Introduction

In my years working with and promoting the very best in the world of personal development, I have seen many people radically change for the better through self-help guidance. I've seen extraordinary transformations. People who have felt desperate and hopeless about their weight, their work, their family, or their life in general, have gone on to take powerful advice or enter a life-changing programme. I have even seen people on the brink of suicide find new meaning in life, and go on to embrace their futures with renewed hope and positivity.

It is a heartening and empowering experience watching geniuses at work-and deeply rewarding. Knowing that the work I do can connect people with empowering ideas and make their lives so much better is what keeps me going. Knowing how transformative this work can be, I am extremely happy to recommend that you read and study the greats (I name a few later). At the same time, working with and closely studying these luminaries, I have formed my own insights into success and helping people get what they want in life. I've seen what works, and I've witnessed what doesn't. That is what I'm offering here, to share with you all the powerful insights that I have built up over the last decade.

Important to note is that, when you work with so many greats it's difficult to come forward and share your story, but there comes a time in life when you need to come forward, step up, hold the flag, stand under the light.

This book in very simple terms intends to make you think, to make you think quality thoughts, to think BIG (there is no other way) and to ask yourself POSITIVE and EMPOWERING QUESTIONS. That is it in a nutshell.

I've used my experience to help me build up my business, The Best You. It offers a platform to showcase the techniques and advice from the world's greatest thought leaders. Techniques I've seen result in positive change. That's how I know they work.

At the same time, I'm human. I have flaws. I've made many mistakes (and still make them!), and that's another reason why I'm writing this book-so you don't have to make my mistakes and so that you can benefit from my experience.

My journey of self-discovery took a real turn in my mid-thirties. Up to then, I had experienced life at a reactive level, without really taking charge. Even so, I thought I was relatively well-read and pretty successful thanks to my skills in selling.

My early years were no different nor more challenging than many other people. I was born in London, the son of Spanish immigrants-both were very hardworking, as immigrants often are. I was later raised in Spain by my two loving parents who saw to it that I grew up happy and secure.

That changed at the age of 15, when my father died. My mum, as many widowed parents do, became 'super human,' working hard to provide for me, ensuring I had a great education, and giving me a firm understanding of the importance of hard work, respect and self-belief.

My early jobs included working in a bar as a DJ during summers and on weekends starting when I was 15 up until my mid-twenties. I also spent 13 months in the military police at the age of 19. But my first proper job came when I was 20 when I started selling timeshare properties.

I went broke twice. The first time was at the age of 26. I had a nine-month-old son and a pregnant wife at the time, and there was nothing to do but carry on. Five years later, though, I was worth millions on paper. The going was good for many years.

Then, at the age of 40, I lost it all again. This second time around was much worse. I went from living a very comfortable life in a beautiful house with money in the bank to having nothing overnight. It was terrifying. I'd wake up in the middle of the night worried, doubting myself, and unsure of how I was going to provide for my loved ones.

What I learned was I had to go back to basics, and take a day at a time.

But the second bankruptcy also brought another turning point. Things were changing. I had already started to get a new understanding of myself and the world, and this second great loss was what cleared the way for me to follow my true passion.

So, what started this transformation?

As I mentioned previously it was Paul McKenna's Change Your Life In Seven Days, when I became aware of Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

The book was powerful, and after taking NLP training and attending numerous seminars run by Paul McKenna in London, the extraordinary changes I saw in people at those trainings inspired me so much that I decided to help others. Back then, I also wanted to put into writing what I had begun to learn, so others could benefit from it. I became an NLP Practitioner, Master Practitioner, and eventually an NLP Trainer under the guidance of Dr Richard Bandler, co-creator of NLP.

But there was plenty more for me to do in-between times, and many more life lessons to come. They say your passion pulls you in certain directions, and I soon found that after Paul moved to America, I had the opportunity to continue running the training courses in London for Richard Bandler and at a later date Paul McKenna too.

I remember the day I made the decision to take that opportunity. I was at home, sitting with my wife in Spain, in the middle of an unfolding disaster. At the time, my real estate company was going under, and now I was being told that the option of running a training company was on the table. What should I do? There was a moment when I had to decide. Was I willing to pursue it? If I did, it meant leaving my family in Spain, commuting weekly to London and promoting events and seminars-something new that I had absolutely no idea about. I had experience in sales and marketing, but not running events and everything that is required to put them together.

Suddenly, the questions came to me: If not me, then who? And if not now, then when?

It was a surreal moment. With that decision I became a high-profile leader for the man I had been learning NLP from. One day I'm training with these guys, the next day I am trying to negotiate fees.

It was a huge leap. Yet, it was the right thing to do.

Ten years on, my company is one of the largest personal development organisations in the world. We train and connect with tens of thousands of people every year through our events. We hold The Best You EXPOs and publish one of the foremost personal development magazines with over 50,000 digital subscribers. And along the way I have had the pleasure of meeting, working with and interviewing so many great people.

I am now over 50 and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that it's vital to adapt. The NLP training company I took over has grown and changed so much in 10 years, and I've had to change along with it. I'm now also Chief Inspirational Officer of The Best You, a leading personal development company based in London, with a global reach. My personal experience from seeing the good that personal development can do, from seeing the extraordinary, talented people who help others find their way in the world, has inspired me to write this book.

I can't possibly list them all, but the work and books of many self-help geniuses have shaped me. Napoleon Hill, Jim Rohn, Stephen R. Covey, Tony Robbins, Les Brown, Brian Tracey, Eckhart Tolle, Jack Canfield, Bob Proctor, Robert Kiyosaki, Sharon Lechter, Richard Branson, John DeMartini, Deepak Chopra, Dr Kevin Schwartz, Jason Vale, Sir Clive Woodward, Michael Neill, Robert Holden, Grant Cardone, Barbara de Angelis, Mastin Kipp and Breneé Brown are just a few. And of course I've had the honour to work directly with John LaValle, Paul McKenna and especially Dr Richard Bandler who I am deeply grateful to.

In my personal development journey, I've been privileged to meet people who have helped bring about changes in people's lives, not only in developed countries but also in those in some of the most trying conditions in the world. I've met inspirational leaders, artists, Olympians, businesspeople, healers and helpers.

With all the knowledge and wisdom I've absorbed, I have come to realise I can't just keep my insights to myself. I know others will find them powerful. Useful.

Everything created in the world is originated by a question. Questioning things is good-being curious, wanting to know more, pushing yourself on.

In this book I look at the core skills of how some people push themselves and go further, while others simply give up-live without attempting to make a dent in this planet.

Life is a collection of memories of moments; understanding your true meaning and purpose will ensure you live a life with no regrets. A life where hopefully at the end of your days you will know you did everything in your power to truly live a fulfilled life.

So, this book is designed to encourage you to ask the same questions of yourself that the extraordinary people I've met over the years, in their different ways, have asked themselves.

The Question has many forms:

• What am I here for?
• What can I do to make a difference in the world?
• How do I live a fulfilled, happy life?
• What do I do now?
• How do I make the world a better place?

That is what this book is about, and it is also about the attitude of those who have successfully answered...