I got back from the Tony Robbins Date with Destiny event on the Gold Coast yesterday morning and I am still totally buzzing. The shift that has happened in my body and my heart is truly mind blowing and Tony was right - the reason I THOUGHT I was going to this event was soooo wide of the mark!

For those of you who have no idea of what Date with Destiny is - read this and watch the video.

I have learned so much about myself. There were just so many moments of absolute clarity. Even in areas I did not expect at all.

I will never forget the rush when things suddenly clicked into place. It all just suddenly made sense and I realised how much everything was linked. My psychology and physiology are already completely different and you can’t half notice! People are reacting so differently to me in so many ways. I was a nice guy before but now people just seem to want to stop and talk and connect with me like never before. Ha ha ha, I’m ranting on a bit and might seem a bit ‘loved up’ by the whole thing (and am still very sleep deprived - but hey, who needs sleep) but it is true.

One of the most amazing things was that I was lucky enough to be there with my bro and we have literally spent the last 48 hours connecting and bonding and, man, I’ve never felt so close to him. The difference in our relationship is already obvious. And after spending so much time since Friday night talking to him about the event (we barely actually saw each other all week because we had the best buddies ever!) it is insane how much we are the same and had been conditioned into our old values and rules by strikingly similar experiences and fears - and the more we share the more unreal it becomes. We have literally been following the same patterns in all areas of our lives. Our fears and beliefs have been identical. It is freaky stuff!

I am going to share quite a bit about the event over the next few weeks and am happy to share my experiences and help you to try and go through some of the amazing exercises we covered at the event, but I really urge you to go. I don’t make any money or get any financial gain from you going so take this as a message from my heart - GO. It is on twice a year, once in the states and once on the Gold Coast in Australia. If you have ever been to UPW you will know what a change Tony Robbins can make, but DWD makes UPW seem like play school. It really does.

I was one of those people whose life was ‘good’, ‘easy’, ‘comfortable’ and I didn’t realise how much pain this was actually causing. But seriously, life will never be the same again!

THANK YOU TONY & JOE!

Just a quick update! I know I have not posted on my book challenge yet, but fear not I am onto book 3! The first two (4 Hour Work Week & The Prince) were amazing. Especially the 4 Hour Work Week - totally life changing, and I will post asap. I’m now onto Freakonomics. Also brilliant so far!

So, there will be limited posting again for the next week as Callum and I are off to Date with Destiny on the Gold Coast in Australia! For those that do not know - DWD is a 6 day Tony Robbins extravaganza, almost like a UPW x2!

So Callum is flying somewhere over Asia right now. Quite a mission for him. Much less so for me as I only live in Sydney and it is a short 1.5 hour hop up to Queensland!

But after the event, expect posting galore as we both put into practice what we have learned, discovered and enjoyed from the event! I honestly cannot wait to go - it is the perfect time for both of us not only professionally but personally too.

I love reading because I love learning and developing. However, I still find myself going through phases when I kind of stop reading - for weeks on end! So I am hereby challenging myself to read 26 books over the next 52 weeks.

I have had a long think about the contradiction of this situation - I love learning, reading is a great way to learn and it gives me such a great feeling of satisfaction - so how come I can go through long periods without picking up a book? I think the answer is twofold:

1. I haven’t generally had have set reading times (i.e. before bed, on the way to work etc), and for me personally, until something is habitual I have to schedule it in. So now that I get a bus into the city most days a week, I am going to switch the iPod off and get the book out.
2. I read FAR too much non-fiction. In fact I read marketing, business and self-dev books almost exclusively for the last few years (with the very rare exception). I need to vary it up a bit, give myself a break and throw in some fiction and some other types of non-fiction (I loved studying political history and philosophy at uni, so I want to learn some more of that stuff).

So, every two weeks I’m going to have finished a book and I’ll write a review here. You might not really care that much(!) but it is my way of having accountability. And as we all know, it is the great way to stick to a goal.

So to put it formally:

For the next 52 weeks (until March 9, 2009) I plan to read a new book every 2 weeks, posting the review here on the Monday

So here are some of the books already on my list:

Non-Fiction

The 4-Hour Work Week (up first, see pic for proof!)
The Long Tail
The Game
The Prince
Leviathan
Playing the Moldovans at Tennis
Meatball Sundae & The Dip
1914-1918: The History of the First World War
Call to Action
Brilliant Presentation

Fiction

Don’t Cry for Me Aberwystwyth
Running with Scissors

Hmmm, a bit short on the fiction side so if anyone has any suggestions (or non-fiction, I’m far from 26 books!). As a guide I have loved all of Irvine Welsh’s, Mark Haddon and Malcolm Pryce. Help!

There, that’s it. Its done and I’m ready to go!

It feels good.

Just a quick post to let you know that fighting the spam attack on the forum is top of the agenda at the moment. It has become increasingly time consuming, demoralising and frustrating but we are determined to beat it!

I can only apologise for some of the content that has appeared over the past little while and fully appreciate that many of you have young families and do not want to worry about the content that could be seen on a normally trustworthy website.

For now, while we search for a permanent solution - we are going to have to do a LOT by hand. So if anyone out there has any suggestions then please do let us know.

For the record we have tried:

- many different sign up scripts
- different captcha options
- email verification

If you can help us - then raise your hand!

Thanks again for your patience.

Just recently, the team belied all expectation and finished 5th in the league for two consecutive years. Experts everywhere tipped them to be the team to break the ‘Big Four’ clubs who dominate English football. But then what happened? Ten games into the new season and the team were in the bottom three.

Time for change.

The manager left, a new manager, Juande Ramos, came in and the team suddenly looked rejuvenated. Only losing four in their last 24 games, things are on the up. Now sitting back in the top half of the league, into the last 16 the UEFA cup and a League Cup final to look forward to on the weekend the team are unrecognisable. But what actually changed?

The team that runs out every weekend is almost identical to the one that sat in the relegation zone. The formation is the same. Everything looks the same, but something is different.

How has this team of underachievers suddenly become a team of winners?

The answer is…diet.

You might think - but they’re professional athletes! Surely they should be eating properly anyway? Apparently not. On his first day in charge, new fitness coach Marcos Alvarez noticed things were awry:

The truth is, the first buffet I saw I took photographs of because it was very interesting. Lots of sauces, a lot of cakes, chocolate muffins, a box full of sweets. So we tried to put things right.

The squad were 100kg overweight.

When these changes were first introduced Michael Dawson, an England Under 21 international, missed two games from detox headaches! Tom Huddlestone, another England U21 player had been out of form and out of the team all season and admitted it was because he couldn’t last for the full 90 minutes of a game - he has played nearly every game since.

Overall the squad has lost half of that extra weight, and there is still some room to go. Since those changes started come into effect:

They have now lost between 40 and 50 kilos. Now getting the rest off is the most difficult part - but we have also turned a lot of fat into muscle. At the start, the players complained as we were taking away the things they liked. But gradually they have understood that we have done it so they can improve. And as the results have improved they have realised that it is necessary. They have all lost weight — some drastically. But they have seen how performances have improved and the team has moved up the league and they have accepted it.

The man behind the diet, Antonio Escribano has similarly transformed Spanish sides Sevilla, Xerez, Murcia and Deportivo La Coruna, as well as bullfighters, models, dancers, marathon, triathletes and many other sporting stars.

Is it the foreign influence? Possibly, but closer to home we know that clubs such as Bolton Wanderers have recruited the likes of Phil Richards, who is a fan of the alkaline approach to health - green, fresh, raw, healthy, energising foods and drinks. Phil also works with the likes of Amir Khan, professional rugby and cricket players and olympic athletes - so we know the trend is spreading.

Even the Independent ran an article highlighting the difference between now and then, highlighting one of the modern game’s true revolutionaries, Arsene Wenger, as one of the first to bring his team into line (and look at the difference he made there).

Now, it’s not always called alkalising, but the principles are there. A quick scan of the new Tottenham diet reveals that excessive meats, cooked oils, condiments, sweets, sugar, fizzy drinks etc have all been cut out and have been replaced by green foods and wholesome meals. The players are even given fresh juice at half-time.

The alkaline/acid balance approach to health has always struggled to get mainstream attention. But it is starting to be taken seriously. Gone are the days when footballers finish the match with a can of beer and a fish and chip supper. They are now super-athletes. The amount of money that is poured into, and generated by, football means that there are HUGE expectations on these players to deliver consistently high results. The professional game has moved on - and every team is seeking that little difference that sets them apart from their rivals.

In this intensely competitive environment, could it be that the alkaline diet is giving them that edge?

We’ve had one hell of a busy ride over the last six months and we’re expanding quicker than ever. As such a few things took a bit of a back seat and the blog was sadly one of them. I guess we’re still coming to terms with everything because we are still a relatively new, small business who is finding it’s feet. Now that we’ve got the management of the business coping with our new found success we have put the extra resources and processes in place to allow me to continue blogging! Hooray! It really is probably the part of this job that I enjoy the most, so I am glad to be back onto it!

So what have we got coming up? Well, there are lots and lots of exciting projects and things to look forward to! Here are just a few of them (I will be expanding on each a little more over the next few days).

Firstly, we are working closely with Kate A’Vard, who is a trained (by Dr Young) live blood analyst. Kate and Energise are running an ongoing detox and cleanse plan to help you get your health and energy up to the next level and have you feeling better than ever. More information coming soon! (…and, pssst, it’s free!)

Unleash the Power Within is just around the corner AGAIN! It surprises me how quickly this comes around every time! You’d think I would have learned by now. Anyway, as ever we have got some of the most kick-ass seats in the arena, including FRONT ROW, 4th row, Ruby (9th-17th rows) and Emerald (40th row onwards). Click here for more info (psst, all tickets come with the Tony Robbins Personal Coaching Collection FREE!)

Dr Young is coming to the UK! We are really pleased to be a part of this and are offering a range of tickets for this too (inc. front row). He will be going through the alkaline diet in depth and will be doing some live blood analysis on stage too!

…and for a short time we are able to offer 30% off Tony Robbins Pure Energy Greens – meaning that a 6 week supply that was normally £69.99 is now £49.99. Good stuff.

Anyway, the blog is about ready to ramp up again as we move away from winter and into spring so keep your eyes peeled for a raft of interesting articles, recipes, how-to’s and discussion!