The Best You September 2014

www.thebestyoumagazine.co

THE BEST YOU TRANSFORM • INSPIRE • MOTIVATE • ENRICH • EMPOWER • ENJOY SEPTEMBER 2014 / PRICE £3.99

ADAM WALKER Travels the world and the seven seas

OVERCOMING ILLITERACY Paul Connolly tells us his story

GEORGE CLOONEY

HAILED AS THE LAST GREAT MOVIE STAR, WE LOOK AT THE MAN BEHIND THE SWAGGER

CAREER SATISFACTION

WHAT DOES IT TAKE...

DIARY OF A JUICE CLEANSE

WE LOOK AT THE WORLD'S BEST EMPLOYERS

TO BE A DANCE INSTRUCTOR? WE TALK TO SIMON BRESSANELLI

OUR DEPUTY EDITOR HAS TAKEN THE PLUNGE

ALSO: WE PROFILE THE PIONEER OF MUSIC STREAMING

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SEPTEMBER 2014

CONTENTS

REGULARS

5 EDITOR’S LETTER

Bernardo Moya welcomes you to the latest issue of The Best You

18 WE SUPPORT… National Literacy Tust – fighting to end illiteracy in the UK

29 BOOK REVIEWS We give you our top literary choices – a small selection of what’s available

60 THE BEST YOU DIRECTORY Find the best coaches, trainers and practitioners here

16

FEATURES

22 MR PERSONALITY

TOP 6 PLACES TO WORK

We profile George Clooney – genuine movie star and philanthropist

DOES YOUR JOB MAKE YOU HAPPY? THE BEST YOU LOOKS AT PLACES WITH THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF JOB SATISFACTION

26 TRAVEL THE WORLD AND THE SEVEN SEAS

Bernardo Moya interviews Adam Walker, the first Briton to swim all seven seas

INNER YOU 10 POWER VS. FORCE: PART 2

We feature the second instalment from David Hawkins’ bestselling book

12 HARNESS YOUR INNER CHILD Andrew Parson explains how being childlike can make life better

ENJOY LIFE

16 TOP 6 PLACES TO WORK

Does your job make you happy? The Best You looks at places with the highest levels of job satisfaction

22 MR PERSONALITY WE PROFILE GEORGE CLOONEY – GENUINE MOVIE STAR AND PHILANTHROPIST

19 IT’S THE GOOD NEWS

With so much of what we read in the papers being negative, The Best You is bringing you some good news

20 15 TIPS TO EMBRACE CRITICISM

When someone criticises you, it hurts.

Lori Deschene has some advice on how to give it a positive spin

THE BEST YOU No. 23 · September 2014 · Year 2 · EDITOR / PUBLISHER Bernardo Moya · DEPUTY EDITOR Zoë Henry · ASSOCIATE EDITOR Bryan Szabo · COPYWRITERS Aaron Wells and Peter Rogers GRAPHIC DESIGN Joanna Frackiewicz and Luke Cleary · NEW MEDIA Allan Banford TECHNICAL CONSULTANT Martin Carter · ADVERTISING advertising@thebestyou.co The Best You Corporation LTD 5 Percy St. · London, United Kingdom, W1T 1DG · Tel: +44 (0)845 230 2033 · www.thebestyoumagazine.co

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SEPTEMBER 2014

CONTENTS

LIVE LOVE LEGACY

36 OVERCOMING ILLITERACY

Paul Connolly, bestselling author of Against All Odds, tells us his inspirational story

39 MEANING MEANS EVERYTHING We welcome brand-new columnist Jim Aitkins. His first column is all about connotations

40 WHAT DOES IT TAKE… …to be a dance instructor? We chat with Simon Bressanelli, one of Swing Patrol’s talented instructors

FEEL & LOOK GOOD

44 DRIVE, POWER AND SUCCESS

40 WHAT DOES IT TAKE… …TO BE A DANCE INSTRUCTOR? WE CHAT WITH SIMON BRESSANELLI, ONE OF SWING PATROL’S TALENTED INSTRUCTORS

Life and business coach Geoff Edwards gives some tops tips on taking control of your life

46 BEATING THE ODDS This month, we observe Lymphatic Cancer Awareness Week. Miranda Leslie tells us about her experience

49 DIARY OF A JUICE CLEANSE Our deputy editor Zoë Henry has taken on the impossible – three days without solid food

WEALTH & RICHES

52 DEVELOPING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

Personal brand expert Malcolm Levene says that the way you present yourself is down to you

55 THEY MADE IT IN AMERICA Ron G. Holland looks at the working-class immigrants in the United States of America and analyses how they succeeded

56 USING THE POWER OF ATTRACTION Dr. Rohan Weerasinghe gives us some advice about attracting the right kind of wealth

58 THE ROCKY ROAD TO SUCCESS

64 HITTING THE SPOT WE PROFILE DANIEL EK – THE MAN WHO FOUNDED SPOTIFY AND REVOLUTIONISED MUSIC STREAMING

The Best You looks at some historical figures who didn’t have success handed to them on a silver platter

21 CENTURY LIVING ST

64 HITTING THE SPOT

We profile Daniel Ek – the man who founded Spotify and revolutionised music streaming

66 HIGH TECH Associate Editor Bryan Szabo looks at some of the latest gadgets that might just improve your life

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THE BEST YOU

Let’s compliment

A BIT MORE

L

iving in a big, and at times stressful, city like London can make us less receptive to communicate and engage with others. Add modern technology into the mix, and it’s a wonder we still communicate face-toface at all.

Recently I’ve been thinking, do we compliment each other enough? And the answer is I don't think we do. The fact is that it feels good to receive a compliment. Compliments bring positive feelings that come because someone has noticed something about you they thought was worth praising. When you receive a great compliment, you feel absolutely incredible, as though all self-doubt just melts away.

Compliments are important components of sociability, but it can also have an amazing impact on someone’s day.

Complementing your wife on how

beautiful her dress looks, complementing your friend on much you admire him or her, complementing your son or daughter on how proud you are of them, or even a total stranger on how good they look. Try it and see how it feels.

Of course, your compliment isn’t intended to make you feel better; it is supposed to make someone else feel better. But when you make the people around you happier, you tend to feel better about yourself.

I think its great to give them and it also important to enjoy those you receive. Maybe a loved one is complementing you often, but you’re not listening.

Of course paying people compliments is all about making them feel good, and that’s really what we are in the business of doing. This magazine was put together for one reason and one reason only – to help you become the best

version of yourself you can be.

We want to make you feel good – not only by guiding you in the direction of self improvement, but pointing out the things you are doing right too.

In this issue we profile George Clooney – the dashing Hollywood star that is using his superpower of celebrity to help the less fortunate. And I interviewed the very inspiring Adam Walker, who recently completed swimming the seven seas. It’s also International Literacy Awareness Week this month, so we got Paul Connolly to tell us his story

EDITORIAL

about overcoming his illiteracy.

We’d like to compliment him for bravery for taking on this challenge.

This month, try complimenting people too.

What do you have to lose?

Tweet me and let me know what effect it had on you and those you complimented. I'm curious. And by the way, I really appreciate you reading my editorial. Thank you. b

BERNARDO MOYA,

Editor-in-Chief Follow me: @Bernardo_Moya

“If people did not compliment one another there would be little society.” – Luc de Clapiers

WE WANT YOUR STORIES The Best You is all about inspiring people. If you have a tale to tell that you think will help someone become the best they can be, please tell us.

video slider gallery

3600 gallery Hotspot

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THE BEST YOU CONTRIBUTORS

BRYAN SZABO

ANDREW PARSONS

DAVID R. HAWKINS

works as an executive coach and is director of Reciprocal Minds Limited. Along with Ann Craig, a holistic healer and Reiki Master, Andrew created Journey to I am..., which offers practical ways to build a life of purpose - one full of mindful curiosity, compassion and acceptance.

is a Canadian-born freelance editor and published autor who specialises in helping authors realise their potential as writers.

He believes that everybody has a story that can and should be told. His prominent appearance on the acknowledgement page of dozens of published works is proving that the voice he is helping budding authors to find is a precious thing indeed.

M.D., Ph.D., is an internationally renowned psychiatrist, consciousness researcher, spiritual lecturer, and mystic.

Author of more than eight books, including the bestseller Power vs.

Force, Dr. Hawkins’s work has been translated into more than 17 languages.

MALCOLM LEVENE

NATALIE EKBERG

is a personal branding expert whose approach to personal branding is underpinned by what he describes as our Inner Brand: values, beliefs, personal integrity, etc. and our Outer Brand: communication, body language, appearance and demeanour.

@MalcolmLevene

is a career transition coach, author and entrepreneur. She offers support and guidance for anyone who is seeking inspiration to make a career transition and become a happier and more fulfilled person. She merges the principles of the Law of Attraction with other unique business tools to achieve better and faster results.

JIM AITKINS

GEOFF EDWARDS

LORI DESCHENE

is an American author. He speaks and trains for corporations and organisations on the topics he writes about. He believes personal growth is easier than most people think and should be fun. Visit Jim’s blog, Obstacle Blaster, and leave a comment if you like what you see.

@VeritasPublish

is an internationally accredited Life Coach with over 25 years of coaching experience who can support you on your journey to success with results that last.

Geoff provides a wealth of experience in the areas of personal fulfilment, motivation, focus, balancing work/ home and business success.

PAUL CONNOLLY

RON G HOLLAND

SIMON BRESSANELLI

ZOË HENRY

@SwingPatrolLdn

@absolutelyzoe

is a British celebrity fitness trainer who overcame illiteracy when he was in his 20s. In 2010, he had the bestselling book Against All Odds published, which told the poignant but funny story of his life thus far. He is regularly featured on TV and other media outlets.

@connollycole

is a corporate financier, business strategist, published author, and he runs his own portfolio of businesses. He has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and medium-sized organisations create success by implementing proven solutions that deliver tangible bottom line results. His clients come from all walks of life, but all have one thing in common: they demand demonstrable results.

began his swing journey in Beijing in 2009, where he quickly fell in love with both the dance and the music. He has been teaching with Swing Patrol since 2012 and has performed at various events across the UK, including on Bond Street for Hermes as part of Vogue’s Fashion Night Out.

is the founder of Tiny Buddha, author of the Tiny Wisdom eBook series and co-founder of Recreate Your Life Story, an eCourse that helps you get unstuck and change your life. She's now seeking stories to include in her next book, 365 Tiny Love Challenges by Tiny Buddha.

@tinybuddha

is the Deputy Editor of The Best You and, although she is new to the world of NLP, she is utterly convinced. You can see her work right here every month where she turns stories about the crème de la crème of the personal development world into a glossy, monthly magazine.

@Ron_Holland

The Best You is published by The Best You Corporation Ltd, 5 Percy Street, W1T 1DG. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect The Best You Corporation Ltd, policy.

The Best You Corporation Ltd accepts no responsibility for views expressed by its contributors.

Advertisements and reader offers are not endorsed by The Best You or The Best You Corporation Ltd.

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THE BEST YOU INNER YOU

THE BEST

YOU

Life Without Limits

TM

Connect with the wonderful, special, and powerful inside.

Learn new ways to get your mind and body in balance, bringing out the rich core of your being. Discover the secrets that will enable you to take charge of your inner life and become The Best You.

POWER VS. FORCE: PART 2 We feature the second instalment from David Hawkins’ bestselling book

HARNESS YOUR INNER CHILD Andrew Parson explains how being childlike can make life better

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INNER YOU DAVID HAWKINS

POWER VS. FORCE: part two In January of this year we published the first of two excerpts taken from Power Vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior

by David R. Hawkins, M.D. Ph.D. This is part two. It is published by Hay House (2012) and available at all bookstores or online at: www.hayhouse.com.

I

t was not possible to function effectively in the world. Along with fear and anxiety, all ordinary motivations had disappeared. There was nothing to seek, as all was perfect. Fame, success, and money were meaningless.

Friends urged me to be pragmatic and return to my practice, but there was no incentive to do so. However, I discovered that I could perceive the reality that underlay personalities; I saw how the origin of emotional sickness lay in people’s belief that they were their personalities. And so, of its own, my practice resumed and eventually became huge.

People came from all over the United States—I treated 1,000 new patients a year. I eventually had 50 therapists and other employees working for me; 2,000 outpatients; a suite of 25 offices; and research and electroencephalic laboratories. I was invited to appear on radio and network television shows— including the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour, the Today show, and The Barbara Walters Show. In 1973, I reported on the work I was doing in the book Orthomolecular Psychiatry (with Nobelist Linus Pauling as co-author), and it seemed to strike a nerve with many people.

LOVE, RADIANCE, AND MIRACLES

T

he overall condition of my nerves improved slowly, and then another phenomenon began—a sweet, delicious band of energy started to flow continuously up the spine and into the brain, where it created an intense sensation of continuous pleasure. Everything in life happened by synchronicity, evolving in perfect harmony, and the miraculous was commonplace.

The origin of what the world would call miracles was the Presence, not a personal self. What remained of the personal “me” was only a

witness to these phenomena. The greater “I,” deeper than my self or its former thoughts, determined all that happened.

The state had been reported by others, which led to my investigating spiritual teachings—including those of the Buddha, Huang Po, and other enlightened sages; and more recent teachers such as Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaja—and thus confirmed that these experiences weren’t unique. Suddenly, the Bhagavad Gita made complete sense; eventually the same spiritual ecstasy reported by Sri Ramakrishna and the Christian saints occurred.

Everything and everyone in the world was luminous and exquisitely beautiful.

DAVID HAWKINS

All living things became radiant, and expressed this radiance in stillness and splendor. It was apparent that all of mankind is actually motivated by inner love, but has simply become unaware; most people live their lives as though they’re sleepers unawakened to the perception of who they really are. Everyone looked as if they were asleep, but they were incredibly beautiful—I was in love with everyone.

It was necessary to stop the habitual practice of meditating for an hour in the morning and then again before dinner because it would intensify the bliss to such an extent that functioning was not possible. An experience similar to the one I had as a boy in the snowbank would recur, but it became increasingly difficult to leave that state and return to ordinary life.

The incredible beauty of all things shone forth in all its perfection, and where the world saw ugliness, I saw only timeless beauty. This spiritual love permeated all of my perception; all boundaries between here and there, then and now, or me and you disappeared.

The years were spent in inner silence, and the strength of the Presence grew. I had no personal life— my personal will no longer existed. I was an instrument of the Infinite Presence, and I went about and did as it willed. People felt an extraordinary peace in the aura of that Presence. Seekers sought answers from me, but as there was no such individual as “David” any longer,

what these people were truly doing was finessing answers from their own selves, which were no different from mine.

As I looked at each person, my self shone forth from their eyes.

How did I get into all these bodies? I wondered.

The miraculous happened, beyond ordinary comprehension. Many chronic maladies from which I had suffered for years disappeared; my eyesight spontaneously normalized, and I no longer needed the bifocals I had worn for much of my life.

Occasionally I would feel an exquisitely blissful energy— an infinite love—that would suddenly begin to radiate from my heart toward the scene of some calamity. For instance, I was once driving on a highway when this amazing energy began to beam out of my chest. As I rounded a bend, I saw that an auto accident had just occurred; in fact, the wheels of the upturned car were still spinning. The energy passed, with great intensity, from me to the occupants of the car, and then it stopped of its own accord. Another time, I was walking down the streets of a strange city, when the energy started to flow down the block ahead of me. I happened to arrive at the scene of an incipient gang fight, and the combatants fell back and began to laugh. Then the energy stopped again.

Profound changes of perception came, without warning, in improbable circumstances. While dining

RECOMMENDED READING

INNER YOU

alone at a restaurant on Long Island, the Presence suddenly intensified until every person and thing, which had appeared separate in ordinary perception, melted into a timeless universality and oneness. In the motionless silence, I saw that there are no “events” or “things” and that nothing actually “happens” because past, present, and future are merely artifacts of perception, as is the illusion of a separate “I” that is subject to birth and death. As my limited, false self dissolved into the universal Self of its true origin, there was an ineffable sense of having returned home, a state of absolute peace and relief from all suffering. For it’s only the illusion of individuality that is the origin of all suffering— when one realizes that one is the universe, complete and at one with all that is, forever without end, then no further suffering is possible. b

The Best You website is packed with loads of great books, DVDs, CDs, downloads, free articles, and reports.

Check it out now: www.thebestyou.co

INNER YOU ANDREW PARSONS

Andrew Parsons and Ann Craig discuss some ways to harness your inner child to bring spontaneity, creativity, curiosity and a capacity to learn without fear to help you succeed. Harnessing your inner childlike, nature can support your journey to fulfilling your potential.

Harness your INNER CHILD f you were to ask a colleague or friend “How can I become more successful in my life or career?” How many people would suggest that you should harness your inner child qualities? Probably not

very many. However, doing so might provide an edge for your success.

As children develop, they undergo some amazing transformations. They learn to walk and talk, but some of the most dramatic growth occurs in the brain itself. The newborn brain is

approximately a quarter of its adult weight, and billions of neurones are generated in just a few years.

A QUESTION OF BALANCE: As we develop, we learn from our experiences and try and find our identities and where we fit into our families, communities and the wider society. We cannot fulfil our potential in the world if we never grow up or remain locked into patterns of childlike behaviour.

Harnessing your inner child is about leveraging all that’s useful and building a mindful perspective.

Psychologists call this the metaperspective, and it is really about noticing that you notice.

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM CHILDREN?

TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS:

Be curious and play: A natural curiosity helps young children to keep on trying; curiosity is a great driver for success. Children learn how the world works through playing games. This enables us to become good problem solvers and to find different ways to achieve our goals. A beginner’s mind finds new solutions rather than getting stuck on expectations.

Children sometimes lack self-control, but, as they mature, they gradually learn how to manage themselves, especially their emotions. We all have an innate ability to be spontaneous and, as we develop, we spend a lot of time controlling ourselves. What would be possible if we could tune back into our ability to sense what is really happening.

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ANDREW PARSONS

INNER YOU

ACT WITHOUT FEAR: Fear makes evolutionary sense. When societies evolved into hunter–gatherers, I can imagine that the sense of “Don’t go into the back of the cave” was really beneficial. As we don’t know what is there, and it’s a great default safety mechanism.

Young children can act without fear; they act without analysing what might happen.

Want to harness your inner child?

Here are six things to practice Play with Purpose: Bring real curiosity to just one thing you do each day. Ask yourself some questions: What I am learning? What am I noticing about me in this experience? Adopting a mindset that allows you to make mistakes and learn from them brings growth and success.

Tell Stories: Stories are wonderful metaphors for making sense of the world in which we live. What story would you tell about yourself and what you want to achieve? Who are you in the story? By telling your story, it almost makes it real. If you don’t have a friend handy, try recording it.

Tap into your Subconscious with Drawing or Writing: Take a few moments to draw something. Don’t think, just draw or write. Once you have finished, what do you notice about it?

Free writing can be a great way to get to the bottom of things or issues that might be going on in your world. It could be opportunities, threats, strengths and even weaknesses. What do you notice? Free writing might take 30 minutes or more to tap into your subconscious and you need to keep writing, no matter comes out. Which is best for you?

"So, like a forgotten fire, a childhood can always flare up again within us."

– Gaston Bachelard

Reflection: With the plethora of aids to manage our activities and save time, our society is now one in which finding a space for reflection can become increasingly difficult. One of the key practices is to take a moment. Notice what is working well, where you are having fun, what is making you happy.

You might want to keep an appreciation diary of what and whom you most appreciated today. Try it – just for today – and you may start to look for different opportunities.

Meditate: There are literally 1000s of meditations that can be brought into your day-to-day experience. Whether it is for a minute, several minutes, or hours, Meditation is a form of mental training that builds the skill of paying attention.

Practice with Compassion: Building new patterns takes time and energy. It may take lots of time to practice a skill and become proficient at it. The secret is to build these approaches into your life, make them part of the day, and then slowly and surely to let them become a part of who you are. It is also important to do this with compassion for yourself and others.

Self-growth and development is really a never-ending journey. If you think you are there, you have further to go. Remember to give yourself a break. If today has not been as successful as you hoped, there is always what you learned for tomorrow. b

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NLP TRAINING INNER YOU ALEXANDRA TRUTA

with RICHARD BANDLER Co-Creator of NLP

in London PERSONAL ENHANCEMENT A workshop with Richard Bandler 6th - 8th Oct 2014

LICENSED PRACTITIONER OF NLP 13th – 19th October 2014

LICENSED MASTER PRACTITIONER OF NLP 11th – 19th October 2014

Book today on +44(0)207 927 6500 www.nlplifetraining.com info@nlplifetraining.com 14 | WWW.THEBESTYOUMAGAZINE.CO

THE BUCKET BEST LIST YOU

ENJOY LIFE

THE BEST

YOU

Laughter, humour, travel, love – these add the sparkle that make life worth living. Climb a mountain, give to others, start a family, embrace life. What are the things you wish you had done but haven’t yet? Life is no rehearsal – find ways to enjoy it whenever you can!

Life Without Limits

TM

TOP 6 PLACES TO WORK

Does your job make you happy? The Best You looks at places with the highest levels of job satisfaction

IT’S THE GOOD NEWS

With so much of what we read in the papers being negative, The Best You is bringing you some good news

TIPS TO EMBRACE CRITICISM

When someone criticises you, it hurts. Lori Deschene has some advice on how to give it a positive spin

TOP 6 PLACES TO WORK

W

orking for a great company is relative.

Some people value above-average remuneration; others look for positions with great benefits.

If you’re a new parent, then you might rate being able to work flexi-time as your number one priority. Most companies in the developed world have a few

perks that make the daily grind a bit more bearable. Then there are those companies that stand head and shoulders above the rest. These companies make going to the office a pleasurable activity. We’ve had an extensive look at the results of the worldwide job satisfaction surveys, and we’ve brought you the top the six companies with the highest ratings in terms of job satisfaction.

BAIN & COMPANY

WHAT IS IT? This USA-based global management-consulting firm is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It provides advisory services to many of the world’s largest businesses, non-profit organisations, and governments.

Bain & Company has 50 offices in 32 countries and more than 6,000 employees.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT? In addition to good pay and benefits, Bain & Company also focuses on social responsibility.

Their employees get personal fulfilment by contributing their time and skills to work in the community through pro bono consulting projects, mentoring CEOs of charities, fund-raising efforts and community days, as well as education and social enterprise programmes.

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Considering we spend at least a third of our lives in the office, job satisfaction is important. If you are feeling underappreciated at work, perhaps it’s time to make a change.

The Best You has put together a list of the top six companies you should send your CV to.

TWITTER

WHAT IS IT? Since its launch in 2006, Twitter has become a worldwide phenomenon. But if you’ve been building rock statues in the outback since then and have no idea what we are talking about, this is it in a nutshell: It is an online social networking and micro-blogging service that enables users to send and read short 140-character text messages, called ‘tweets’.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT? In addition to having the necessary technical skills to work for this social networking giant, personality is also a very important. Because of this, they have hired 2,300 of the best people the world has to offer, making the working environment both fun and productive.

THE BEST YOU

LINKEDIN

WHAT IS IT? That business-networking site that everyone is a member of but no one except recruitment agents actually use – until you’re looking for a job that is.

Then it’s very useful. Basically, it’s an online version of your CV combined with the status update abilities that Facebook has.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT? You may assume that working for a company that is dedicated to others finding their dream jobs might be a bit soul destroying, but you’d be wrong. LinkedIn has a scheme that allows employees to follow their passions, which creates a workforce of people who are satisfied, not only with their jobs, but with their lives as well.

GOOGLE

WHAT IS IT? If the Internet was a religion, Google

would be its god. It knows everything and has single-handedly made the human race the laziest it has ever been.

Can’t remember who starred alongside Matt Damon in The Bourne Identity? Google. Want to know a good Mediterranean restaurant in your neighbourhood? Google. Want the latest news on the Middle Eastern crisis? Google.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT? For four years running, Google has taken top place in Fortune’s annual ranking of places to work.

This is because they take all the things that make the other companies on this list great and combine them. It has great salary and benefits packages, a diverse working environment, social consciousness and such high standards that working for Google for six months pretty much guarantees you’ll get any job you want after that. Not that you’ll ever leave Google.

ENJOY LIFE

FACEBOOK

WHAT IS IT? That website that you log into as soon as you get to the office so you can while the day away looking at cat memes and having conversations with your great aunt who doesn’t understand the difference between writing on your timeline and sending a personal message.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT? Of course all companies have to say they are Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer, but Facebook takes it a step further. They give employment opportunities to former hackers, giving them a chance to turn their life around and use their skills to earn an honest (and very decent) living.

M&S

WHAT IS IT? Originally called Marks & Spencer, M&S recently rebranded itself to appeal to a younger crowd.

It is a UK-based department store that sells everything from homewares and food to clothes and accessories. Established in London, England 1884, it now has locations in over 30 countries worldwide.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT? M&S has a great reputation for looking after the wellbeing of their staff. They have industry-leading salary and benefits packages, and they encourage their staff to enrol in training courses that allow them to move up within the company. They are also known for being a great place for new parents to work as they offer generous maternity leave and flexible working hours for when you are ready to come back.

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WE SUPPORT

The National LiteracyTrust This month is National Literacy Awareness Month. Illiteracy isn’t something that only affects people in the developing world.

The National Literacy Trust is a national charity dedicated to raising literacy levels in the UK.

O

ne person in six in the UK lives with poor literacy. This holds them back at every stage of their life. As a child they won’t be able to succeed at school, as a young adult they will be locked out of the job market, and on becoming a parent they won’t be able to support their child’s learning.

Lacking these vital skills undermines their wellbeing and stops them from making a full contribution to the economic and cultural life of our nation.

We work to improve the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in the UK’s most disadvantaged communities, where up to 40 per cent of people have literacy problems.

Our research and analysis make us the leading authority

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.

– Charles W. Eliot

on literacy and drive our interventions. Because low literacy is intergenerational, we focus our work on families, young people and children.

• We establish literacy projects in the poorest communities • We campaign to make literacy a priority for politicians and parents • We support schools

action. Our Words for Life campaign encourages parents from disadvantaged communities to support literacy in the home. www.wordsforlife.org.uk provides ideas, competitions and free activities for parents and families.

COMMUNITY LITERACY PROJECTS

We share our analysis, promote best practice and provide support and resources for schools, early years settings and local areas. b

Our community literacy projects run in the most deprived communities, inspiring and supporting children and families to improve their skills.

CAMPAIGNING We campaign to improve public understanding of the vital importance of literacy and to ensure the Government takes

SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS AND OTHER PRACTITIONERS

For more information, please email contact@ literacytrust.org.uk, or write to National Literacy Trust, 68 South Lambeth Road, London, SW8 1RL

OTHER WORTHY CAUSES WE SUPPORT Teenage Cancer Trust

Katie Piper Foundation

Children Of The Night

www.teenagecancertrust.org

www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk

www.childrenofthenight.org

SMA Trust

War Child

The Children’s Trust

www.smatrust.org

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www.warchild.org.uk

www.thechildrenstrust.org.uk

THE GOOD NEWS

THE BEST YOU

ENJOY LIFE

The news we read in newspapers and see on television is so negative that it can often feel like media conglomerates are conspiring to get you down in the dumps. That’s why The Best You is bringing you snippets of good news.

Sister doing it for herself

S

TANFORD University professor Maryam Mirzakhani made history this week by becoming the first woman to ever win the Fields Medal – known as the “Nobel Prize of mathematics” since its establishment in 1936. “This is a great honour”, said Mirzakhani, who was born and raised in Iran. “I will be happy if it encourages young female scientists and mathematicians.”

Officially known as the International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, and awarded every four years, the Fields Medal was presented last month at the International

Congress of Mathematicians, in Seoul, South Korea. The first Stanford recipient since Paul Cohen in 1966, Mirzakhani will be honoured in recognition of her contributions to the understanding of the symmetry of curved surfaces. The award recognises Mirzakhani’s sophisticated and highly original contributions to the fields of geometry and dynamical systems, particularly in understanding the symmetry of curved surfaces, such as sspheres, doughnuts, and hyperbolic objects. Although her work is considered “pure mathematics” and is mostly theoretical, it has implications for physics and quantum field theory.

WHEN YOU’RE SMILING

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25-year-old Alabama man caught a virus two years ago that not only caused congestive heart failure and led to multiple surgeries including a heart transplant, it also led to the loss of all of his teeth. Victor Boglin feels fortunate to have been given a new heart and a new chance at life. But, as

lucky as he was, he was still 25 years old with no teeth. He couldn’t afford dentures, and insurance didn’t cover them. Lucky for Victor, his girlfriend learned about a charitable website that raises funds for deserving strangers.

52-Lives.org founder Jaime Thurston put out the call to friends and followers and raised the $1,000 needed to pay a dental college for the top-

to-bottom work. In July, Victor was recovering in a hospital fighting his body’s reaction to the new heart, but by August, his new teeth were installed and he was dreaming of giving up the soup and bananas for a nice steak. “I was excited, I was surprised and in awe”, Boglin told a local newspaper. “It’s kind of unbelievable.”

Beating ebola With the outbreak of ebola in a number of African countries recently, this news could’ve have come at a better time. A vaccine developed by scientists at the Public Health Agency of Canada is now available in enough doses to launch the first-ever human safety trial of an ebola vaccine.

All stories originally appeared on The Good News Network website.

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ENJOY LIFE

15 TIPS CRITICISM LORI DESCHENE

to deal with

At the end of the day, when Lori Deschene feels completely exhausted, it often has nothing to do with all the things she has done. It’s not a consequence of juggling multiple responsibilities and projects. When she’s exhausted, you can be sure she’s bent over backward trying to win everyone’s approval.

MAIN PICTURE Try to see all criticism asconstructive and it won’t hurt as much

’ve obsessed over what people think of me. I’ve assigned speculative and usually inaccurate meanings to feedback I’ve received, and I’ve lost myself in negative thoughts about criticism and its merit. I work at minimising this type of behaviour – and I’ve had success for the most part – but, admittedly, it’s not easy.

I remember taking a summer acting class back in college.

I actually made the people around me uncomfortable with

my defensiveness. One day, the teacher was giving me feedback after a scene in front of the whole class. She couldn’t get through a single sentence without me offering some type of argument.

After a couple minutes of verbal sparring, one of my peers actually said, “Stop talking. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

Looking back, I cut myself a little slack. You’re vulnerable in the spotlight and, though my peer’s reaction seemed harsh, I needed to hear it. Because I

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You’re vulnerable in the spotlight and, though my peer’s reaction seemed harsh, I needed to hear it.

was desperately afraid of being judged, I took everything, from everyone, as condemnation.

I realise criticism, when it comes from people who are legitimately trying to help, is rarely gentle. A lot of the feedback we receive is unsolicited and doesn’t come from teachers – or maybe all of it does. We can’t control what other people will say to us, whether they’ll approve of our actions, or form opinions and share them.

But we can control how we internalise, respond to, and learn from criticism, and, perhaps most importantly, when we release it and move on. If you’ve been having a hard time dealing with criticism lately, it may help to remember the following:

LORI DESCHENE

ENJOY LIFE

generally want to help us, not judge us.

Fielding criticism helps you mitigate the need to be right. Nothing closes an open mind like ego – bad for your personal growth and damaging for relationships.

Looking for seeds of truth in criticism encourages humility.

It’s not easy to take an honest look at yourself and your weaknesses, but you can only grow if you’re willing to try.

Learning from criticism allows you to improve.

Almost every critique gives you a tool to more effectively create the tomorrow you visualise.

Criticism opens you up to new perspectives and ideas that you may not have considered.

Whenever someone challenges you, they help expand your thinking.

Your critics give you an opportunity to practice active listening. This means you resist the urge to analyse in your head, planning your rebuttal, and simply consider what the other person is saying.

Your critics give you an opportunity to challenge any people-pleasing tendencies. Relationships based on a constant need for approval can be draining for everyone involved.

It’s liberating to let people think whatever they want – they’re going to do it anyway.

feelings – generally not a great idea.

Criticism gives you the chance to foster problem-solving skills, which isn’t always easy when you’re feeling sensitive, self-critical, or annoyed with your critic.

Criticism gives you the chance to teach people how to treat you. If someone delivers it poorly, you can take this opportunity to tell them, “I think you make some valid points, but I would receive them better if you didn’t raise your voice.”

Receiving criticism that hits a sensitive spot helps you explore unresolved issues.

Maybe you’re sensitive because you’re holding onto something someone said to you years ago, something you need to release.

Interpreting someone else’s feedback is an opportunity for rational thinking.

Sometimes, despite a negative tone, criticism is incredibly useful.

You have the chance to practice forgiveness when you come up against harsh critics.

Most of us carry around stress and frustration that we unintentionally misdirect from time to time.

Criticism encourages you to question your instinctive associations and feelings.

Praise is good, criticism bad. If we recondition ourselves to see things in less black and white terms, there’s no telling how far we can go.

It’s helpful to learn how to sit with the discomfort of an initial emotional reaction instead of immediately acting or retaliating. All too often we want to do something with our

Criticism presents an opportunity to choose peace over conflict. When criticised, our instinct may be to fight, creating unnecessary drama. The people around us

Certain pieces of criticism teach you not to sweat the small stuff. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter that your boyfriend thinks you load the dishwasher ‘wrong.’

Criticism is something you can easily avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.”

– Aristotle

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MAIN PICTURE Clooney exudes confidence and success

PERSONALITY

You know him as the handsomest man in the any given room, but there’s a lot

George Clooney

more to than meets the eye.

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THE BEST YOU

G

EORGE Timothy Clooney was born in Lexintgton in 1961 to a rather auspicious family. His mother, Nina Bruce, was a beauty pageant queen and city councilwoman. His father, Nick Clooney, is a former anchorman, game show host, and he hosted AMC for five years in the late ‘90s. His maternal four times great-grandmother, Mary Ann Sparrow, was the half-sister of Nancy Hanks (the mother of President Abraham Lincoln).

Clooney was raised a strict Roman Catholic, but has said he does not know if he believes in heaven, or even God. “I got in trouble a couple of times when I was young because I asked some interesting questions, you know? I thought it was an interesting idea when I was a kid. I was saying, "Well, without Judas, this whole thing doesn't work." So I thought well maybe Judas understood that it was his job and he actually decided he would be the…

And I've written a piece like that. It was just experimenting. I got in a lot of trouble for that.”

In middle school, Clooney developed Bell’s palsy, a condition that partially paralyzes the face.

“It was the first year of high school, which was a bad time for having half your face paralyzed. I remember sitting in church, and I was in the back of the pew and my tongue was numb. After church we’d always go out to dinner to Frisch's Big Boy, and I was drinking and milk was pouring out of my mouth. It takes about nine months to go away.”

His grandparents owned a tobacco farm in Kentucky, where he would work to make some extra money. The experience made him very aware of the dangers of smoking and the importance of living healthily.

“We could cut and chop and top and house and strip the tobacco. It sure made you not want to smoke. I had ten great aunts and uncles on my father's side, and six of them died of lung cancer.

Both of my grandparents died of lung cancer. So I got quite a lesson in the payback later in life of smoking, and, if you keep it up how bad it can be.”

As an aspiring actor, he had a few small roles in sitcoms and TV dramas. His big breakthrough was as Dr. Doug Ross on ER. “It was a hard job, ER. We were working sixteenhour days, five days a week. We were learning Latin, you know, to do the show. But you knew that you were never going to get a second chance to introduce yourself to a wide audience. And I was thirty-three. I wasn’t the young one there; I was the

It sure made you not want to smoke. I had ten great aunts and uncles on my father's side, and six of them died of lung cancer

COVER STORY

oldest one there. So I knew this was my opportunity. I think all the actors were given a bit of an opportunity that summer on a film. I think every one of them was given an opportunity. And I think most of them were so exhausted from the work that they wanted their summer off.”

His first big film was Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn. This strong start was followed by a few dubious choices, including One Fine Day (with Michelle Pfeiffer), The Peacemaker (with Nicole Kidman) and Batman & Robin (with bat-nipples).

“It's possible for me to make a bad movie out of a good script, but I can't make a good movie from a bad script. I watch Batman & Robin from time to time. It's the worst movie I ever made, so it's a good lesson in humility.”

He went on to redeem himself with a string of strong films and is now one of the most glittering stars in Hollywood’s pantheon.

“I don't think movies are trivial. From the time I was a little kid, they took me out of tiny rooms in Augusta, Kentucky and let me dream and believe in things better than where my world was. They're exactly what they're designed to be in general, which is two hours of escape when things aren't going well. Look at the history of films and watch when we did our best.

The Great Depression, World War Two. People want that escape, and I don't think it's trivial. I was always questioning things at school and getting in trouble for it. I remember seeing Dead Poets Society and walking out of the theatre thinking, "I've got to do something with my life."

Clooney is that rare kind of celebrity: he doesn’t take his own fame too seriously, though he does use its social cache for social upliftment. He gads about with his famous friends, having a fine old time, whilst keeping a tight lid

I think there's too much information about all of us out there.

I'm liking the idea of privacy more and more.

on his private affairs, all the while winking at the world’s press and its unending fascination with him.

“I don’t understand why any famous person would ever be on Twitter. Why on God’s green earth would you be on Twitter? The worst thing you can do is make yourself more available. So one drunken night, you come home and you’ve had two too many drinks and you’re watching TV and somebody pisses you off, and you go ‘Ehhhhh’ and fight back.”

He admires the way his close friend Brad Pitt deals with fame: “For a long time now, Brad has been the biggest movie star in the world. He’s bigger than me, bigger than DiCaprio. It’s not easy for him, but he tries to be the most honest version of Brad Pitt that he can be. And he also remains unavailable. He’s still a giant movie star because you can’t get to him. That doesn’t mean that I don’t think of him as incredibly talented and smart and all those things. But you also can’t get to him.”

Clooney has made a point of using his high profile to draw attention to important global issues. The conflict in Darfur has been on his most prominent concerns. In

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December 2007, Clooney and fellow actor Don Cheadle received the Summit Peace Award from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in Rome. In his acceptance speech, Clooney said, "Don and I … stand here before you as failures. The simple truth is that when it comes to the atrocities in Darfur … those people are not better off now than they were years ago." On January 18, 2008, the United Nations announced Clooney's appointment as a UN Messenger of Peace.

In April 2006, he spent ten days in Chad and Sudan with his father to make the TV special A Journey to

GEORGE CLOONEY AT A GLANCE • Born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1961 • His mother was a beauty pageant queen and city councilwoman. and his father is a former anchorman, game show host • Raised a strict Roman Catholic, but has said he does not know if he believes in Heaven, or even God • Was an enthusiastic baseball and basketball player • Made money selling women's shoes, insurance door-to-door, stocking shelves, working construction, and cutting tobacco • First role was as an extra in the television mini-series Centennial in 1978 • First major role came in 1984 in the short-lived sitcom E/R (not to be confused with ER, the better-known hospital drama, on which Clooney also co-starred a decade later, which was his breakthrough role • Found big screen success after rising to fame in television • Uses his fame to draw attention to the world's injustices • Started Not On Our Watch with a few of his co-stars from the Ocean's trilogy, including Brad Pitt and Matt Damon

Darfur, which reflected the awful refugee situation in Darfur and advocated for action. In 2008, it was released on DVD, with proceeds being donated to the International Rescue Committee.

During the trip, in the middle of nowhere, they were pulled over by a group of 13-year-old kids with Kalashnikovs. Luckily, a colleague just walked over to an assailant and pushed his gun away as if speaking to a child and said, “No.” “I couldn’t believe it was that simple because I was embarrassed at how scared I was. Everything about it is difficult, and you never feel safe, and we are not traveling with guns and security guys. It’s not the most comfortable way to spend ten days, but the truth is that any human being, once they participate in something that’s bigger than themselves, would keep going. You would feel as if you had done something terrible by abandoning a cause.

So you have to continue. You’re never going to win. You’re never going to succeed fully. What is required to actually succeed at all is sustained. And it will be two steps forward and three steps back. And it will feel oftentimes like a failure. But it will always have moved.”

Of course, Clooney isn’t all seriousness. His love for pranks and practical jokes is legendary. His good friend

I'm much more successful then I ever thought I'd be. Much more than I could have ever dreamed.

It's all icing on the cake from here on in Matt Damon was on the receiving end when he visited Clooney’s villa in Italy with his wife and family. At the time, Damon was trying to lose the 30lbs he gained for his starring role in The Informant! and was working out in the gym twice a day and eating nothing but small salads. Clooney employed a woman to surreptitiously take in the waistband of all Damon’s trousers every day by an eighth of an inch.

“He couldn’t understand how he seemed to be gaining weight while he was trying so hard to lose it", recalled Clooney with a laugh.

All of which goes to prove that you don’t need to stop being childish in order to be grownup.

“I'm much more successful then I ever thought I'd be. Much more than I could have ever dreamed. It's all icing on the cake from here on in. If I get hit by a truck tomorrow, everybody would go, ‘Crammed a lot into 40 years.’ But I still don't feel that where I am now is a success. I think that the minute you feel you've truly succeeded, you should stop. It doesn't mean you can't have victories. There are moments, satellite moments in your life when you go ‘Ok, good, I can bank that as a success.’ I’m kind of comfortable with getting older because it’s better than the other option, which is being dead. So I’ll take getting older.”

FEATURE THE BEST YOU

Across the

Seven Seas

Crossing the seven seas used to be something restricted to pirates and explorers. Open-water swimmer Adam Walker decided that he could too. Bernardo Moya talks to him about his adventure.

A

part from the obvious dangers of drowning, cramp and pool-chemicals turning your hair green, swimming doesn’t immediately leap to mind as a dangerous sport. That is, until you consider long-distance open-water swimming. This is where athletes of nearsuperhuman capabilities conquer massive distances whilst contending distances with freezing temperatures, ocean swells and even stinging jellyfish.

These athletes are considered the elite guard of the swimming world, pushing themselves beyond human endurance levels. Yet, even within these ranks, there are a special few who have gone even further. Adam Walker is one of those. He is the first British person and one of five people in the world to complete seven of the world’s most difficult swims.

“I just believed I could do it,” says Adam Walker.

“What sets me apart from other people is my attitude. If you believe in yourself and have the right training, you can do anything. So I just thought about the end goal.

How it would feel to achieve such a feat. And I didn’t want to be remembered for being a salesman selling

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kettles and toasters.”

What sets me apart from other people is my attitude.

If you believe in yourself and have the right training, you can do anything. I just thought about the end goal.

Becoming a swimming superstar was in his far-flung future after Adam finished his sports science degree and found himself in need of a job. He got involved in sales, the family trade, selling pet food, packaging, kettles, toasters and many other things.

He became interested in the Oceans Seven Challenge after watching the film On a Clear Day, which tells the story of a man who decides to reinvigorate his stagnant life by swimming the English Channel.

“It was strange,” he says. “I hadn’t actually swam for eight years at that point. That film just got to me. It was a fictional movie about an average guy who’d lost his job and decided to do the swim. It was one of those classic feel-good British movies. When it was over, I put my headphones down and said to myself, ‘I think I’ll do that. I think I’ll swim the English Channel with no experience.'”

THE BEST YOU

And so began the training.

He started by jumping into a local pool and see how he would do. “I was coughing my guts up after an hour,” he laughs.

“I didn’t have a coach but I just kept pushing myself. I kept going until I could do two hours, three hours and then eventually five hours in the pool. That’s when I realized that maybe I am capable of this. But, of course, you then have to get into colder water.

He went over to the local lake and dived into the 9°C water. For perspective on just how chilly that is, a cold bath is usually around 16/17°C. Brrr.

“I just thought, keep swimming until you can't anymore,” he says. “I managed around 45-50 minutes. I started to hyperventilate at one point but just carried on. Long story short, severe hypothermia and five paramedics later, I started feeling human again. I was just so determined to overcome my barriers. But it was very dangerous and quite silly in hindsight. It made me resolve to do it properly under controlled conditions.”

He went to Dover and started training properly. It was a really testing time. Halfway

through a six-hour training session, he started shivering uncontrollably, his nose started bleeding, he vomited violently and developed a terrible headache. Despite this, he overcame the intense discomfort and finished his session.

“It’s just the way I am,” he says. “If there is a barrier in front of me, I will do whatever I can to overcome it and achieve what I set out to.

Less than a year later, Adam crossed the English Channel in 11 hours and 35 minutes.

He then decided to tackle the Oceans Seven challenge. With the English Channel done, his next endeavor was the Gibraltar Strait between Europe and Spain. Of course, that wasn’t enough for him, so he decided to swim right back again.

He then dodged tiger sharks and got stung by a Portuguese Man o' War in Hawaii’s Molokai Straits, eventually completing the swim on the verge of paralysis within 17 hours. Later that same year, Adam swam over 21 miles in darkness across the Catalina Channel in California, crossing the last three miles with a torn shoulder. Next up was the Tsugaru Channel

It’s just the way I am.

If there is a barrier in front of me, I will do whatever I can to overcome it and achieve what I set out to

FEATURE

in Japan. The current here was so strong that he often remained stationary despite expending huge amounts of energy in moving forwards. He still managed to complete it within15 hours.

His next swim took place in the Cook Strait in New Zealand where he was actively hunted by sharks. Thankfully, a nearby pod of dolphins came to his aid, protecting him from the sharks until they lost interest.

“It was just the most incredible experience,” he says.

“After the sharks disappeared, the dolphins stayed with me.

They were playing and doing a few jumps before coming back to me. At one point they were all around me and were gently nudging me. When I had to stop for a break, they bobbed around in the water waiting for me. It was like I was part of the pod. I will remember it for the rest of my life.”

Already supporting the Make a Wish Foundation and Sports Aid, the experience spurred him on to support the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

“It’s a cause I feel very strongly about,” he says. “They do fantastic work in preserving whales and dolphins throughout the world. I'm very opposed to whaling and I try and campaign alongside them for restrictions.

It’s very dear to my heart.”

On Wednesday 6th August 2014, Adam became the first

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FEATURE THE BEST YOU

After the sharks disappeared, the dolphins stayed with me. They were playing and doing a few jumps before coming back to me.

ADAM WALKER AT A GLANCE

British person and one of only five people in the World to finish all seven of the Oceans Seven swims, swimming from Ireland to Scotland.

Despite the magnitude of his achievement, he won’t be resting on his laurels. He is already thinking about the next challenge.

“I’m certainly not going to put my feet up in front of the sofa,” he smiles. “I don’t think I’m that kind of guy. I’m already thinking about the next swim. I would like to do a swim that no one’s ever done. I can’t say what it is yet. Top secret. I would also like to keep the flag flying for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. It’s important to me to always be thinking about the next swim. Swimming has brought so much to my life. I have had life changing experiences and the swimming community is fantastic. I feel more at home I think in the water than I do on land. I love being with sharks, dolphins and other marine life. Most of all, I love the great challenge of it being you versus the sea. Are you capable of getting across? Will the ocean allow you to get across? Will you push through? I've shouted so many words to the sea in the past. ‘Come on! Give me a break! You've proven your point that you’re tough but I'm going to stay in here as long as it takes.’ Now and again the sea goes, ‘Okay, we had our little battle, I’ll let you in.'"

One other victory is that Adam no longer has to work in sales.

He works as a swim coach across the UK and Europe, focusing on improving performance through video analysis, psychological conditioning and nutrition plans. He would like to make open water swimming more popular and believes that anyone can do it if they are dedicated enough. He sees it as having a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other.

“The devil’s always there,” he says. “The devil tries to say that you’re uncomfortable and convince you to get out of this mess. You have to ignore him. It’s hardest during your first swim because it’s the first time you’re hearing that voice. I was sick probably 20 times in the first couple of hours. You need to think in terms of positives and listen to the positive angel on your other shoulder saying to you that you can do it – just one arm in front of the other until you get to the other side. Okay, it’s one arm in front of the other for 80,000 strokes but still..."

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 Record-breaking ocean swimmer  On Wednesday 6th August 2014, Adam became the first British person and one of only five people in the World to finish all seven of the Oceans Seven swims, swimming from Ireland to Scotland  Long-distance ocean swimming is recognised as one of the toughest challenges on the planet  Started his career in the family business of sales selling kettles and toasters  Saw the film On A Clear Day about a man who took up swimming to swim across the English Channel. It was the catalyst that made him change his life  Started training properly in 2007, working his way from the swimming pool to outdoor bodies of water  Adam appeared in Dover in 2008 to swim across the English Channel for the first time, less than a full year after he started training  In 2010, Adam became the first British person to swim from Spain to Morocco. Immediately thereafter, he became the first person to turn the swim into an unbroken return trip.  In 2012, he took on the Molokai Straits in Hawaii

THE BEST YOU

BOOK REVIEWS

THE BEST

YOU

Life Without Limits

TM

Reading well is one of the great pleasures that solitude can afford you.� – Harold Bloom

Great reading, viewing and listening to empower, entertain, enrich, delight and enhance. The Best You rounds up classics and new books and media products that will make a positive difference in your life.

BOOK REVIEWS

THE BEST YOU

POWER VS FORCE

BY DAVID HAWKINS

Building on the accumulated wisdom of applied kinesiology and behavioral kinesiology, David R. Hawkins, M.D. has taken muscle-testing to the next level, in an effort to determine what makes people and systems healthy, effective and spiritually sound. Power vs. Force has become a spiritual classic and massively influential across the world. Now, Dr. Hawkins reflects on his teachings and provides the definitive update on this timeless text. The whole book has been rewritten with the insights of decades of experience since its original publication.

“

A beautiful gift of writing... You spread joy, love and compassion through what you write.

The fruit of these three is peace, as you know.”

– Mother Teresa

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THE BEST YOU

BOOK REVIEWS

GEORGE CLOONEY: THE LAST GREAT MOVIE STAR

BY KIMBERLY POTTS

He’s famous for twice being People’s Sexiest Man Alive, for his penchant for practical jokes and his vow never to remarry, as well as for his Oscarwinning and Emmy-nominated acting career. In this updated biography of one of Hollywood’s most colourful leading men, pop culture expert Kimberly Potts traces Clooney’s life from small-town boy to big-screen idol. Along the way, Potts fills us in on Clooney’s early attempts to break into film (including his Batman flop), his many well-publicized romances, and his political and humanitarian efforts, including co-founding the anti-genocide organization Not On Our Watch.

“

I enjoyed the book, it gave a good insight into George Clooney. I also enjoyed the diary near the end with a rundown of George’s life.”

– Mary Gibbon

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BOOK REVIEWS

THE BEST YOU

AGAINST ALL ODDS

BY PAUL CONNOLLY

When two police officers arrived out of the blue at Paul Connolly’s door, he learned the shocking news that, out of the eight children with whom he shared a dormitory in care, only two were still alive. The revelation unearthed painful memories of a childhood that, until that point, Paul had tried desperately to put behind him. Abandoned at two weeks old, Paul came of age in the infamous St Leonards’s Children’s Home in East London. The children there were routinely abused, often over the course of many years. All were underfed and unloved and told that they would amount to nothing. Angry and frustrated, Paul channelled his rage into boxing, but when an accident shattered his ambition to turn professional, he found his true calling and became a successful trainer, even working as a consultant on the pilot of a top model’s fitness video. Paul has finally found peace and fulfilment beyond anything he could have imagined all those years ago.

“

This book was a superb read and one that I would thoroughly recommend albeit one that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster from heartbreak and anger, to laughter and elation.”

– Mark Yang

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THE BEST YOU

BOOK REVIEWS

MEMOIRS OF A FRUITCAKE

BY CHRIS EVANS

In It’s Not What You Think Chris Evans had seemingly found the recipe for success. He was rich, famous, and now the owner of his own radio station and media company. What could possibly go wrong? As it turned out, the answer was everything…well almost.

When we left our loveable ginger hero at the end of It’s Not What You Think, it looked like Chris had made it. But things were about to take a very dark turn.

Soon, Chris’ childhood dreams of a job in radio lay in tatters, and as an endless drink-fuelled lifestyle began to take its toll, he plunged into a downward spiral so deep that escape seemed almost impossible. And then his salvation appeared, in the form of a young singer called Billie Piper. Told with the same wit, verve and startling honesty that surprised and delighted readers of It’s Not What You Think, this is the final part – for now – of Chris Evans’s journey of self discovery.

“

A critic confounding mea culpa of a memoir.”

– The Guardian

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BOOK REVIEWS

THE BEST YOU

10 STEPS TO FASHION FREEDOM

BY MALCOLM LEVENE

Would you like to make a positive impression every time? Would you like to feel more comfortable and confident in your clothes? Though your closet is full, do you still have trouble finding something to wear?

Renowned Personal Branding consultants Malcolm Levene and Kate Mayfield are here to help in 10 Steps To Fashion Freedom, a ground-breaking guide based on their exclusive 10-step image therapy programme. Malcolm, dubbed the “Freud of Fashion” by The New Yorker, and his partner, Kate, have written a practical, engaging book that breaks through trends, hot looks and instant makeovers to get to the heart of how you can develop your own Personal Style.

Instead of trying to figure out the must-have items of the season or where you fall on the colour chart, you will get help from Kate and Malcolm in facing your worst image fears and uncovering and developing a style that is totally your own.

“

This book is the ultimate personal style manifesto for normal, everyday people.”

– Tanya Burgess

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LIVE LOVE LEGACY THE BEST

YOU

What do you want to be remembered for? What are your relationships like with those around you? How does life treat you - and how do you treat your life? There is so much good in you.

Enrich your life with the passion you feel and the connections you make.

Life Without Limits

TM

OVERCOMING ILLITERACY

Paul Connolly, bestselling author of Against All Odds, tells us his inspirational story

MEANING MEANS EVERYTHING We welcome brand-new columnist Jim Aitkins.

His first column is all about connotations

WHAT DOES IT TAKE…

...to be a dance instructor?We chat with Simon Bressanelli, one of Swing Patrol’s talented instructors

LIVE LOVE LEGACY PAUL CONNOLLY

OVERCOMING

ILLITERACY

On the 8th of this month, we celebrate International Literacy Day. Illiteracy is something many people think of as a problem of the developing world, but many people in first world countries struggle with it. Paul Connolly gives us a firsthand account.

I

’m sitting writing my new book, Beating the Odds.

My laptop tells me, “I do not have a clue what you are trying to spell.” I call for my wife – this is when she normally helps me – but she is in the shower and cannot hear me. Harley, my oldest son, comes into the kitchen. He is nine years old.

“What’s up, Dad?” he asks.

“I am on a roll with this book, Son, but I am stuck with the spelling and I need to use these words to express myself.”

“I can help you, Dad.”

He stands next to me and puts his arm around me, and all of a sudden I am the little boy and he is the loving father as he spells the words for me. I get a quick look at what it must have been like to grow up in a loving family. As I start to cry, my little boy hugs me and tells me everything will be okay.

Let me tell you about illiteracy. Not being able to read or write is horrible. It gets you when you’re not looking.

It can leave you humiliated, disadvantaged, even in danger.

I swung the car around a corner

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Not being able to read or write is horrible. It can leave you humiliated, disadvantaged, even in danger

in Miami once and found myself facing a roaring fourlane stampede of traffic, just because I couldn’t read the red and white sign that said ‘No Entry’. When I was in my midtwenties, I couldn’t do things most eight year olds take for granted.

Years later, when I’d been to night school and learned the basics, a promotion I had been offered to a senior management job was withdrawn when my employers realised I would need help with the paperwork.

Even now, I hide from menus in restaurants: “What do you fancy? Ah, yes. I think I’ll have a bit of that, too.”

So I know what it means when Beanstalk’s volunteers get another youngster over the hurdle, reading and writing and joining in with everybody else.

Every one’s a victory. Every one’s a life opened up to new possibilities.

And I know how much effort, training, organisation and energy goes into helping more than 6,000 children every year. So I was amazed when Beanstalk CEO Sue Porto told me about the organisation’s target of making that 18,000 by 2017.

That’s a really ambitious goal, and more of the same won’t be enough to get them

PAUL CONNOLLY

LIVE LOVE LEGACY

last sketch of Margaret Thatcher before she died, and the person who bought it said they were so moved by my story that they just had to donate the money. £25,000 of the auction will go to the charity, with £75,000 going to the artist.

Sue Porto, Beanstalk’s CEO, said: “It was fabulous to witness the fantastic generosity and spirit on the night. Funds raised will help to drive the charity forward so that we can reach out to more children to ensure that no child grows up without the skills they need to read, grow and succeed.”

It is time we end this unnecessary waste of lives. There was a time when I could not imagine what it would be like to be able to inscribe onto paper my own

there. Beanstalk needs to think big, with more volunteers, more funding, and more publicity. It also needs more of a voice, and that’s where I come in.

I’ll talk to anybody, almost anywhere, and I can get people’s attention. They’ll listen to me because I’m the guy who really couldn’t read at all until his mid-twenties. I couldn’t write a word back then, let alone a foreword.

And then, a few years ago, I told my story – about the illiteracy and abuse that dogged my childhood – and I suddenly turned into a best-selling author. The irony was irresistible, and the media loved the happy ending. Writing, eventually, gave me a voice.

So I’ll be talking – shouting, if necessary – to get the message across. Today, thanks to my choice to get to a better place in life,

the available resources, and the kindness of a few teachers and mentors, I am able to write this important message: literacy matters. I am a living story of how illiteracy can waste a person’s potential and how the ability to read and write at even a basic level opens doors of opportunity and releases all kinds of exciting potential.

Beanstalk is a national children’s charity that recruits volunteers and trains them to work in primary schools with children who have fallen behind with their reading. Last year, Beanstalk worked with 7,350 children across England and they hope to help 18,000 children struggling with their reading by 2018. The main patron for Beanstalk is The Duchess of Cornwall.

I am a fitness trainer who has been an ambassador at Beanstalk for three years, and my speech about my childhood abuse moved the crowd to tears and even prompted someone to bid £100,000 for a sketch of Margaret Thatcher in Lord Archer’s auction.

We were sitting there with our mouths wide open. I got a standing ovation after my speech. Up for auction was the

imagination, or to be able to read other peoples’ thoughts. We take for granted what a miracle it is that we can literally read another person’s imagination and to take part in the creative process that literacy makes possible. Imagine with me a world where no child is denied that opportunity. Imagine a world where no one has limits to his or her imagination. b

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LIVE LOVE LEGACY JANET MURRAY

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JIM AITKINS

LIVE LOVE LEGACY

Meaning Means Everything Jim Aitkins is an American writer who is still learning all about life. He finds that learning goes great with a small dose of humour, and we tend to agree. This month, he looks at the associations of words, feelings and spaghetti.

A

s an American, I am fascinated by some of the differences in word-use between us and our friends in the UK. For example, what Britons call chips we call French fries, which are not French at all. What we call chips the British refer to as crisps.

The differences in our nicknames can get dicey. In the States, we might describe a television as a boob tube. But since that nickname in the UK describes what Americans call a tube top, I should be careful when I am in your country not to announce that I watch the boob tube an average of two hours a week. Although it may very well be true that many men watch both versions of the boob tube an average of two hours per week, it is still good to know the meaning behind the words.

Names are not the only things that mean things. Other things can carry an even stronger meaning.

I recall getting violently ill in the middle of the night when I was eight or nine. I had eaten spaghetti for dinner. I had not known that I was already coming down with the flu when I had dinner that night. The flu was why I got sick, not the spaghetti.

Still, for years after that event, I associated nausea with spaghetti and I simply could not eat it without feeling ill. Such was the meaning I

Exercising your right to choose meaning does require discipline. It certainly may call for some creativity had attached to spaghetti.

All of this points to a power that all of us are endowed with, but that not enough of us put to good use because we aren’t even aware that we have it. I am referring to our innate ability to attach specific meanings to people and events and to countless miscellaneous things in life. To overlook this area of choice is to miss an opportunity to exert a greater measure of control

over your own happiness.

Like yours, my life has been filled with a cloudy mixture of pain and sorrow at one extreme, and with the sunshine of lightness, laughter and joy on the other.

I have given and received both. When I realized that I could actually choose whether or not to attach a negative meaning to certain people or to challenging circumstances, I realized I could dramatically decrease the first extreme I might experience in life and dramatically increase the second.

Now, when I encounter a person who tends to complain, I try to remember that I can choose what kind of meaning I will associate with that person. I try to see them as someone who is generously providing me with all kinds of growth opportunities.

This person will increase my patience. This person will improve my communication skills. This person will help me to become a better a servant to those in pain or in need. And what is your general attitude toward a person who generously gives you valuable things? That’s right: gratitude.

Exercising your right to choose meaning does require discipline. It certainly may call for some creativity. But if you will practice venturing into this exciting area of choice, you will find that it can be life changing – even dramatically so. What kind of people, relationships and new opportunities would you attract into your life if you were to reduce by half the number of things you routinely attach a negative meaning to and, instead, start to think about those things in a different light? b

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LIVE LOVE LEGACY THE BEST YOU

TO BE A

dance instructor?

Part of being the best you can be is focusing on what it takes to get there. We’re continuing the “What does it take…?” column, which looks at this aspect of being the best. This month, we’re chatting with swing dance instructor Simon Bressanelli.

IT SEEMS LIKE MOST DANCE INSTRUCTORS ONLY DO IT PART TIME AND HAVE A FULL-TIME DAY JOB, BUT YOU ARE ONE OF THE FEW WHO DOES IT FULL TIME. WHAT’S YOUR AVERAGE DAY LIKE? I’m very new to the full-time gig, but mostly my mornings are doing the admin side of dance teaching: planning classes, social media, website updating, meetings for potential work, and training. Then it all really begins from 5 or 6pm when I have to get to classes. Most nights, I teach two or three classes, so by the time I get home it is usually about time to collapse on the bed.

IS THIS SOMETHING YOU SEE YOURSELF DOING FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?

HOW DID YOU BECOME A DANCE INSTRUCTOR? I started by volunteering for the community swing dance scene in Leeds. I had been dancing in the city a while, and they gave me a chance to try it out, and it all progressed from there! Since 2012, I’ve been continuing to teach in London for Swing Patrol.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING A DANCE INSTRUCTOR? Those moments when you see that someone has a ‘light bulb moment’ and everything you have been working on in that class fits together. The smile on people’s faces at that point is always brilliant.

AND THE WORST? Teaching when you are ill and have to pretend you aren’t is pretty difficult.

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I find it hard to think in such long-term ways, but if I can get away with it, why not! It’s such a creative job, and it has all sorts of weird and wonderful experiences. At the moment, it all seems very worthwhile and wildly varied enough for me to carry on as long as I can.

DESCRIBE THE MOMENT WHEN YOU REALISED THAT YOU WERE GOING TO GO DOWN THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED AND ENTER THE DANCE INDUSTRY TO PAY YOUR BILLS. While talking to some very high-level dance instructors at a weekend swing dance event a while ago, I realised that the way they spoke about what they did was the way I wanted to feel about my career. Those conversations got me thinking a lot more seriously about making the leap across to the dance industry.

MANY PEOPLE CLAIM THEY HAVE TWO LEFT FEET OR A COMPLETE LACK OF RHYTHM. IS DANCE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE TAUGHT TO ANYONE,

THE BEST YOU

LIVE LOVE LEGACY

OR DO YOU NEED A CERTAIN DEGREE OF NATURAL TALENT? I think it is something that can be taught to anyone.

Especially enough to social dance and enjoy it. Some people do take to it a lot quicker than others, and some people find one bit easy and the rest impossible. It just varies. I’ve come across too many stories of people who used to have two left feet (or no rhythm) and are now great dancers to think that there is such a thing as being doomed to fail.

MANY OF THE DANCE CLASSES I HAVE BEEN TO SEEM TO HAVE A SURPLUS OF WOMEN. WHY DO YOU THINK MEN ARE GENERALLY LESS ATTRACTED TO DANCE? That’s really tough. I wish I had a perfect answer to that. Maybe it is a lack of exposure to dance. We don’t tend to teach it in our schools. When I was in school, there was always this emphasis on football, rugby, and athletics for boys. Whilst a lot of women I’ve met through dance, danced from a very young age. I guess it could be a fear of the unknown.

WHICH LIVING PERSON DO YOU MOST ADMIRE AND WHY? José Mujica, the President of Uruguay. He’s one of those rare national leaders that actually implements policies

that work for the people. One of the few people I’ve read about in such a high position who works for the people.

WHAT’S YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT BEEN? Graduating from my degree. It was an exhausting and stressful four years, but totally worth it in the end.

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE? There was a time when I really wanted to be a painter, but I just didn’t end up going down that route.

WHEN LAST DID YOU SEE THE SUNRISE? On the side of a mountain in China, we were about to start a daylong trek along Tiger Leaping Gorge. That moment of quiet was surreal.

HOW DO YOU RELAX? I love listening to music and discovering artists and genres that I don’t listen to much.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED FOR? Putting one hundred percent of myself into everything I do.

WHICH DANCE MOVE DO YOU MOST WISH THAT YOU CAME UP WITH? There is this move in swing dance called the sugar push. It’s really simple in shape but I love the feel of it and the amount of different stuff you can do with it.

Simon is a full-time dance instructor at Swing Patrol, which offers dance classes all over London. For more information, please visit: www.swingpatrol.co.uk

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LIVE LOVE LEGACY ONE PLUS ONE

paulmckennadubai.com http://paulmckennadubai.com/

THE BEST YOU

FEEL & LOOK GOOD

THE BEST

YOU

Feeling good about yourself makes the joy shine from your eyes and your skin. It makes others respond to you in new ways and it gives you a whole new outlook on life. Looking good draws others to you and enhances your life in ways you haven’t yet imagined. It’s great to find new ways to feel and look good now!

Life Without Limits

TM

DRIVE, POWER AND SUCCESS Life and business coach Geoff Edwards gives some tops tips on taking control of your life

BEATING THE ODDS This month we observe Lymphatic Cancer Awareness Week. Miranda Leslie tells us about her experience

FEEL & LOOK GOOD

GEOFF EDWARDS

“Where are you on your journey to success?” asks Geoff Edwards.

Are you clear on what your life is about, what motivates you, and how you manage yourself so that you feel outstanding?

Sometimes, things can derail us, and if we are not in control of our lives, it impacts how we feel every day.

DRIVE, POWER

& SUCCESS

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W

E are all here to enjoy life and, while there are challenges that we all have every day, it’s a matter of deciding how long you will spend in an un-resourceful state. It’s about creating success on your own terms, living the life you truly deserve, and achieving goals that you are passionate about. This article will assist you in understanding how you can create consistency with success and feel and look great. I have summarized the approach for you into four key areas.

DECIDE WHAT MOTIVATES YOU Take a moment to be clear about what motivates you. Do you want to be your own boss, win a fitness competition, start a charitable cause, or write a book? What is the underlying driver of those desires? Is it money? Status? Fame? Do you want more time with your family? What about security? Do you love doing something so much that being able to do it for a living drives you?

Do you need the autonomy of working for yourself?

If you have a good idea of what’s driving you, it is important to also note daily if you are totally driven or distracted. By knowing what distracts you and your beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours at the time, you will increase your awareness, which will allow you to move forward.

CHANGE YOUR PERCEPTION

How you experience life is controlled by how you perceive yourself. One of the first things you need to do to change your perception is improve your awareness, especially how you look at and label things. Do any of the following sound familiar: "I know I will mess this up" - "I never achieve enough." To put things another way, do you always see the problem in every situation or do you see its solution? Do you have a “glass half empty perspective”? If you're not sure what your answer is, you need to pay more attention to how you react to certain situations. Be aware of when these thoughts come and address them before they happen so you can control them. In either case, having more information improves the authenticity of your perceptions.

DEVELOPYOURPERSONAL POWER The foundation for your Personal Power comes from your identity, values, and needs. Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs starts with our most basic of needs such as food clothing and shelter and then moves through to more deeply felt needs like self-actualisation. When we know this, we will understand how to manage ourselves and what we need in our lives. Also, if you have unmet needs, it could be because you are suppressing these needs.

Some people resort to unhealthy activities like smoking or drinking to fill the void caused by our unfulfilled needs. We can also pass on this “shadow effect” of unmet needs to others, which can cause relationship issues. So, it is important to allow all of your needs to be satisfied as this is your true character.

Another important aspect of Personal Power is your state and how you feel daily. By being in tune with your emotions, your physiology, and what drives you, you can empower yourself. Knowing patterns of behaviour and how you operate daily leads you to new awareness and growth. Studying and practicing the habits of successful and driven individuals creates the right mindset for success. In addition, by establishing a support network on your journey to success, you can increase your drive and motivation.

DISCOVER YOURSELF

Since childhood, your identity and sense of self have been developed through family, work and experiences. Quite often, however, there are defining moments in our lives that give us a wake-up call and question our previous conditioning and our own stories that keep us in our comfort zones.

People travel across the globe in search of themselves; many of them have the same question on their minds: How do I discover myself? The answer may surprise you. The task is not that difficult. If you spend time and energy on aligning who you are with what you do, you will be well on your way to true freedom. b

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FEEL & LOOK GOOD

MIRANDA LESLAU

LOVE (AND LIFE)

IS LIKE A BUTTERFLY When Miranda Leslau’s mother died in 2000, she went to Corfu for a holiday in her mother’s memory. Throughout her stay, a white butterfly followed her. Ever since then, each time she sees a white butterfly, she thinks of her mother’s spirit.

I

t’s 2014, and the butterfly has once again become an important symbol for me. Throughout 2013, I had been experiencing terrible health problems, going back and forth to the doctor in a truly desperate state. One of my two rescue dogs, JJ, would lie on my legs all night just to stop them from burning. It was around the same time that JJ kept licking the lefthand side of my neck. He wouldn’t leave it alone.

In October 2013, I ran my third half marathon, and while I will never be a fast runner, normally, I just keep going, regardless. This run was different.

Within five minutes of the start of the race, I had the most agonising pain in my groin. My first thought was of my late father, whose secondary liver cancer had presented itself with this very symptom. I knew something was wrong.

With all of my nonsensical symptoms, I ended up in a neurologist’s office who thought I had MS. He did a lumbar puncture and artery function ultrasound and it was during the artery function

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I was told I needed two years of speech therapy.

I gave up after six weeks and took to boxing and swimming.

Give my body a shock into fight or flight, was the mindset and I am a ‘miracle of science’.

Like the butterfly.

test that they found a lump.

This lump turned out to be papillary cancer, and it had been there for over a year. My life changed and everything that preceded this discovery was now BC (Before Cancer).

Everyone and their dog became a Google doctor. From being told “It’s the best cancer to have” to “I’d rather have cancer than Parkinson’s any day of the week” to others telling me how scared they were, my brain shut out all of the white noise.

Some people surprised and amazed me; others disgusted me. Which says more about them than it does about me, so I won’t waste energy dwelling on it. But worst of all, all I wanted was my mum and dad to tell me everything was going to be okay.

Within two weeks of being diagnosed, I had my thyroid removed in a complicated operation where my vocal cords were damaged and I was left with a 40 pc airway. I have a voice. I was told I needed two years of speech therapy. I gave up after six weeks and took to boxing and swimming. Give my body a shock into fight or

MIRANDA LESLAU

fflight, that was the mindset, and I am a ‘miracle of science’. Like the butterfly.

I could see people recoil as I told them I had cancer. It was as if they were expecting me to be dead by the end of the week or that I would be bald within a matter of days. The other end of the spectrum was people sharing their own story of cancer, a ‘competition of tragedy’. This is not a battle. A battle implies one side is stronger.

As a past client of mine, T. Harv Eker, always says “How you do anything is how you do everything.” I just get on with it, always have, always will. Every ounce of energy is conserved for what is essential to life management. Nothing else really matters, other than my dogs, who need me. Perhaps one day I will be a victim. We’ll cross that bridge when it is built.

Six weeks after my operation, I received radio-iodine treatment.

Only thyroid cancer responds to this particular type of treatment and for me, it was agony. I am still a work in progress.

My life is now lived in a very small bubble. With a few important people around who make me feel normal and just ‘myself’ with no

drama or fuss, I am able to cope. Work is normality, so it is a very important part of my needs.

Until after my next treatment and a full body scan, I won’t know whether cancer remains in my body. I just take one take day at a time. This is all we can all do in life, regardless of whether we have a disease or not. With the current chaos around the world, who knows what will happen to us.

I have learnt a lot about life and myself since I was diagnosed. I am extremely strong and focused.

FEEL & LOOK GOOD

I worry less and keep away from drama. I am actually happier and more contented than I ever have been, which is ironic.

In my experience, love and life really are like a butterfly.

They come into your world as a miracle. They can disappear just as fast as they flutter in and they should make you appreciate the simple gift called life. Life and love are delicate, they need handling with care and you never know how long they will hover around.

A white butterfly was there again today as I read an article about The Fault In Our Stars and the real life character that inspired John Green to write this utterly breathless work. The white butterfly was hovering over the article in the shadows and then it was gone. And as for my mum, in heaven she can always be the everlasting butterfly she related to. My only request is that she hovers around during the next chapter in my journey. b

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1 I

DAY

’ve never been much of a dieter. I like food too much, and not the good kinds. I crave pizzas, burgers and French fries. That’s not to say I don’t get my daily allowance of fresh fruit and vegetables. I enjoy a bit of steamed broccoli, but I need the junk too. So when I was challenged to a three-day juice cleanse, I thought, “Why not?” Perhaps it will help me get over my deep and abiding love for the perfect cheeseburger.

As much as I like food, I’ve never been much of a breakfast girl.

I just don’t have an appetite in the morning. So on the first morning of my juice cleanse, I am ready to go, armed with a lemon and cayenne pepper infusion instead of my usual cuppa Joe. By 10am I’m starting to get a little hungry, but, luckily, it’s time for my next juice of the day, which is one of those green super juices packed with all the goodness of apple, spinach, cucumber, kale, mint and wheatgrass. It’s actually quite delicious, and, more importantly, it satisfies my hunger. For lunch it’s a juice made of roots: beetroot, carrot, cucumber and orange.

I’m still feeling good and not at all envious of my colleague who is warming up her spaghetti and meatballs for lunch.

But at 4:30pm it’s time for another juice, and I’m not feeling itv. I’m a bit juiced and feeling a bit pickled from all the acid.

But I drink my Zest For Life, an orange, apple, carrot, lemon and ginger concoction, which is unfortunately the most acidic of the lot. The work day ends, and I make my way home, weary and dreaming of steak, but I know that all there is for me tonight is a mix DAY of raspberry, blueberry, cucumber and mint. I’m weak and tired by bedtime and not feeling great.

3

2

DAY

Health and beauty magazines are filled with different types of diets and cleanses, all offering to help you fit into your favourite pair of jeans that you bought in 1998.

The Best You Deputy Edito Zoë Henry took on a three-day juice challenge to find out what all the fuss was about.

I struggle to wake up and am resentful that I can’t have a cup of coffee. The juice flavours are the same for all three days, and the only one I’m looking forward to is the green super juice. Why did I decide to do this again?

Why would someone who loves food as much as me do this? In the name of journalism, I plough onward, looking at my juice-filled day with fatigue. I am so hungry that I can’t concentrate on my work. Steak! I want steak! Now! My mind is steeped with images of everything that’s bad for me, and the hungrier I get, the more I crave the saturated fats that are dancing like sugarplums in my head. By the time I get home, I am in a foul mood, which isn’t helped by the fact that my flatmate has decided to make mac and cheese for dinner. The smell of it is agonising.

This is what it must be like to live under a torturous regime.

My second wind has arrived! This cleanse is great! I have more energy and am looking forward to my Kick Start Lemonade to begin my day. Once again the green super juice is the highlight of my day, and once again the acidity of the Zest For Life makes me feel all pickly. But it’s almost over, and there is a bizarre sense of accomplishment that comes with depriving yourself o f something you love for three days.

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THE BEST YOU

WEALTH & RICHES

THE BEST

YOU

Life Without Limits

TM

Wealth [n] “happiness,” also “prosperity in abundance of possessions or riches” from Middle English “wele”, meaning “wellbeing”. Riches [n] “valued possessions, money, property."

Make money and bring greater wealth to EVERY area of your life.

DEVELOPING YOUR PERSONAL BRAND Personal brand expert Malcolm Levene says that the way you present yourself is down to you

THEY MADE IT IN AMERICA on G. Holland looks at the working-class immigrants in the R United States of America and analyses how they succeeded

USING THE POWER OF ATTRACTION Natalie Ekberg outlines four simple steps to help you manifest your desires

WEALTH & RICHES MALCOLM LEVENE

YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

DEPENDS ON YOU Many of the people Malcolm Levene meets are unsure about their personal brand. Some believe their in-person brand to be an extension of their online persona. Others think it's just about being themselves. If only it were that simple. In fact, if it were that simple, people like him probably wouldn't have many clients.

O

ur personal brand consists of both our inner and outer brands. Our outer brand consists of our image, body language, grooming, verbal articulation, and attire.

Our inner brand has to do with our values, integrity, attitude, and what we stand for. When our inner and outer brands have been developed sufficiently, we are well on the way to having a topnotch authentic personal brand.

Before we begin the process of development, we need to do some weeding. That is to say, before we plant new behaviours or attempt to apply selfimprovement techniques, we must endeavour to rid ourselves of anything that's likely to interfere with new growth. As in agriculture, if the ground is not fertile, growth will be seriously hindered. So, think of yourself as you would a well-cared-for garden. Before you plant seeds, ensure the soil is not stuffed with weeds – pull them out. Rid yourself of behaviours, attitudes, or beliefs that are likely to stifle your growth. This will take self-awareness, self-discipline, determination, perseverance, and, above all, patience.

Perhaps you'd like to behave more positively, or maybe you’d like to improve your body language. Only when we are truly ready to introduce new behaviours and further enhance our attributes can we expect

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good outcomes. Furthermore, it's important we delete or edit anything that doesn't serve us. Only then can we truly say we have the beginnings of an authentic personal brand. In order to delete and edit you will need to manage your ego. This is important to remember, because our ego is tantamount to being the school bully.

When we stand up to it, it begins to back off. The ego keeps us from admitting that there is anything within us that needs improvement or even change. Our potential to be successful human beings is infinite, if only we believe it to be so. It's less about what we want, more about how much we want it.

To begin, we have to decide what we would like to tackle first.

For instance, when sitting, to convey more inviting body language, ensure your legs are uncrossed; your arms unfolded and hold your head high.

These three physical gestures send a message of authority and receptiveness. Maybe you'd like to improve the first impression you make. If so, ensure you are always well groomed, make sure your attire is in style; your shoes should be polished and not in any state of disrepair.

Of course, you know all this stuff – we all do. However, it's only when we remind ourselves of the relevance

of how we project our personal brand that we are inclined to take any action. Remember that the inner brand is important as well. We can make a fabulous first impression by adopting a positive attitude. When we convey an optimistic view on life, others tend to mirror that characteristic. Therefore, the likelihood of being engaging is far more likely. In addition, this is an excellent way to begin building rapport. Smiling is an effective way to begin any conversation on an upbeat note.

Apart from the mirroring effect, when we smile we release dopamine, affectionately known as the 'happiness hormone'. So, irrespective of how we might feel, when we smile, we just feel happier.

For almost every challenge we encounter, there is a way

to resolve it. Perhaps through reading an appropriate book, or maybe attending a seminar or workshop. Sometimes, it can be very helpful to speak to a friend.

On that note, there is nothing at all wrong in asking for help. In fact, asking for help is an act of courage, not, as some believe, a sign of weakness. So if you ever feel down, know that the way to improve your state is entirely up to you. b

TOP TIPS • •

•

• •

•

Focus on what you do well, not what you do less well Be conscious of the people with whom you spend quality-time Before entering a meeting, think of any three things you are proud of Focus on what you are grateful for in your life Know that adversity is not punishment - it tends to be our greatest teacher Read top-notch literature. Remember, we become whatwe read

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MICHAEL JACOBSEN

WEALTH & RICHES

More than thirty years ago, Ron G Holland lived in the U.S. for six years. Since then, he’s been back many times, and he has interviewed hundreds of financially successful immigrants and researched thousands of others.

I

believe the mindset of immigrants may help you to smash whatever barriers that are in your way to creating wealth and happiness. It may just help you to grab whatever it is that you are looking for in your own life.

On arriving in the States, many workingclass immigrants quickly realise that the streets are not paved with gold, so they get to work, often doing menial jobs to create cash flow and feed their families.

Many times they take on two or three jobs at one time, but they rarely complain.

At the same time, they educate themselves by buying business magazines, looking for opportunities, and talking to others in the community about where the money is. They are not seeking out the least line or resistance or get-rich-quick schemes. Often they go back to basics and start businesses where there is a real demand for the product or service. They may start a gardening or a car valeting service, they may clean windows professionally, or they may collect waste cardboard or scrap metal; all are real businesses that generate good cash flow. Very quickly they learn how to leverage this income into rental property or they open their own restaurants or

car repair businesses.

They don’t feel sorry for themselves for having to work their way up the ranks; in fact, they treat it like some kind of challenge. They don’t care if they can’t get home every night to shower and watch the television. More often than not, they choose to sleep on the workshop or office floor and make an early start in the morning, cranking up their business early

and getting a jump on their competitors.

Many times, immigrants are already street wise; if they are not, they become so very quickly. They don’t fall for all the guff and hyperbole about how you can make millions overnight on the Internet. They know intuitively that to do this you need a certain skillset and mindset, and they also know that many of the people making money on the Internet are doing so by showing others how to make money on the Internet. This is why they often choose conventional, no-nonsense businesses that make money from day one.

By using their eyes and ears, they see massive potential everywhere they look and they move very quickly on their ideas. They have the ‘fire in the belly’, and if you haven’t got this, you need to cultivate it by reading motivational books and watching inspirational videos.

Finally, they know how to get in the zone and stay there. They know that every problem has its solution, and they do whatever it takes to succeed and make money.

Nothing is too much trouble and they keep in the zone by thinking positive thoughts, by ‘seeing’ in their imaginations into the future, by constantly keeping in their mind’s eye what they want for themselves and their families.

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WEALTH & RICHES NATALIE EKBERG

FOUR SIMPLE STEPS FOR MANIFESTING YOUR DESIRE

We all wish that manifesting our desires was as easy as the popular belief “dream it, believe it—bam! There it is!” Natalie Ekberg points out that, although this formula is correct, a certain amount of work is required—just like with everything else in life. Answering the questions below will get you started.

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DO YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT? This might se em obvious, but many of us struggle with this simple statement.

Allow me to challenge you here: Do you really not know what it is you want, or are you afraid to admit the truth? The best way to create a genuine desires inventory is to ask yourself the following questions: If you could do/have/be absolutely anything, what would it be? Unleash the genie from the bottle and go for it. Make a list as long as you wish. Pretend Santa is your personal assistant, sitting in your office, taking note of everything your little heart craves.

Then, reflect on your list and simplify. Honesty is the key: Do you really, truly want this item, or is it your ego just having a field trip? Does a house in France make your heart sing with joy, or do you want it because Suzy, your neighbour, has got two already? Over time, you will be able to narrow down your list to the things that really matter – the ones you know will bring you true happiness.

IS YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND BACKING YOUR DESIRE? This is a tricky one. “How am I supposed to know what the heck is going on in my subconscious mind?” you ask. Think about your conscious mind as the captain of a ship, and think about your subconscious mind as the crew working the decks. The captain can say whatever he wants if the crew is steering the ship in the wrong direction, but he can’t do much. Ideally, both the crew and the captain would want to get the ship to exactly where it’s supposed to be going (you know where, since you answered the first question). More often than not, we want ‘stuff’, but deep down inside, we don’t believe it can happen to us; that is your subconscious mind sabotaging you; that is your crew having a nap while the ship is drifting towards an iceberg. If you really want to manifest your desires, you need the captain and crew to work in harmony and support each other. Test the process with something you have never tried before (so that you don’t have any evidence to prove whether or not this is possible for you). Remember how, when we were children, it was our second nature to just throw ourselves into doing, experimenting and trying?

This is the mindset you need to return to. Leap into the ocean of your desires and believe that you possess all the swimming skills necessary to carry you to the shores of manifestation.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO OBSTACLES THAT ARE IN YOUR WAY? I know many people who were excited to work with this process – until they expected ‘things to happen’, and then those things never did. When you come to this crossroad, you have two options: You can call the process ‘doomed, unrealistic and pure rubbish’ and get back to your old, grumpy self, or you can persevere and keep believing.

Remember those fairy tales where the prince had to overcome multiple challenges to secure his ultimate prize, the beautiful princess? Making his way through the forest wasn’t enough. Identifying her hiding place wasn’t enough.

Only slaying the dragon finally did the trick! Your journey towards manifesting your desires may be similar, but in the end, you will get your prize, whether that’s Prince Charming or a red Ferrari. Obstacles will always be a part of the journey; how you respond to them will determine your final outcome.

CAN YOU GIVE UP CONTROL? Quite often, the way things manifest themselves is unexpected. You need to learn to give up control and embrace this. But you must be careful; do not misunderstand this step as ‘no action being required from me’. You still need to keep the exact vision of your goal and relentlessly work towards it. If you do that, the universe will speed things up and find the most creative way to deliver its part.

The questions above should be viewed as a roadmap, helping you along the way if you feel temporarily lost on your quest towards manifesting your desires.

Please use them as you see fit; utilise the principles that feel right for you at any given moment. Most importantly, remember that you were born to be happy, and that creating your own happiness is one of the most important actions you can take.

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WEALTH & RICHES

THE ROCKY ROAD TO SUCCESS

DOROTHY HODGKIN

HUEY LEWIS

MOLECULAR MAPPER

HE’S GOT THE GOOD NEWS

II was captured for life by chemistry and by crystals.”

I am deluded enough to think I can bring something to the table.”

Born in 1910 to parents that were both Egypt-focused archaeologists, Dorothy Hodgkin experienced a bumpy, cross-cultural upbringing in both Egypt and England. As the inevitability of the outbreak of World War I became apparent, Hodgkin’s parents, rather than returning to the much more volatile Egypt with their daughter in tow, left her in the care of those they trusted back in England.

Hodgkin began studying chemistry at the University of Oxford when she was only eighteen years old. It was when she was earning her PhD at Cambridge that she worked toward identifying the structure of proteins. This research would eventually lead to her discovery of three-dimensional bimolecular structures. Subsequently, she became most noted for solving the molecular makeup of a steroid, penicillin, and vitamin B12. In 1964, she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, but that honour proved to take second position on her achievements resume, following her identification of the structure of insulin, a task almost four decades in the making. She would apply her research and knowledge of insulin’s structure to the treatment of diabetes, traveling the world and spreading all she knew so that the disease’s impact could be greatly minimised.

Huey Lewis began life as a wanderer. He was born in New York City in 1950, but he didn’t stay there long. His family moved to northern California when Huey was still quite young. In his teenage years, Lewis would return to the east coast, finishing up high school in New Jersey and briefly attending Cornell University in New York. Less than three years into his degree, his desire to broaden his horizons proved too strong to resist. His travels took him back across the country to San Francisco. Later in life, he would tell interviewers about hitchhiking across the U.S. and Europe, and learning to play the harmonica along the way. After some moderate but ultimately unfulfilling success in the folk-rock group Clover, Lewis decided to take the advice of industry players and go with a pop sound; his breakthrough single with Huey Lewis and the News, “ Do You Believe In Love” would come under hit-maker songwriter/producer Mutt Lange. The “one-two punch” that ultimately catapulted Lewis and his band into the pantheon of music history, though, was the combination of their number one album Sports and the band’s contributions to the Back to the Future soundtrack; they are arguably better known for the latter. Huey Lewis and the News still tour, and he regularly collaborates with some of the biggest music stars in the world. Through all of his travels and attempts to find his sound, Huey Lewis maintains the allure of a wanderer who has told many stories and has many yet to tell.

• “MODERN MEDICINE OWES A LOT TO DOROTHY HODGKIN. SHE HAS HAD A HAND IN PROLONGING THE LIVES OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, AND SHE ACHIEVED GREATNESS IN SPECTACULAR CIRCUMSTANCES.”

• MANY OF US ARE FORCED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE PULL OF ADVENTURE AND PURSUING THE CAREER OF OUR DREAMS. HUEY LEWIS IS LIVING PROOF THAT IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH AMBITION, YOU CAN DO BOTH.”

– BERNARDO MOYA

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– BERNARDO MOYA

THE ROCKY ROAD TO SUCCESS

WEALTH & RICHES

MARION DOUGHERTY

RICHARD LINKLATER

SHE MADE THE STARS

BE ORIGINAL, BE HAPPY

Casting is a game of gut instinct.

You feel their talent and potential in the pit of your stomach.”

Whatever story you want to tell, tell it at the right size.”

Marion Dougherty was raised in a quaintly named American town called Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. She would go on to pull the strings in one of the country’s most powerful industries. When she graduated from college in 1944 and arrived in New York with the intention of becoming a set designer, she had her mind firmly made up as far as her career choice. She had correctly identified the industry in which she would find success, but her ultimate trade (and natural talent) within that industry would quickly reveal itself to be down a different path. When she first arrived in New York City, Dougherty worked as a department store window dresser. She worked her way into industry circles and, at a friend’s behest, dabbled in casting as an assistant.

Those in power positions quickly recognised that she had an eye for spotting talent; thus, it was just a few short years later that she was running casting departments for major TV and film projects. Dougherty made a name for herself as a true trailblazer when her casting methods began to fly in the face of the old studio system. Instead of calling in large groups of actors to read for one role, she would whittle down the selections herself and then show only a few to studio executives. It was in this way that Marion Dougherty became a true Hollywood legend, going on to give breaks to such legendary actors as Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman, as well as casting iconic films Midnight Cowboy, Full Metal Jacket, Lethal Weapon and Batman, to name just a few.

A true Texan down to his very core, Richard Linklater was born in Houston, TX in the early 1960s. He would prove to be somewhat of an artistic anomaly in the Lone Star State. As a young man, Linklater attended school at Sam Houston State University near Houston. He ended up leaving to work on an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. It was here that he gained clarity about his life and creative vision, and he decided to pursue a film career. Linklater would use almost all of his money to buy film and editing equipment and to move to Austin, TX, where a burgeoning arts and cultural movement nurtured his creativity. A year later, he co-founded the Austin Film Society, a move that would forever tie his rising star to the city and the state. Linklater's goal in storytelling and film was to explore the theme of the meandering narrative, not giving his characters any real end point, rather, exploring to the fullest exactly what made them tick. He has used this technique in nearly all of his films, from the big budget success of School of Rock to the cult classic Dazed and Confused, and most recently in the smash hits Before Midnight and Boyhood.

Linklater’s willingness to imbue relatable characters with a high level of intelligence is what has made his work so timeless, and why several high-profile actors remain loyal to, and jump at the chance to work with the man, his voice and his vision.

• AS MARION DOUGHERTY SAID IN AN INTERVIEW WITH THE MIAMI HERALD, CASTING IS ABOUT GUTS AND LUCK. CLEARLY SHE HAD A LOT OF BOTH BECAUSE SHE MANAGED TO BECOME ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CASTING AGENTS IN HOLLYWOOD.”

• “RICHARD LINKLATER IS A TRUE VISIONARY OF FILM, EXPERIMENTING WITH THE NARRATIVE OF HIS FILMS IN A WAY THAT NO OTHER DIRECTOR HAS. HIS BEFORE TRILOGY SHOWED THE WORLD THAT PERSEVERANCE MAKES GREAT ART, WHICH LEAD TO THE WORLDWIDE ANTICIPATION OF HIS LATEST PROJECT, BOYHOOD.”

– BERNARDO MOYA

– BERNARDO MOYA

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THE BEST YOU DIRECTORY The Best Professionals in Personal Development

UNITED KINGDOM

SPORTS THERAPISTS AND NUTRITIONISTS

Dr Stephen Simpson NLP, Hypnotherapy, and Havening Email: doc@drstephensimpson.com Website: www.drstephensimpson.com clients include leading names from the world of sport, business, and the entertainment industries.

Shayna Schulman Attitude adjuster and flexibility enhancer Email: Shayna.s@virgin.net Phone: +44 (0) 208 960 7715 Licensed trainer, coaching, consulting, yoga, nutrition

NLP TRAINERS Tina Taylor: Licensed Master Trainer and Practitioner Email: kay@the-me-group.com Phone: +44 (0) 7946 351640 Website: tina@tina-taylor.com Tina’s experience allows her to create and provide some very unique coaching services from stopping addictions to pregnancy and pain control.

Ulrika Shaw: Thrive consultant and hypnotherapist Email: enquiry@shawmind.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)7810 556029 Website: www.shawmind.co.uk Are you suffering from anxieties or depression? Maybe you’re struggling with bad habits such as overeating or smoking? I help people overcome anything that holds them back!

Geoff Rolls: Corporate Coach and Kinesiologist Email: geoff@geoffrolls.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)7905 056 513 Website: www.geoffrolls.co.uk Learning and development, NLP Trainer, TFH Kinesiology Instructor

June O’Driscoll: Exec Coach, Business Coach, Trainer Email: june@thoughtitude.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)7876 657 8055 Website: www.thoughtitude.co.uk NLP, Coaching and Hypnotherapy Training School and Consultancy

LIFE COACHES Dr Andrew A Parsons Mindfulness, Resilience and Finding Clear Purpose Email: aaparsons@reciprocalminds.com Phone: +44 (0)7854 029 268 Support people, build awareness and make changes for success

Dustin Vice Personal and Business Development Coaching Email: dustin@alliancecoachingsystem.com Website: www.alliancecoachingsystem.com Professional Coaching, Coaching Business system for professional coaches

Gail Cherry: Torchlight Coaching Email: gail@torchlightcoaching.co.uk

Phone: +44 (0)1143 489 161 Website: www.torchlightcoaching.co.uk Helping people with their personal and professional development. We work together to be the best you.

Ruth Hepworth: Life Coach Email: ruth.hepworth@ntlworld.com Phone: +44 (0)1252 655 849

Those Life Consultant Guys: Coaching, Seminars. Business, goal setting and more.

Website: www.thoselifeconsultantguys.com A coaching company who pride ourselves in helping you live your best life; every day, through one on one sessions and seminar programmes.

Nick Nanton Career and Life Coaching, Consultancy and Public Speaking Website: www.nicknanton.com Phone: (407) 215-7737 Recognised as one of the top thought-leaders in the business world

Edson Williams: Life Coaching Email: edson@leadbyexample.com Phone: +44(0)7867517777 Website: www.leadbyexample.com Specialising in leadership development and sport coaching

David Owen: Life Coach & NLP Trainer Email: bestyou@excel-yourself.com Phone: 07900 243494 Website: www.excel-yourself.com Stop smoking, slimming, phobias, relationships, stress, confidence, self-esteem.

THE BEST YOU DIRECTORY The Best Professionals in Personal Development

PHOBIA SPECIALISTS John Vincent Public speaking without fear Email: John@JohnVincent.tv Phone: +44 (0)7808 545 421 Website: www.johnvincent.tv

Paul Wright Phobias, Anxieties, Panic Attacks Email: paul@phobiagone.com Phone: +44 (0)203 086 8444 Website: www.phobiagone.com

NLP THERAPISTS / HYPNOTHERAPISTS Linda Cameron and Gail Walshe Inspire For Impact Email: say-hello@inspireforimpact.com Phone: +44 (0)845 601 7567 Website: www.inspireforimpact.com NLP Trainers, NLP Master Practitioners, NLP Life Coaches, Hypnotherapists

Debbie Williams Birmingham NLP Practice Group Website: www.debbiewilliams.co.uk Phone: +44 (0)121 241 0728 Life coaching, public speaking, sports coaching, all eating disorders, emotional mastery, OCD, stopping blushing, cocaine addiction, binge drinking.

Edson Williams Coaching, NLP, Personal Development Email: say-hello@inspireforimpact.com Phone: +44 (0) 7867517777 Website: www.leadbyexample.com With a holistic approach Edson is specialized in performance coaching

Laura Spicer: Public speaking skills and confidence Email: laura.spicer@gmail.com Phone: 01752 361 576 Website: www.laura-spicer.com The only accredited Sound Practice Trainer for the Society of NLP

EATING DISORDERS John Arroyo Coaching, Personal Development Email: john@johnarroyo.co.uk I have been a therapist and personal development trainer for 20 years, specialising in eating disorders for the last 10 years.

EUROPE

NLP TRAINERS

Pasquale Acampora (Italy) Master Trainer and Mental Coach, NLP, Team building Website: www.blackship.it Phone: +39 (0)335 70 99 000 Pasquale’s key areas are sport and business, he has worked with top athletes and multinational companies.

Alessandro Mora (Italy) Sport Coaching Email: a.mora@ekis.it Phone: +39 (0)522 337 611 Website: www.pnlekis.com NLP, coaching and team building applied to sport and business all over Italy

Xavier Pirla (Spain): NLP Master Trainer and NLP Coach Email: kay@the-me-group.com Phone: 91 002 84 44 (Madrid) 93 193 6449 (Barcelona) Website: www.the-me-group.com NLP, NLP Business Applications, Coaching workshops and Consultancy

Aleksander Sinigoj (Slovenia) Mastermind Academy Email: info@itnlp.com Website: www.aleksandersinigoj.com Leadership, Motivation, Sales, Business NLP

If you’d like to be featured on this list, please contact us on 0203 011 0866 or email advertising@thebestyou.co Visit www.thebestyoudirectory.co for more personal development professionals.

THE BEST YOU

BRITAIN’S LEADING PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT MAGAZINE

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THE BEST YOU

21ST CENTURY LIVING

THE BEST

YOU

The pace of change can sometimes bewilder, but it can also give amazing opportunities to meet new people, discover new things and thrive. Bring out the best in you by discovering the latest innovations that will put you ahead of the pack.

Life Without Limits

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HITTING THE SPOT

We profile Daniel Ek – the man who founded Spotify and revolutionised music streaming

HIGH TECH

Associate Editor Bryan Szabo looks at some of the latest gadgets that might just improve your life

21ST CENTURY LIVING

THE BEST YOU

HITTING THE SPOT

He has revolutionised the way we listen to music with his app, making millions of songs widely accessible for a very reasonable price. We look at Daniel Ek, the man behind Spotify.

Sweden, where he still lives, although he spent some time living in London, where he was able to indulge his love for Arsenal. A keen guitarist since he was given his first instrument at the tender age of four, Daniel also enjoys spending his leisure time beating his colleagues at FIFA championship soccer in the Spotify offices.

He is a serial entrepreneur and technologist who started his first company in 1997 at the age of 14, and he co-founded Spotify in 2006 together with Martin Lorentzon. As the CEO, Daniel’s role is to guide the vision and strategy of the company as it grows.

Leading the management team, Daniel is also responsible for nurturing a passionate working

T

he music industry has gone through many evolutions in the last fifty-odd years. For decades, listening to music at home was only possible on vinyl.

Then, in the swinging ‘60s, the compact cassette started to become popular, making it much easier to lend your music collection to friends and family. In the electric ‘80s, CDs came along and dominated the

music listening aspect of the industry for decades.

Music aficionados spent years building up their CD collections, alphabetising them and displaying them around their flats. Even after the invention of the iPod in 2001, people held onto their CDs, frantically importing them and naming them in iTunes before Gracenotes came along, allowing those compiling a digital music collection to automatically fill in track names. But in 2006 an invention so splendid came along that it has all but rendered CDs in the developed world obsolete. This invention is Spotify, and the man behind it is Daniel Ek – a 31-year-old genius.

Daniel was born and raised in Stockholm,

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environment for everyone at Spotify. Prior to his venture into the world of online music, Daniel founded Advertigo, the online advertising company acquired by TradeDoubler.

Before that, he held a senior role at Nordic auction company Tradera (later acquired by EBay).

Daniel was also CTO at Stardoll, the fashion & entertainment community for tweens.

The thought that sparked Spotify was a simple one. He found himself wondering, “How do you get people to pay for music that can, if illegally, be downloaded free – and without charging them for each song, the way Apple’s iTunes service does now?”

The answer was simple. As described by MIT Technology Review, Spotify is “a jukebox in the cloud that provides legal, on-demand access to millions of songs. Supported by paying subscribers, as well as by radio-style ads played only to nonsubscribers.”

But what is Spotify exactly?

Spotify is a commercial music streaming service providing digital rights to management– restricted content from record labels including Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal. Music can be browsed or searched by artist, album, genre, playlist, or record label. Paid “Premium" subscriptions remove advertisements and allow users to download music to listen offline. Sounds pretty great, huh?

Of course it came with

its problems.

Convincing the music industry that free or reasonably priced streaming was the way to go posed a bit of a challenge. In an interview with Wired Magazine, Ek said, “The problem that no one at that point had solved was creating a business model that the industry supported. The licensing thing, frankly, was two and a half years of labour.

The music industry has always played the scarcity card – they were selling physical discs, with limited availability, and all of a sudden they're selling access, and access by proxy means being a utility. Getting them over that hump and making them realise that the access model is a much better business model for them has been the hardest. Especially when you come in and say, look, we have this great new business idea: we'll give away your content for free, and people will start paying for it. It's one thing getting one label in, but we truly wanted to deliver the emotion of having all the world's music on your hard drive – and the last deal didn't happen till three days before launch.”

In the last eight years, Spotify has spread around the developed world like wildfire.

The service debuted in the United States last year after operating for three years in Europe; it now has more than 15 million users, four million of whom are paying subscribers.

With an estimated value of $4

Spotify has spread around the developed world like wildfire. It debuted in the United States last year after operating for three years in Europe; it now has more than 15 million users, four million of whom are paying subscribers.

With an estimated value of $4 billion, Spotify is one of the hottest Internet companies

billion, Spotify is one of the hottest Internet companies in the world.

The music industry still has a long way to go, but Ek told Wired that he reckons they are getting there: “It's interesting to see the way they're innovating now – the acts they're signing, the way they're marketing. For instance, the labels are creating Spotify playlists. But they don't just put their own music there – they've realised it's better to have the mix of music with one or two of their tracks to try out.

That's just really smart digital marketing.” b

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21ST CENTURY LIVING

THE BEST YOU

This month, we’ve scoured the web looking for fall’s hottest gadgets.

Whether you are a tech-head or a technophobe, there’s something on this list for everybody.

LIVESCRIBE 3 SMARTPEN

BOWERS & WILKINS MM-1 Not too long ago, computer speakers were designed almost exclusively for gaming. Music lovers and audiophiles were often underwhelmed by the performance of these speakers. Enter the MM-1, a sleek set of desktop computer speakers that contain a built-in power source. Just plug them into the wall and into your computer and experience crystal clear hi-fi audio brought to you by the same people who wired the Abbey Road Studios for sound. They’ve managed to use the same tube-loaded tweeter design in the MM-1s that they use in their studio-grade speakers. The result is top-notch.

Recommended retail price: £399.00

Though it is actually a stunningly sophisticated piece of technology, the Livescribe 3 is designed to feel like a high-quality ballpoint pen. The weight, the look, the feel of it in your hand, all are reminiscent of the fine writing instruments that grace the desks of the business elite, but this does much more than theirs. Sync the Smartpen with your tablet or smartphone and everything you write on the Livescribe paper (included) will be automatically uploaded to your device and, if you like, converted to easy-to-read text.

Ideal for the well-heeled student, the frequent boardroom visitor, or the artistically inclined doodler.

Recommended retail price: £129.99

MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO 3 Microsoft’s top-of-the-line contribution to the tablet market combines tablet portability with laptop power. Tipping the scales at a featherweight 1.76 pounds, the Surface Pro 3 features a 12inch display framed in sleek magnesium. With a powerful fourth-gen Intel processor and a full suite of Microsoft’s familiar brand of user-friendly programs, Microsoft is threatening to take a sizeable bite out of the laptop market with this offering. The new Surface Pen allows users to write or draw whatever they fancy; even if the device is in sleep mode, a single click of the Surface Pen opens up a blank document in which you can write a quick memo.

Recommended retail price: £1339.99

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THE BEST YOU 21ST

CENTURY LIVING

GARMIN APPROACH S6 The most advanced GPS golf watch in the world, the Approach S6 is perfect for the avid golfer – especially if that golfer makes sure to visit the local courses when on the road. With instant access to more than 30,000 courses, you’ll never be left wondering what it looks like around that dogleg up ahead.

Not only will the Approach S6 tell you how far it is to the front, back, and centre of the green, it will advise you on which club to select and even coach you on your swing. This gadget’s scores a hole in one with golf enthusiasts.

Recommended retail price: £349.99

PHILIPS HF3500 Studies have shown that light plays an important role in the waking-up process.

Being jolted out of bed by clanging bells or high-pitched electric sirens is, to say the least, unpleasant. If you want to wake up the more natural way, the Philips HF3500 will help. Set the wake-up light to the time you want to get up, and, starting 30 minutes before your wakeup time, the device begins to slowly flood the room with soft light that mimics the rays of the rising sun. Users report waking more refreshed with much less inclination to grope in the dark for the snooze button.

Recommended retail price: £59.99

BELL & ROSS BR-03 RED RADAR For the man or woman who has absolutely everything, the Bell & Ross BR-03 Red Radar is about as eye-catching as timepieces get. Like a regular watch, the Red Radar displays the time, but rather than second, minute, and hour hands, this watch uses sweeping bars of light that make it look like the wearer is sweeping the heavens for enemy combatants. It’s price-tag may be in the stratosphere as well, but the watchmaker’s pedigree and the over-the moon cool factor might just make it worth the price.

Recommended retail price: £5000

LOGITECH N120 COOLING PAD Whilst a lot of laptop users rarely put their computers on their laps, for those who do, the heat that comes off of the device can make computing an uncomfortable experience.

If you frequently use your device in this way, a three- or four-hour marathon session with your laptop can lead to an extremely hot machine—one that functions poorly and, as if that’s not bad enough, is painfully hot to the touch.

The Logitech N120 is like an air conditioner for your laptop. Its fan plugs into your USB port and will keep your computer (and your lap) cool for as long as you need it to.

Recommended retail price: £28.48

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