Geoff Huegill – Be Your Best

Geoff Huegill’s first book is BE YOUR BEST, a stunning story of one of the greatest comeback in Australian sport.

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!

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Chris Bellesini, November 19th 2011 | Tags:
Posted in Book Reviews

68 – Celebrity Apprentice – Where Do Your Values Lie

I have been watching The Celebrity Apprentice with interest the past three weeks but have to admit that what I am getting out of it is far different to what I expected. Usually on The Apprentice a group of talented entrepreneurs compete to win a job with the host, in this case Mark Bouris of Yellow Brick Road. The spin on The Celebrity Apprentice is that instead of competing for a job the celebrities are competing for money for their charities.

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

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Chris Bellesini, November 17th 2011 | Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Latest News

67 – The New Rules…

Ask anyone and they will tell you they are ‘busy’ or that ‘there are not enough hours in the day.’ Time is the one thing that once spent we cannot get back and is therefore our most precious asset. I was reminded of this during the first day of The News Rules of Business seminar with Dale Beaumont. One thing he said that he once heard from a mentor was:

“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

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Chris Bellesini, November 10th 2011 | Tags: , , ,
Posted in Latest News

66 – In Time

In Time is a new movie with a fascinating concept starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. Don’t worry I’m not going to spoil what happens in the movie, instead here are some of my thoughts on the central theme explored In Time. In Time is set in the future where everyone ages to be 25 years old and then they are given a clock where they have one year before their time expires and they die. Time remaining is the thing with the greatest value and becomes the currency in this world. Time can be traded and the movie characters use time instead of money to pay to pay the bills. For example to go on the bus it may cost them an hour of their time left. When they work they are paid in time not money.

Like any western society there is a huge divide between the rich and the poor. The rich can live forever as they have acquired a lot of time and can chose to do what they want. At the other extreme the poor literally live day to day where if they can’t pay their bills their clock reaches zero and they expire. The poor are forced to eat faster and run from one place to the next as they are continually in survival mode. It is what we refer to as the rat race where we continually go round and round just to survive the everyday pressures of life without being about to get ahead and break free of that cycle.

Justin Timberlake’s character gets a lucky break in In Time and learns how the other half live. When he discovers they are the ones who are controlling what goes on at the slummy part of town he sets out to change things. What he quickly discovers is that like money, if time is given to those that can’t handle it then that unpredictable things can happen. People are often motivated by greed and power and by changing the whole dynamics of who has the most time the ones who have positions of authority feel threatened.

For me I thought In Time was an interesting way to look at life. Unfortunately so much revolves around money when the only real currency that matters is our time and how we use it. I’ve seen people work sixty hours a week for 15 years and made a lot of money but at the end of it look back and wonder what happened. If you love your work then it is not a waste of time, but if the motivation is purely money and you hate what you do what is the point?

Are you using your most valuable asset as you should and do you value your time or are you so busy spending it on things that don’t matter that you have forgotten that you can’t exactly take your money with you!

I highly recommend you see this movie because not only is it entertaining and a different concept it may just get you to think a little differently about your own time.

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

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Chris Bellesini, November 8th 2011 | Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Latest News
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