INTRODUCTION
Use this book as a tool.
Thank you for buying my book. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
Why write this book?
The decision to write this book wasn’t made in an instant – the idea crept up on me over a number of years. When I was 27, I left my career in technical sales and started my own telecoms business. While I’d picked up some useful experience during my fledgling sales career, I was now going it alone and pretty much making it up as I went along. I couldn’t afford mentoring fees or training courses, so everything I learned from that point onwards was self-taught, either through reading business and self-help books or simply on the job through trial and error. To cut a very long story short, I managed to build the business to a point where I could sell the company and move into semi-retirement. My wife and I currently live in Sussex, England, where we’re raising our two wonderful daughters.
Throughout my career I built up a library of autobiographies, business books and self-help books, and much of my reading brought a clarity of vision to my life. Why not, I thought, help others do the same? So I set out to assimilate the key points of what I’ve learned, and the result is this book.
A simple, practical guide
The beauty of this book lies in its simplicity. There’s no jargon, padding or long anecdotes, just useful tips on how to put a plan together and get it done! I’ve broken down the elements of life management into small, manageable steps, incorporating ideas and exercises to help you explore your own thoughts, preferences and possibilities.
I’ve tried to avoid writing too much detail, but if you’d like more information, many of my sources are quoted, so you can dig a little deeper if certain subjects are particularly important to you.
My aim: to guide you to what you really want
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that life isn’t just about making more money and having loads of ‘stuff’. For me it’s also about fundamental human qualities such as love, integrity, passion, caring and gratitude. Each of us is unique, and I want this book to be individual to you and what you want to achieve in your life. Nobody knows you better than yourself, and through a voyage of self-discovery, I will guide you toward more of the things you want and less of the things you don’t want. I will provide you with the tools to become your own life coach. We all have the capacity to understand how to live a successful, meaningful life; we just need to stop letting everything else get in the way. So be prepared to sharpen your pencil and thoroughly assess and improve your life!
In everyday life, it’s easy to forget your objectives, so first I’ll get you focused on your values and goals, and then we can work through the actions you need to take from there. The chapters are short but specific, and together they serve as a playbook for what you want to be and where you want to go, each one shining a light on a different facet of your life.
My aim is to help you focus on the most important questions to ask yourself, so that you can become more self-aware and certain about your life’s direction and reduce the ‘clutter’ that stands between you and your ultimate reality. By figuring out what you really want, you can redefine what both living and loving mean to you – not in a metaphysical, abstract sense, but right here, right now, in your everyday life.
How to use this book
Each chapter of the book can be read (or reread) in isolation, so even if you pick it up and read a section at random, you’ll discover useful and insightful information that will hopefully expand your perspective on that subject. That said, if you do read the book from cover to cover and follow through on the exercises, you’ll reap the maximum benefit.
It’s all very well learning something new, but it’s only when you take action that you truly get the benefit from new information. If you want a book that requires no effort other than reading, then this isn’t the book for you. You can’t just read it and expect miracles to happen in your life – you have to learn the lessons and apply them to your life. The exercises and action steps throughout the book are important because they shift your thoughts outside your head and onto paper. The exercises will help you engage with the material first-hand and help you connect to your core values and discover your life purpose.
So make it a priority to follow the steps laid out within the book, reflecting and writing as you go. This will inspire you and you’ll feel motivated as you achieve each step. Mark up the book with a highlighter pen, make notes or, even better, keep a journal to track your progress and collate ideas as you go.
Bon voyage!
This book isn’t just a book – it’s a living, breathing, organic process, facilitating a journey of self-discovery. I hope you enjoy the process; I hope you enjoy the journey; I hope you feel like you can become your own life coach; I hope you find it energising and I hope you feel inspired to move more powerfully toward your vision.
