be arsed really/Out of shape

You see all these positions are of someone who is happy and has achieved what so many desire but perhaps dont have and in some cases may never. It is the reality of life. Sometimes this can make people bitter and prey on the HAIR people. Some characteristics of NITs are as follows:-

Overgeneralising but look around your circle or associations you will probably see these individuals

Call them out and disassociate yourself from them with great haste for they are NITs

Youre probably wondering how a NIT can pull away a HAIR. We have a weakness in life called routine and with routine comes complacency where we take things we once cherished and worked so hard for granted. Sometimes the only thing that recreate the initial feeling for these things is to lose/almost lose them which keeping close association with a NIT can result in.

Naturally we all will have an issue or a challenge in one of the above areas and who we speak to and there advice can grossly affect the result or how we handle the situation. Perhaps your partner has annoyed you or there is an area you disagree on. Taking solace in a NIT may advise you to do or say something which as a knee jerk reaction may seem positive but more often than not is not the nest advice. Now when the flames hit the fan and your NIT friend isnt there it is you who will have to deal with the brunt not him or her.

Whereas a good positive friend may actually make you see things from another angle playing devils advocate at times as his/her agenda isnt for you to win the battle of the small and more often than not petty argument but to win the war called relationship. This is because the positive associate wants whats best for you in the long run (which sometimes isnt what you want in the short run while tempers are raised).

There are examples for each but you get the gist. There are positive and negative things people around you can do that can heavily impact you. Lets face it the biggest influencers in our lives are our friends Social media (online friends) and TV. The great thing is that we actually have influence over all of these areas. The choice of being on media and who we chose to follow or let in, the friends we associate with and what we take in and allow to influence our lives.

Now what you find is that they tend to be the ones who pull you away

FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGEQuote moments

Any fool can increase their labour hours for more money. The smart people find ways to decrease labour hours and make even more money Anonymous

Many of us listen to people and create our own ideology of what is right and wrong based on misinformation. Dont listen to society, because 98%of society is average and poor.

Lets look at two examples

You receive a cash bonus from work for your hard work in your city 9 to 5 job and immediately begin thinking about what shoes, jewellery or holiday you could spend this on. Now if you were to change your thinking to that of an investor to that of a wealthy individual then as oppose to expenses and liabilities you would be thinking assets and investments that will in turn earn you more income allowing you to still purchase the same items only with surplus cash to use on other things. Change how you think and change your circumstance.

PERSON 1 AND PERSON 2 RECEIVE 3000 BONUS AT THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR

PERSON 1 PERSON 2 Spends 1000 on an all-inclusive holiday to the

MediterraneanInvest 1000 on a Brazilian steel shares in light of the up and coming

Olympics Buys a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes 795 Purchases 2 pairs of Valentino shoes at fashion fair at discounted rate

of 30% RRP value Buys matching accessory 150 Sells 1 pair of Valentinos online for triple the price and keeps other

pair at a profit Gets a new contract phone annual charge 450 Doesnt upgrade phone or get new contract as current phone is in

perfect working order. In fact comes into knowledge from reading trade stock reports that apple are producing a watch phone which will increase stock and invest 2000 buying 10 shares in company

knowing they will quadruple once Apple corner the market with new product

Goes to dinner at the Heron Tower with partner 200 Uses profit made from initial shares in Brazilian steel to dine at Heron Tower using groupon voucher at discounted price

Pays towards outstanding credit bill 400

Puts 100 in savings account

Uses balance transfer to 0 balance and remove all interest on any outstanding balance. Thus Balance on old credit card is paid off

and transferred to new credit card with 12 months interest free and minimal payment is made thus keeping cash flow in the plus

Bonus depleted Result = No Assets just expenses

Verdict Person is a poor person Financial intelligence 2/10

Bonus increased = Assets created

Verdict Person 2 is a wealthy person Financial intelligence 10/10

1. Decide what you really want and what is preventing you from having it now. This is the crucial, first step. Seebook Change is Success.

2. Get leverage. Associate Massive Pain to not changing now and Massive pleasure to changing now. Tony Robbins devised theDickens Patternwhich can create massive leverage in a matter of around one hour. We obtain leverage to make a change once we hit thepain threshold. This is a point when we can no longer stand the pain of not changing. Until we reach this point, we experiencemixed associationstowards changing. That is on one hand we want to change, but on the other we also dont want to change because the pain of not changing is not sufficiently high enough. If something happens that increases the pain to such a high degree so that it hits the threshold, we change. (Another popular form of creating leverage isProvocation)

By changing the way you think about what I call a challenge (problem has a very negative attachment so I like to call them challenges) can actually do one of the following:-

a) Reduce stress levels which will make you more effective at handling the challenge at hand

b) Possibly reduce the severity of the challenge.

WHERE DO I START?NACs (neurological associated conditioning)

THE STEPS

1. Interrupt the limiting pattern. The Pattern Interrupt stage. We get our patterns interrupted a lot of times in our day to day activities. It is common to notice in conversations how people get scrambled when they say Where were we? or I was saying something. We may need to interrupt the limiting pattern consistently (typically about a dozen times but actually based on what the limiting pattern is). If you are overeating, when you are in a restaurant, stand up and shout by pointing to your chair Pig! Do this two to three times and then you wont overeat. Acting the fool, is one way to interrupt your pattern.

2. Create a new empowering alternative. What would replace your old limiting pattern? If you are addicted to cigarette smoking you may have to find an empowering alternative to cigarettes. It may be that you engage in regular exercise, deep breathing and yoga. You just dont stop smoking. You create something that replaces your smoking habit. Also seeOutcome Thinking.

3. Condition the pattern until it is consistent. Keep reinforcing the pattern, whenever the new behavior happens, pat yourself on the back or express appreciation and congragulation if you are helping someone else, as the new pattern begins to take form. Once the pattern is reinforced consistently, the new pattern takes hold replacing the old one.

4. Test it! Finally test whether the new pattern works. Imagine/Visualize the scenarios that trigger the limiting and empowering patterns and notice your responses. Most probably the new pattern would have taken ground by now.

FEARIn the words of the fantastic Chris Gardener, Start where you are. The key is to put aside your fear and get on with the necessary changes.

Fear of loss

Fear of failing

Fear of people saying I told you what you was doing was pointless

Fear of wasting your time

Fear of Change

Fear of being right and actually realising that you have been living in a dream world

Remember to...

1. Be clear on what you want and where you are going.

2. Have an empowering alternative to your limiting pattern.

3. Keep interrupting the limiting pattern as it occurs.

4. Keep reinforcing the empowering pattern as and when it occurs.

5. Get massive leverage to change.

The last point there is the most interesting to me; but in my years of consulting I have come to realise that people fear what they want. Some people have become so accustomed to the crap life has dealt them that they dont know what to do when good things come along. For example a woman who has dated countless men who have lied, cheated betrayed her trust and been disloyal is more than likely to push a good man when he comes along. Fear of being hurt and being put back where she has spent so long to climb out of has made her oblivious to accepting that this guy is just a good guy and if she is not careful may end up pushing him away.

People the key thing is to know that life is about climbing out of deep holes. The more you do it the more you become an expert until youve climbed out of so many you can smell a ditch a mile off and know how to steer clear.

Have you seen the third instalment of the Batman movies - Dark Knight rises by Christopher Nolan?

Spolier alert In this movie Batman played by Christian Bale if beaten to a point that he has his back broken and is held captive in a Cave with no way to escape but by climbing and making a nearly impossible jump to freedom. After several attempts Batman or Bruce Wayne (as he is without his cape an illustration of being in a predicament without your resources that would normally help you) manages to make it and escapes; throwing down a rope to allow others to follow.

I love this part of the movie because he is surrounded by people who arent physically broken but mentally broken. They have come to a point where the fight has left them until they no longer have the ability to do so. They have become institutionalised and will remain in that cave until their dying days. Good old Bruce Wayne ignores the negative words and the historical or daily reminder of why attempting to do something different (although it is what everybody wants) like escaping confinement and breaks free.

So many of us are in this position. You need to block out the people who havent done what youre planning to do; stop listening to them. How can they possibly tell you what and how to do it when they have never done it themselves? Its ludicrous. In reference to the movie there is one person who escaped many years before Bruces imprisonment but this person is spoken of like a myth, a miracle of nature a one in a million and there is only one person who seems to be advising Bruce of the mental state of mind necessary to make the leap of faith.

Surround yourselves with these people. Although they too havent done the impossible they know its possibility and wish to empower those with a chance. I personally love these people.

Employment Do you really want to change? As you may have noticed by now change is something which has to happen in all areas not just one. Think of your car needing its annual service check, if the mechanic were to change the oil filter but not the oil or perhaps the spark plugs and not check your brakes your service wouldnt be complete. You would in actual fact be driving a car not fit for purpose according to MOT regulations if some parts of your car werent changed. In order to have your service or MOT done effectively all components must be checked and changed.

However if some parts are fine and not worn then they can be left but this doesnt omit the necessary check that must occur.

Similarly we have to look at all components that make us. Your job takes up a majority of your week and in

many cases as in Person 1 above is a place youd rather no longer be. However bills, debts and other responsibilities keep you tied in and stop you from making a change.

Now for some of you the step is rather large, Self-employment, change of location, change of profession (where you may have to down grade in order to climb higher up the career ladder).

Let me tell you this; my years in recruitment have taught me this. I have rarely seen a person take any of these steps for any of these reasons and regret it. Dont get me wrong you may land a new job a grade lower than your current and 2 months in, think, What on earth have I done.

Remember there are no mistakes at this level only lessons. The key thing here is to relish in the knowledge that you have now either know that you were right to leave or wrong but in either case you have the knowledge and that in itself is empowering. By staying in your current role in fear of loss or potential regret you are stunting your growth and possibly a great career move.

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