The First Step

"A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it is real, so he escapes the suffering."

-Buddha

For your first step in wanting to improve yourself, it can sometimes be hard to know where to start. That is why I decided to write this little book. It is meant to be short and effective and hopefully make you want to proceed with what you were thinking when you picked up this book. I have talked to teenagers and adults about how to get control of their lives and have helped them find direction. Touching the hearts of youths can give you more than anything else in your life; for me, this is one of the most fulfilling experiences I do. You can never prevent people from being lost, but you can always point them in the right direction and that is what this book hopefully will do for you: point you in the direction of improvement, of control, of joy and fulfillment in your life.

When I started working on myself, the reason was that my boss at work sent me to a seminar that teaches NLP (NLP is Neuro Linguistic Programming, a model originally designed by John Grinder and Richard Bandler, for more information we suggest www.its.co.uk.). This was my inspiration to start doing more research and eventually to get into this field. Originally, the reason I was sent to this seminar was to improve my sales skills. Little did I know how much this seminar would change my life, improve it in so many ways and make it more enjoyable. Above all, I today have the opportunity to help other people to improve their lives. I know one thing: without attending that seminar, I would probably still be doing the same things over and over again without really getting or being the person I always wanted to be. It takes so little to do so much. If I would have known how little it takes to make big changes, I would have sought out this information a lot sooner.

The first advice I will give you in this book is simple: stand up straight, put your shoulders back, and start smiling. Up until this point, I am pretty sure you have not needed a reason to slouch, be depressed, or keep a straight face. So here is no reason whatsoever to smile and start making the little things make you smile. Be thankful for all those around you (even those who annoy you). Be thankful that you are not one of them, and that instead, you are walking straight and smiling. Keep your focus on those special things you have that they do not:

This book — and the fact you are taking the first step!

Congratulations on this, you have earned my respect by starting this process.