Do you want to compete successfully on the world stage so you can enjoy a lucrative career in sport?

Whether you are just starting out, or you have already won accolades and want to take it to the next level. Gold Medal Olympian Kerri Pottharst shows you can achieve greatness, both on and off the field.

In The Business of Being an Athlete Kerri draws from more than 25 years’ experience and reveals how the right attitude, the right tools, and the right approach took her from being a part time athlete to becoming a multi award winning champion, a hot property for sponsorship, and a successful entrepreneur.

In this compelling, step by step guide, you will learn how to:

Develop a gold medal mindset and create an unshakeable self belief

Sharpen your focus to create effective goal setting strategies

Surround yourself with an A Team

Use the most effective nutrition, hydration, travel and recovery techniques

Prioritise and schedule and  for maximum success

Attract sponsorship and build your media profile to develop your brand

Develop other revenue streams

Create online presence using websites and social media

Become a successful motivational speaker

Create balance whilst setting yourself up for life

Filled with brilliant strategies, as well as insights from other world class athletes, The Business of Being an Athlete is a must have guide for any determined athlete.

Chris’ Review

This is the sort of book that I wish was around when I was younger. Having played basketball at reasonable high level for many years I was always fundraising and paying for my sporting and travel expenses. What I like about this book is that it covers all the important aspects of being an athlete from looking after your body with training and nutrition, to the mindset and mental toughness needed to compete and the financial aspect of sport for those looking to make a career of it.

Kerri weaves here own story into the book of how she started as an indoor volleyball player and suffered a career ending injury only to discover a new lease of life on the sand. She firstly won a bronze medal in 1996 before hiring a success coach with her playing partner Natalie Cook to assist in believing that they were already gold medalists.

A great book for young athletes and parents of young athletes no matter what level of sporting success you are after in your life. The principles of personal development as always are transferable to many areas of life.

Synopsis from www.borders.com.au

Everyone has at least one thing they want to do before they die. Some even write a list. But how many goals and dreams on this list are actually ever achieved? At the ripe-old age of 26, Sebastian Terry realised that like most people, he had not achieved anything on his long-forgotten list. The death of a close friend combined with a naturally abstract view on life sparks a moment of clarity.

In the midst of overseas trip, Sebastian decided to put pen to paper and created a list of 100 Things. His goal, to tick off everything on that list. It’s the start of a crazy, no holds barred adventure that sees Sebastian travel to the ends of the earth on a quest to prove that anything is possible, including true fulfillment.

Along the way, Sebastian strives to raise $100,000 for Camp Quality, a fantastic organisation creating happiness for children and families affected by Cancer.

Support for the journey has been unexpected and also world-wide “What started as a journey based on my own goals and imagination has turned into something so much bigger. Never in a million years did I think anyone would take inspiration from this trip, but I now receive emails from people everywhere offering support, asking for advice and even thanking me! It’s very humbling”

Seb Terry 100 Things is a humorous, action packed adventure dedicated to anyone who’s ever worried about their age, or dreamt about living every day like it was their last.

CHRIS’ REVIEW

When I saw this book on the shelf just prior to Christmas I knew it was right up my alley and so added it to my list. Little did I know that this book was all about lists and the journey taken so far by Sebastian Terry to cross things off during his lifetime. Having a bucket list in your mid twenties is probably not the norm but Seb has an amazing insights on life and he is driven by his values and achieving his dreams whilst inspiring others along the way.

What I really like about this book is that it starts off with the death of a friend prompting Seb to make changes in his life. But as he meets people around the world and ticks items off his list the goal becomes about others not himself.

It is an interesting transformation and what Seb has done takes courage to go against the idea of financial security to be where he has to be which could be anywhere in the world at any time.

An easy read as it is broken into short chapters, some covering items on the list, others on insights and lessons. I’m looking forward to seeing this story continue on the www.100things.com.au website.

Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson

Synopsis from www.borders.com.au

Based on more than 40 interviews with Steve Jobs conducted over 2 years as well as interviews with more than 100 family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues. The author Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur, whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized 6 industries: Personal Computers, Animated Movies, Music, Phones, Tablet Computing, and Digital Publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Steve Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the 21st century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.

Although Steve Jobs co-operated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. Nothing was off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against.

His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control, that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted. Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system.

His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

Chris’ Review

 Yes I read alot but when you give me a book that is more than 250 pages long if you can’t hold my attention I will most likely put it aside and finish it later. Often sports book are filled with every game and detail of a career which for the big fan is great but fo rthe average fan a bit much. So when I picked up the life story of Steve Jobs and saw it was 600 pages long I wondered if being just an average fan if I would stay interested until the end.

Considering I have spent every spare moment going back to read the book it passes with flying colours. It is amazing to learn of the vision that Steve Jobs had way back in the 1980′s. His mind was ahead of his time and he just needed technology to catch up. What is also great about this book is that there is nothing held back. Steve Jobs knew that he was difficult, harsh and unfair on many people but reading the book makes me think that had he had been any diffirent Apple would not exist today and our technology would be nowhere near as advanced as it is.

The book is more about just Steve Jobs, his life is intertwined into so many great companies including Apple, Pixar, Disney and Microsoft and the music industry and so whilst reading you are not just reading a biography about one man but how he played a part in so many parts of our everyday life.

What makes the book even more interesting is that Steve Jobs gave permission for anything and everything to be printed. Nothing is sugar coated and various friends and rivals have their say on a man who would get emotion, manipulate and more often than not get his way. From the day he was born and then adopted out Steve Jobs was a very complex man and now that he is gone I wonder if anyone in the next forty years will have an impact on the world such as he did in the last forty.

Synopsis from www.wikipedia.com

Think and Grow Rich is a motivational personal development and self-help book written by Napoleon Hill. It was inspired by a suggestion from Scottish-American businessman Andrew Carnegie. While the title implies that this book deals only with achieving monetary wealth, the author explains that the philosophy taught in the book can be used to help individuals succeed in all lines of work, and to do or be almost anything they want in this world.

For instance, Jim Murray (sportswriter) wrote that Think and Grow Rich was credited for Ken Norton’s boxing upset of Muhammad Ali in 1973. The Reverend Charles Stanley writes “I began to apply the principles of (Think and Grow Rich) to my endeavors as a pastor, and I discovered they worked!” The book was first published in 1937 during the Great Depression. At the time of Hill’s death in 1970, Think and Grow Rich had sold 20 million copies. It remains the biggest seller of Napoleon Hill’s books – a perennial best-seller after 70 years (BusinessWeek Magazine’s Best-Seller List ranked Think and Grow Rich as the sixth best-selling paperback business book 70 years after it was first published). Think and Grow Rich is listed in John C. Maxwell’s A Lifetime “Must Read” Books List.

CHRIS’ REVIEW

It is hard to argue with the fact that this book is responsible for more millionaires than any other book as it was written by interviewing the 504 richest people in the world at the time. It has also in the top ten all time most sold books. Written in 1937, naturally some of the language is old fashioned but the message is at true today as ever. Most people who read this book read it again as it certainly has a lot of messages that will appeal at different times in your life. The interesting thing about the book is that it does not talk about money but instead the mindset.

Rather than rambling on, the best way to discover for yourself is to order your Free copy for yourself. CLICK HERE to find out how!

Synopsis from www.borders.com.au

Anh Do nearly didn’t make it to Australia. His entire family came close to losing their lives on the sea as they escaped from war torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat. But nothing, not murderous pirates, nor the imminent threat of death by hunger, disease or dehydration as they drifted for days, could quench their desire to make a better life in the country they had dreamed about.

Life in Australia was hard, an endless succession of back breaking work, crowded rooms, ruthless landlords and make do everything. Things got harder when his father left home when Anh was 13, and his mother struggled to support the family on her own. His mother’s sacrifice was an inspiration to Anh.

Another inspiration was the comedian Anh met when he was about to sign on for a 60 hour a week corporate job. Anh asked how many hours he worked. Four, came the answer, and that was it. He was going to be a comedian!

The Happiest Refugee tells the uplifting and inspiring life story, of one of our favourite personalities. Tragedy, humour, heartache and unswerving determination, a big life with big dreams. Anh’s story will move and amuse all who read it.

CHRIS’ REVIEW

Wow what a page turner. I read this book last Summer in less than two days and everyone else I know who has read it has done so in even less time. For those who know the comedian Anh Do from our television screens the first thing that comes across his his beaming cheeky smile. It all stems from an amazing attitude and what is even more interesting is that he had every reason to think that life was hard but instead he and his family took their past and turned it into reasons to be grateful.

I didn’t expect to be reading a such a real life adventure when I picked up this book as most books written by comedians are full of more humour and less story. Anh Do instead writes this story as it happened and with his cheeky style the humour in the book comes naturally and usually during the toughest times when he has the ability to keep smiling.

The latest print run of this book has a some well deserved stamps on the cover to indicate some of the awards that it has won to date. The book is an autobiography but certainly not one of a normal life, it is one of adventure and determination to make a great life in Australia.

Synopsis from www.danceuntilitrains.com.au

If you knew you could do or have anything you desired, what would you do, and how would you live?

Learn life’s most important lessons from an ordinary person, who had an extraordinary desire to change her circumstance. Be inspired to create a vision for your life, take some simple steps …. and then watch how your life changes forever!

Dance Until It Rains will make you laugh, and make you cry. Most importantly, it will help you to find the motivation to create a higher level of wellbeing and a happier life for yourself.

Inspired by the life of Sue Jobling’s, the mother of Andrew Jobling’s, Dance Until It Rains reveals lessons that can help you to live a life of health, happiness and prosperity.

In this heart-warming tribute, Andrew takes the life lessons he learned from his remarkable mother Sue, and shows us how we can all benefit if we apply them to our own lives.

Lesson 1

WHY NOT ME AND WHY NOT NOW?

The steps to success in any other area of life are really quite simple. The difference between those who achieve great things and those who don’t is nothing more than a decision. The decision that successwful people start now and finish what they started. Everyone can, but not everyone will. We have the choice to stop right now and think about what it is we really want. Ask yourself: ‘Why not me and why not now?’ Life is too short to let it just pass by,  decide today to start living life,  take control and live it by your own choices and dreams and not by the choices of others.

CHRIS’ REVIEW

What I really like about this book is that Andrew has taken his Mum’s story and presented it in such a way that anyone can relate to it. Dance Until It Rains was a project that was started only months before Sue Jobling passed away but not released for five years until it was just right. It is very easy to read and Andrew is conscious of making it a book for you and not one purely for his own entertainment as would be easy to do when talking about such an important person in his life. By the end of the book you feel like you know Sue and understand why she become the person did and how she was able to tackle cancer and outlive the doctors predictions  by a decade.

Each chapter has a clear goal and a story and is then broken down into lessons to complete the key message of each section. Even the story behind the story which I read at Andrew’s website is fascinating in how he was able to meet with an inspiring cancer survivor and actor Olivia Newton John and then receive a phone call from her about this book.

This year I decided to make a list of ten books that I have read or re-read in the past year that I think would make a great Christmas present for yourself or ideas for someone else.

These top ten are not in any order as everyone has different suitable audiences which I have included below. Maybe you are interested in a topic or maybe you are looking for an idea for a gift for someone. Feel free to add your own suggestions to the comments at the bottom of the page! I will add a new book from my top 10 recommendations to the list every couple of days so check back for more ideas!

Click on the title

10. Dance Until It Rains – Andrew Jobling.

Inspiring, personal development. Suitable for those who have been touched by cancer in some way, be that yourself or a loved one. Or if you are interested in books on mindset and well being.

9. It’s Not About The Bike – Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins

Sport, Inspiring. I don’t care if you are into cycling or even sport. Lance Armstrong has an amazing story of survival and determination. It contains messages of his positive attitude and how he overcame cancer.

8. The Happiest Refugee – Anh Do

Autobiographic, Comedy, Inspiring. This book has won a heap of award over the past year and for good reason. Anh Do came to Australia on a crowded boat which nearly didn’t make it. A real page turner that will keep you reading until the end.

7. The Secrets Exposed Series – Dale Beaumont

Business. If you are into business then the series has a title for you. From Property, to entrepreneurs, to shares, to small business owners, to public speaking and inspiring leaders, The Secrets Exposed Series has 15 titles that all became best sellers. These books are a great way to learn what successful people do in the question and interview style.

6. Ultra Marathon Man – Dean Karnazes

Biography, Inspiring. Change is often the hardest thing for us to do, especially when it is not forced changed. Dean Karnazes shows what is possible when you step well out of your comfort zone and push yourself to do more than you ever thought possible.

5. The Four Hour Body – Timothy Ferris

Health & Fitness. Not your average book on how to lose weight and diet but instead a series of tests of how to become super human. Why spend 4 hours a week at the gym when you can achieve the same result in 40 minutes? Will challenge your beliefs and has something for everyone.

4. A Crazy Life – John Ilhan

Biography, Business. One of my all time favourite business books. Crazy John led an interesting life where he played in the National Soccer League briefly before a career ending injury and then took that same drive to succee in business. He was bullied by his employer at a mobile phone shop and then Telstra but was never scared to take them on.

3. Think & Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

Business, Mindset. This book is responsible for more millionaires than any other book in history. As an extra Christmas Gift you can order a copy for Free by following the link above.

2. Beneath The Waves – Layne Beachley

Biography, Sport, Inspiring. From being given up at birth to losing her adopted Mum at a young age and then deciding to be a champion Layne’s story is one of pure determination. It was not an easy road and she doesn’t suger coat it to make it look like it was.

1. Steve Jobs – Walter Isaacson

Biography, Business, Technology. What an amazing life, Steve Jobs was far from perfect but the way he was able to visualise the future technologies and then eventually see them come to life in his obsessive ways is an amazing story. A long book but one well worth reading.

Geoff Huegill’s BE YOUR BEST is a self portrait of a man up against all the odds, a man back on the starting blocks after retreating into a self-imposed exile for five years.

Geoff Huegill’s story is a rare and remarkable journey from hero, to zero, then back to being a national hero. Be Your Best follows Geoff’s rise to world record holder and world champion, his retirement and subsequent battles with his own demons and massive weight gain. Theis book gives the inside story of his remarkable comeback. Learning just what is took for Geoff to not only loose over 40kg, but to return to the pool and exceed all expectations to become national champion and gold medallist again at the age of thirty.

This is a story that inspired the nation and will inspire readers. Included in the book are the principals behind Geoff’s amazing achievements, with full explanation as to how anyone can use these same concepts to be their best.

CHRIS’ REVIEW

I must admit that this book was not what I expected from the photos I saw on the internet before this book was released, I assumed that it was a typical biography with a few colour pcitures in the middle. The story would be about a man who went from being a champion to going off the rails and then working his way back to the Australian team by re dedicating himself to his swimming.

Instead what I got was almost a coffee table type book filled with lots of colourful photos from Geoff Huegill’s life and a less detailed account of his life. So am I disappointed? Absolutely not, it was just a case of expecting one thing and getting another. The messages are still there and it is clear how Geoff was a natural from the moment he hit the water. You can also see how a swimmer who spends their childhood and teens doing lap after lap following the black line whilst we all sleep  can want to indulge and make up for lost time in their twenties.

Geoff truly has a fantastic attitude and big heart behind that famous smile and part of the book is dedicated to his principles to be your best which is also a business he is running as he looks to continue to contribute to young people’s lives as his career starts to head towards his second retirement.

For those who are a fan of Geoff or if you want to see the pictures of an obese athlete before and after he worked his butt to get into shape then this a great book for you!

From the first episode I could see that it was not going to be a very realistic program for a business to learn from because all the contestants did was pull out their list of contacts and ask for money in a car wash challenge. One car was washed for $50,000 so clearly the everyday entrepreneur is not going to last too long trying to charge those dollars. Instead of focusing on the dollars I have been watching the personalities of the contestants. After all they all qualify for The Celebrity Apprentice because of some sort of success in their own fields.  Here is a look and thoughts on some of the personalities.

I wonder if the celebrities considered that this show would automatically effect their reputations in one of three ways. It would be enhanced, damaged or stay the same. Sounds simple but the show puts them under pressure to perform in stressful situations and when backed into a corner the true person can come out. How will they behave when their natural competitive nature wants them to win but to win they may have to compromise their values or what is right.

Max Markson came across in the first episode as arrogant and in it for the ego and I would have thought that hurt him. But you could see as the show went on that although he behaved selfishly many times that there were signs that he was learning to co operate so I in my mind I gave him nuteral mark, the jury was out. But when he looked like being fired the true Max shone through and he called a fellow contestant a drug addict based on incidents ten years earlier. It went to show that he was prepared to try anything just to survive. The jury is no longer out, he has shown his true colours.

Pauline Hanson is one that has probably enhanced her reputation. As a politician she was not overly liked as she was prepared to be controversial and stand up for what she believed in even if that was not politically correct. That was over a decade ago now and The Celebrity Apprentice has given viewers an insight into her values as an everyday person. Pauline has been prepared get out of her comfort zone for the good of charities on many occasions and if she thought the public was being harassed or a line was being crossed she has been the one to say something whilst viewers at home say ‘good on you.’

For me one that has split the middle as neither enhancing or hurting his reputation is Jason Coleman. On one hand he loves control and manipulates others to get his way and loves to talk about his achievements, on the other he is a gentleman and is always opening doors for others and has a big heart. He is blissfully unaware of the wedge he often drives between his teammates and whilst he plays the game to get what he wants if he had not done this in his dancing career we would not know who he is. He has been prepared to work his arse off and that has to be respected, he has succeeded because he has had a vision.

Then you have Shane Crawford who I relate to most on the show with my sporting background and view on life. Shane is the ultimate team player and won’t say a bad word about anyone. In his football career he worked hard individually as a player to benefit the team. He is respected by the host Mark Bouris who tends to push others to fight by putting their teammates down. Shane Crawford is happy to be accountable by put himself up for elimination when the team fails and doesn’t hide from responsibility.

At the end of the day, The Celebrity Apprentice is really just average people who we recognise for one reason or another. Think about who can you most relate to and why!

Chris Bellesini
Remember, You Too, Can
Choose Your Own Success

“The millionaire and the begger both have the same amount of hours in the day, they just chose to spend them differently.”

I know when I am being productive and when I’m not and concluded a long time ago that there was not much point doing something half heartedly. It takes twice the time, or you get half the result, a theme of the New Rules of Business. One way that I am using my time productively right now is by writing this blog on the train whilst I head into the city for day two of The New Rules of Business.

The title of the workshop is appropriate as back in the old days people were prepared to work in a company for their entire lives and slowly progress up the corporate ladder. Now employees aren’t that patient and companies aren’t that loyal. So on a larger scale it can be very unproductive to stay in one job for your entire life and forgo other opportunities.

It happened to me on the basketball court. Twice in my career the coaches decided that I was not the best fit for the team and so stopped giving me court time. To stay would have a been a waste of time and I wouldn’t have got the results I got by leaving. What is the point of being the fittest guy on the team and hardest trainer when you get five minutes on the court?

Short term productivity comes down to the day to day stuff where people waste their lives watching TV or taking the easy way out which is actually making life harder for them down the track. I could conclude that I don’t have time to write a book in between everything I do yet I have written over two this year already which is now being edited and prepared to hit the market next year. One of my favourite athletes Dean Karnazes, wrote his book whilst running by recording his voice and then having it transcribed. What a great use of his time!

The New Rules of Business is the Dean Karnazes of the business and technology world. Did you know that you can outsource jobs for next to nothing? That there are tools to turn an hour and a half email into a five minute video? That you can watch training videos in double or triple speed? By far the most productive thing I have all year is taken the time to find out how I can be more productive.

If you are a business owner or considering going into business in some way this is an amazing event. There are very few people I’d recommend but I’ve known Dale Beaumont for about five years and he shares so much incredible knowledge at this event  that I know you would get value no matter who you are!. By the way. Perfect timing train just rolling into the station as I write, how is that for being productive! Enjoy your day!

To learn more check out this link The New Rules Of Business.

Chris Bellesini
Remember, You Too, Can
Choose Your Own Success