AUGUST 1995 I'm a teenager and I'm competing in a local tournament. Although I'm not committed to becoming a pro, I take these competitions seriously. I see them as a test of my skill and mental toughness. They're also sanctioned by the LTA (the main tennis organisation in the UK) and they carry ratings and rankings points. More than that, though, I'm playing against my main rival. This kid i...

I've been a hypnotherapist for 14 years. During that time, I've seen hundreds of clients for a variety of issues. One of the first things I tell them is that hypnosis is NOT mind control. Myself, or any hypnotist or hypnotherapist, can't make you do something against your will. In fact, hypnosis is far less exciting than it may initially seem. Entering into a state of hypnosis simply means th...

Think and Grow Rich is one of the most popular self-help books of all time (some estimates point to sales of around 100 million copies). In this blog post, I'm going to explore the most prescient ideas from the book and explain why, almost a century later, they still have the power to change your life.  First, we're going to look at the DCA or Definite Chief Aim. Napoleon Hill (the author) be...

In 2009, Bronnie Ware wrote a blog post about her experiences as a palliative nurse. She worked caring for patients during the last twelve weeks of their lives and made note of their most common regrets.  This blog post went viral, gaining over a million views in a year and landing her a book deal. Her book, 'The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying', sells well to this day and, in this blog post, I'm g...

Almost twenty years ago to the day, I got fired from a filing job at a major UK residential property developer. I lasted four hours! The manager called the temporary agency I was working for at the time and complained about my lackadaisical work ethic and lack of filing experience.  I couldn't believe it. Who needs experience for a filing job? However, as I took my leave from the office and ...

On Thursday 29th of November 2018, it happened! While attending a training day for a writing project I've been recruited to work on (will share the details with you soon), the one thousandth copy of my book was sold.  I was delighted. There was a sense of inevitability as I'd reached 999 sales the night before after selling some copies at a meet up group I run, but it was still fantastic to ac...

Last night, I watched The Secret on Netflix. Despite this movie/documentary being made in 2006, and despite me working in the personal development world, I'd never seen it before. I'd heard a lot about it. I knew that it'd been a personal development phenomenon - selling 30 million copies of the book - and introducing a new audience to the self-help world. I also had a good idea what The Secre...

My Grandma died last month. She was one hundred and one, 2 months shy of her one hundred and second birthday.  Over the years, I watched her pass through the various stages of deterioration. Amazingly, she was still walking and completely independent up until the age of 96. At that point, she had a fall, lost her confidence and, from then on, relied on a walking frame.  Despite this setback, ...

I was talking to one of my tennis students today about her interest in drama and singing. I suggested she might want to pursue it professionally when she left school or university. Her response was that it would never work. Apparently, to make a career as an actress you have to be incredibly lucky. She also mentioned that most people performing in West End shows are barely able to make a livin...

Take a look at the picture on your left. It's the latest, in a 15-year journey, of attempts I've made to advertise one of my businesses.  Fortunately, this one was for free. As a member of a Fitness4less gym, if you agree to offer other members a discount on your services, you can advertise your business on the notice board without any charge.  In case the advert isn't clear, this is my hypno...