What was my ISA Experience

The ISA Experience may be one of the most important things you can do in your life.

I've spoken highly about Tony Robbins - UPW and other personal development events. This is different.

Let me ask you, do you like cherries?

UPW is like a cherry on the cake of life and very enjoyable, might I add. Just that I'd forgotten that cherries are so much nicer with the cake! I finally went to the bakery and found out what I was missing.

ISA is the cake and foundation for you to build your life on, then you can top it with whatever you want.

I can't explain the experience as it will be different for everyone. Like the experience of you learning to swim or ride a bike, feeling unsteady to start with and after practice, the feeling of wind in your hair and being able to do it without having to think about it. It is a personal experience and can't be put into a couple of paragraphs. I had written a few and realised I'd be taking more than giving. It would be a dis-service if I told you about it.

I spoke to a couple of friends about how I felt to start with and they wanted to do it! They didn't even give me a chance to tell them about how wonderful it was and what I learnt about myself and life. Over the weekend I learnt so much about myself, other people and the world - that I now see it differently. Nothing had changed or maybe it had, inside me, like my perspective and point of view.

Am I a changed person after the experience? Let me know when we next meet or speak ;-)

If you are interested and want to know more check out the website at www.isaexperience.com or if you have my number, give me a call.

The biggest lessons I learnt were about acceptance and gratitude. Accept who you are and be understanding of others around you, they are doing their best with the information that they have. And be grateful for what you do have in your life every day, as in comparison - others aren't as lucky as you!


Your life IS what you make it! Do you want to have an average life or a brilliant one? It is your choice and yours alone to make.
I hope you choose to have a brilliant life and be the best that you can be!

It's a small world and you are one of the lucky ones:

ISA Experience

I'm at an ISA Experience this weekend - uneasy and liberating at the same time. It's about self awareness and a change to all these motivational and business seminars I usually attend. Give me hot coals to walk over any day!

Will I be able to relax and find myself this weekend? OR will I have everyone else running for the hills!? :-)

You get what you focus on! So sit still, stop fidgeting and don't look around. Oh you weren't till I told you not to were you!? ;-)

Update early next week.

Nicki Pattison on Branding; And Bobby on The Apprentice

Well last night I had my good old VHS running to tape The Apprentice - no digital boxes or hard drives here. As I was attending a YES Group this evening, they really should have checked their dates!



Nicky Pattison was speaking at the YES Group North last night and telling us her story. She was great and comes across as a very genuine person, that you don't care what she's selling, you just want to give her your money! People deal with the person that you are and your brand is where you have come from and your story.

What I learnt was that you just need to be yourself and honest in business, as it's about connecting with people on a real level and not putting on a professional front - well at least no-one could accuse me of being professional!!!

Nicki does regular workshops and said she'd put one on in Huddersfield if I could get 10 people together. Anyone reading interested, then contact me. Actually, anyone reading at all...?


We - Karen, Jo, Rash, Rob, Satnam and Satie went for a post YES meal at Wetherspoons.
It was also suggested I change the name of this from Bobby's blog to Bobby's Chronicles - admittedly, it HAS been a busy month!
Rob Bell decided to help me work on my branding as well. This is what happens when you sit in a pub all night talking about everything and nothing. I think he just copied and pasted it from WW Bell Do!?

What do you think? Does it have a global appeal ;-)




I came back to a naff recording of The Apprentice! The video heads needed cleaning for the last decade, luckily I found the BBC iPlayer site to watch TV from the last 7 days. So if you missed an episode - here it is:
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

Watching, it's always easier being on the outside looking in, yet when you're in the hot seat and under pressure, particularly in a market you're not familiar with it is more stressful. They were really dropped in it by Sir Alan. Especially when everyone else is busy watching their own back, instead of focusing on the task.

Not much time to come up with a plan, although market research should have been top of the list and at least visiting a fish monger.

I'd have fired all three after that bickering and snobbery! Bring back the candidates of series gone by, this lot are already becoming annoying. Never mind them, will I make it through the series!?

Easter - a weekend of reflection on the past

I got a call from my friends Sophie T, Michael and Jo on Sunday evening. Sophie always call on bank holidays and Christmas to catch up. Everyone else I knew, from the days of drinking, are so busy they don't even call then. It was about 10.30pm and I thought what the hell, facebook can wait ;-)

It was a great night in town at The Cotton Factory, then on to Tokyo's for some dancing. With some classics playing it always takes you back to the 'good old days' - just as we write new chapters in that book to reminisce about in the future!

Michael asked me where I'd been recently and if I was getting picky with who I hang out with. Picky was right! Just that people have always been choosy in the past whether they talk to me or not - and now I still am picky, as I only give people time who have time for me. Those that call and want to hang out get my 'pickiness' over those that don't. Not the answer he was looking back - but the truth. He still doesn't understand the whole Tony Robbins thing and has decided to quit smoking on his own accord without 'motivation', so well done to him!

I was walking Jo back to the car when I mentioned I don't run into dick heads anymore, like I used to in 2006, I've only met really wonderful people since 2007. I then started to weave and she though I was drunk, little did she know I was avoiding the chav, with the knife in his hand, walking in the same direction - had I spoken too soon about dick heads!? Luckily, we managed to walk past and avoid him - it just reminded me why I don't go out in town as often as I used to.

My new crowd were focused on improving their lives and the world around them, whilst there were others around still busy getting drunk and fighting...

The night didn't end on a downer - quite the opposite. I'd learnt that it was always best to leave and go home whilst you were still ahead!
I also realised that I've learnt from my past mistakes and all the time I was busy chasing people and giving them my time, making me a walk over - they didn't respect it. Givers always gain, though life is about give and take. And the sooner we understand that, the easier things become.
The good thing about going through such 'learnings' is that you can choose not to repeat the same mistakes again and move forward.
People still don't know what I do for 'work' and it doesn't matter - you're probably reading this and thinking the same! My friends are my friends for who we are as genuine people, not the silly things society thinks we need to weigh others up with!

If anyone wants to call me, they know where I am - and I have all the time in the world for you :-)
If you don't, then no hard feelings and I wish you all the best with your life.

--------------
It's also great when I meet people who tell me they read my blog (Alex S. yesterday) or say I'm funny (Ettore M. and Michael), not just annoying as I sometimes think. Feedback is important in life - it shows you what you're doing right and what you need to change.
They have no idea why they read my blog, just as I have no idea why I write it - the fact that someone, somewhere does bother and appreciates my thoughts keeps me going with it.
So please do post your comments to let me know you visited and help me find out if my life is headed in the right direction.

Peter Sage's Dynamic Party

What a great night! After a couple of invites from Tony Robbins crew and YES friends, Peter Sage kindly acknowledged me as an official gate crasher! :-)

And am I glad he did. What a great party. Peter is a top bloke and his friends are the best! Thankfully we share these, so they're not all his - and they can be yours too if you're lucky!

I travelled to Leicester in the snow (is it Easter or Christmas!?) to be the driver for Phil, Anita, Andrea, Karen and Stephanie A from their hotel. When we arrived at Pete's lovely home the party was pumping and there was very little parking. It was Pete's Leaving Do and he was off to Canada. People had travelled from all over England and Scotland to wish him well and see him off.

Lots of partying, dancing, plenty of food and vino, for those non-teetotal-ers and juice / water for designated Dave's! I had to call it a night at 4.30am. DynamicMike on the other hand was just warming up!

It was almost like a facebook party for me as I got to meet those that had been 'friends' for so long that it was time to actually meet up. A few of them were, apologies if I miss you, Edith and Tim, Alex and Matt from Norwich, Gill from Glasgow and Mike from Edinburgh. Londoners and others were Mac, Karl, Harry, Maya, Gil, Minesh to name a few. These and all the other's really did make the party, it was great hanging round such wonderful people and nice to see they'd all made the effort to come on such a cold and snowy day.

Want to know more about the party!? Sorry if you missed out - you just had to be there! Ask any of the other guests/friends what they thought or see the pics on facebook and maybe even some vids on youtube!

It was a blizzard on the motorway and I arrived back in Hudds for about 6am and it was like a crisp, snowy Christmas morning. I hope you've had a great Easter weekend.

Enjoy the rest of the week and let's look forward to the next holiday / get-together wherever it might me.

Here's wishing a Happy Easter to all the great people there and those that couldn't make it.

Bobby :-)

Sunday 16th March 08 - DMAS Stock Trading Seminar, Euston

I'd got to the hotel at Boston Manor on Saturday night and decided to do a dry run to the tube station, planned for the morning. It took me 15 minutes to walk there in the torrential rain and when I got back to the hotel and went to get something to eat at the restaurant - the waiter offered me a towel to dry up as I was nearly soaked to the bone.

In the morning I decided to drive to station! Setting off at 9.30am I thought I'd make it to Kings Cross / Euston London by 11am -IF it had not been for the maintenance works at Acton and a bus ride (with an obligatory crazy guy) to Hammersmith.

I had to beg the guard at King's Cross to let me out as I couldn't find train ticket in all my pockets and bits of paper. So he finally did - and as I stepped outside to call Andrea S. there it was next to my phone!

Steve L. was giving us a seminar on his DMAS Stock Trading Course. It was especially for those people who had helped out by crewing at UPW last month. It was good to get back-to-basics and learn all the simple stuff again. In the past I had got to 'know' too much and my trading was all over the place. A few of the other traders had also made similar mistakes as I had in the past - and I realised I wasn't the only one who made irrational decisions and got emotional over the trades.

To not be emotionally involved and using a simple set of indicators should be the only way of trading. It gives a clear yes or no on whether the trade should be placed. This info should help to stop losing and win more often, if I apply it in future and also paper trade the ideas for a while.

Andrea, Beth, Harriett, Vaishali, Leena, Teejay, Reza, Lee and others from UPW crew were there and Zoe, Claire and Carrie had sneaked off from Chris Howard's seminar to come down as well. Cheeky...

We went for something to eat afterwards, vegetable biryani two days in a row - better to play safe when travelling. I had to meet Vincent in Milton Keynes on the way back north, so I left early. We hugged each other goodbye and I gave the surprised waiter one on the way out as well - share the love!

Caught the tube to Hammersmith, then got off the bus early at the wrong station so had to wait for another. It was only a few minutes and worth it as it was an old London Bus 'Summer Holiday' style. At Acton I got the wrong Picadilly line and had to come back to start again. Back at Boston Manor I had a puncture and my brother-in-law's car, which I borrow for motorway trips, didn't have a wheel brace in. So I waited an hour for the AA to turn up.

Had my luck run out or was I meant to be late in order to avoid something bad happening? Who knows.

It was about 10.30pm when I set off and I stopped at 2 service stations to kip for 15/20 minutes at a time. I then got home at 3am and slept all morning.

It had been an action packed weekend meeting lots of friends and attending NLP seminars, property and stocks, whilst being challenged by being in London - my brain was in overload! As I write this up I have a property meet in Hudds tomorrow to host. I'm then taking a week or two off before the Northern Property Network - so I'd better get busy organising.

You'll hear from me soon...

Saturday 15th March 08 - Buy to Let Conference, Heathrow

Friday night I drove to a few hotels including the Holiday Inn. There was no room anywhere, even at the Inn!! I couldn't call any of the hotels on my list either as my phone battery had died!

I went to the Novotel where the Buy To Let conference was going to be and they were full too. It was nearly 1am and it didn't look like I was going to find a room. I decided to use the foyer bathroom as it might be a long night! Then Steve F. the organiser walked in and said thanks for coming. I explained my situation and got the the couch second night running, it was a pull out sofa bed too! How 'lucky' was that!?

We got the conference room ready and went to bed at 2am. Steve kindly put on 2 alarms to go off ridiculously early... and it was all go again. Wasn't sure what the breakfast arrangements were but the food was good.

I met some property forum members I'd not spoken to in a while Naveen A. and Chris B. and even more facebook friends including Catherine B.! Small world indeed thanks to the internet.

This was also the second time I'd be listening to people speak this week, having seen them in Nottingham on Tuesday. Rob Moore who have a book and property management company - and Glenn Armstrong about his property BMV course.

Maybe they thought I was a stalker!! Other speakers at the event were Vanish Patel, Ranjan Bhattacharya and Nick Carlile discussing Property courses and franchises.

Steve F. the organiser is helping me set up the Northern Property Network for 2nd April 08 at which Nick C. will be speaker. We will also be looking at doing further projects together.

I was going to miss the speakers on Sunday about Auctions and HMO's. There was something else in London I wanted to attend on Sunday.

I'd called my friend Andrea S. to book me a hotel for the evening near the tube line for tonight, as I had to be in central London in the morning and I didn't want to rely on my luck for tonight as well! So I headed off for 'Boston Manor' about 9pm.

Friday 14th March 08 - Chris Howard, Alexandra Palace

Chris Howard was back in town again and a good excuse to catch up with my UPW friends as well that I crewed with 2 weeks ago.

I set off on Thursday night via Birmingham, having given someone a lift home. Next stop was Milton Keynes, although Vincent W. was stuck in London when I called.

I called in near Watford to say HI to my new friends Fran S. and Dan S. I ended up stopping over as when you've been talking till 12.30am, the couch starts to look comfier than a drive in the cold to find a hotel as planned. That sleeping bag I carry on long trips finally came in handy!

I sneaked out of their house around 6.30am as I didn't want to wake them, considering I'd emptied their living room of all the electronics that I could carry in my bag ;-)

Well it really was a UPW get together when I arrived. Anne, Simon and Jules from the YES Group North were there.

The rest were the UPW gang that I had been missing for the last couple of weeks including, Suzanne J., Gayatri, Zoe S. Claire T., Carrie M and Lizzie B. back from NZ.

I also ran into facebook buddies, Joy and Len S. A few of the property community were there as well including Manan A., Brian A. Savi S., Jelena F. and Juswant and Sylvia R. again. Did I miss anyone!?

The Alexandra Palace at Muswell Hill was a really nice venue compared to the Excel and I thought I'd better book a hotel nearby now for Roger Hamilton next month, else I'll be driving around again at the last minute.

The traffic was really bad trying to get out of the car park at the end, so I had a drink with Savi and left about 11pm for my next stop - Heathrow. The GPS kindly sent me through the centre of London and I went hotel looking on a Friday night... :-/

E-Marketing with Frank Furness and Drayton Bird

Thanks to Niri P. at the YES Group North, a group of us were at the Royal Armouries in Leeds for an E-marketing event.

Frank Furness, an e-marketing guru, had some great ideas to share on marketing online and all the brilliant new methods of blogging, video and audio amongst other things. His presentation was first class and improvisation great when a couple of hitches did arise. It was a brain expanding morning and the amount of information to take in was unbelievable. I left there with loads of ideas just bursting to get out. You can find out more about some of his products at his website Frank Furness and get some free downloads as well. Saves me having to write about it all.

They were all worthwhile and you can apply just ne or two to increase your business. I will definitely be finding out more and following up on what he said! It was his suggestion of using www.blogger.com that got me on here.


Met up with fellow YES'ers during lunch - Jo, Simon, Julian, Zoe, Peter and Anne. Isn't it nice when you've got a great bunch of people to hang around with!

Jimmy Saville was also wandering around the place as well, although we didn't ask him to join us.


In the afternoon Drayton Bird was speaking on direct marketing and his approach was less flashy as a creative consultant and more common sense. He discussed a lot more about copywriting skills and how to build a client base and information you need to collect and provide. Also how to writee short and catchy headlines and copy by writing everything you can think of and re-editing many times, so you only have the essentials.

He didn't have any fancy stuff for sale, although you will be able to find some of his books on Amazon and more info on his site at Drayton Bird


What a great week so far and now I'm off for an action packed weekend in London.

As Drayton says: If I had more time, then this message would have been shorter!

How a white lie ended me up in a Nottingham court!

Last sunday my uncle called me to ask a favour. He knows I'm always busy and always have time as well because I'm flexible. He asked if I was free on Tuesday or Wednesday. Hmmm... I was going to be busy all day Wednesday and didn't know what he wanted.

As I was off the East Midlands Property Network run by Rhett L. Monday night, I decided to say I might be staying over - well that was that. He needed a favour in Nottingham of all places on the Tuesday morning, to represent him in court representing someone else!? All I had to do was show face and answer any questions if asked.

Tuesday morning I turned up and when it was my turn to go in - the judge asked who I was and why I was there. After I explained, he told me I'd wasted my time coming and thanked me anyway. 11.30am and I was nowhere near my office or PC and wondered what to do.

Well that lie cost me a hotel room for the night and a whole morning - so beware: What goes around comes around!

The meeting the night before had been good and I got to meet John F. who copped out of buying drinks as he only had Euros - he had travelled from Ireland (he was working in Worcester that week)

The speakers were Rhett L., Lisa, Glenn A. and Rob M. who did a really good job. Rhett will be speaking at the www.northernpropertynetwork.co.uk on the 2nd of April and Rob will be hopefully attending and talking at the next one.

Wasted my time coming!? Little did the judge know that my time had not been wasted as we all have a purpose and end up in places for one reason or another.

I called a couple of people for brunch in the Nottingham area, although no-one was available. Well I probably won't be coming back for a few years again. Next stop? Birmingham, I was on holiday for the day after all.

I met Sandy D. a friend from UPW in a nice, quiet village called Henley-in-arden for a speed lunch. Nothing like trying to squeeze some quality time into half an hour. You have to try the rum and raisin ice cream at Henley's Ices if you're ever passing through.

Hmmm... next stop? Lets go see Jim H. in Wednesbury - got there about 2.30pm and did a tour of some of his houses and some mutual support as fellow hard done by landlords.

Next I went to see fatboy Dev N. in Walsall about 6pm, we got a Pizza Hut and realised I'd only had ice cream all day! Well fed and I hit the motorway in freak weather conditions -with gales and rain all the way to Manchester.

Wasted day? I didn't think so!

February 2008 - Tony Robbins UPW, a crew mate's view!

Weekend of 21st to 25th February 2008 - Tony Robbins UPW, Unleash The Power Within. A crew mate's view!

Sore hands, aching feet, lost voices and a certain musical track ringing in your ears? All signs you had an brilliant time. Woh, Woh, Woh, W-Woh!! 

Why did I crew? I went last year and thought the crew weren't as lively as they could have been towards the end of the event, it was a party that I wanted to go on. I decided to be the change I wanted to see, by crewing myself! After all, how could I criticise last year's crew if I couldn't deliver myself!? ;-)

Thursday: When I arrived to register as crew, we were issued with pink t-shirts. I heard a couple of guys curse, I suggested they better get used to it, as this was going to have to be my favourite colour for the weekend. I was a little nervous and had no idea what I was doing there. I had come to meet a couple of friends crewing and a few participating as well so wanted a steady weekend and to be left in my own little world. A couple of days later when I spoke to others, they had been nervous too, even throwing up - we are all more alike than we think sometimes.
Everyone was put into various teams and I chose the 'head sets' team for the international clients who required translation in French, Spanish, Italian, German or Russian - here we issued them with headsets for the event. Even some of the crew had come from the other ends of the earth.
The crew was about 250 people to help with 8000 participants and apparently we were the smallest crew ever. Steve L. did a fantastic job of keeping us all energised and raring to go. He was a great presenter and really kept us all motivated. We also practised for what the team had to do on the firewalk. The head set team didn't have to take part.
I decided to be 'freelance' or a floater (as others called it) and moved round the other teams and groups as needed. We went to bed ready for the main event tomorrow and an early morning to prepare for the partcipants arriving.

Friday: There were people from about 55 countries at the event. At the head set desk - not being able to really speak to any of these languages, we had to rely on the clients basic english and our body language, along with the internationally understood smile. Participants were unhappy when we didn't have enough head sets for everyone at the beginning, especially as they had paid money. Not a good start to the event! Luckily more turned up by 4-5pm. We later had a mishap that evening when a whole load of headsets were returned and not booked back in but that is another story.
Quite a busy day behind the scenes that I didn't get to see Tony in the main hall.

When I realised the entire crew had gone for an early firewalk, I threw my shoes off and legged it across the car park so I didn't miss out. Isn't that why everyone came to UPW or were too scared to attend!? After this the crew were all buzzing and ready for the main event.
On the Firewalk there are different positions to be covered by the crew members to help the trainers - I decided to be a spare cop on David T.'s firelane, as it was his birthday and Steve L. had made it look so entertaining in training.
It was so exciting helping guide the people down to the fire - and the way you end up getting in rapport with nearly everyone you get eye contact with. Standing alongside big guys to shoulder bounce them back into line, cheer like those that were excited, dance with those that wanted to shake their hips and gently nudge along those that were still a little nervous by getting in 2 people behind them in the queue. I 'was' about 300 people in the space of less than an hour.

Saturday: MedWestern the organisers packed in their Customer Service desk at about 3pm on Saturday. Customers don't need to be looked after beyond that time I assume. So we dragged the desk over to our head sets desk. When I told the other volunteers that we were customer service as well, they looked stunned. I had to explain that nothing had changed as the volunteer shirts meant we were customer service and now we had a desk as well. Here we would deal with any issues and anything we couldn't handle we'd find a med-western manager to take care of it (or failing that my account manager had volunteered)

Just like the donkey that fell down the well. You give us crap to deal with and we'll just shake it off, step up and ask for more :-)

As a treat a few of us did some unofficial spicy food, which was fire eating in an undisclosed location. Wow - that was fun! Although the flammable burps afterwards left something to be desired!

Sunday: I woke up in the hotel about 6am again and could here the Italians chanting 'Woh, Woh, Woh, W-Woh'. When I turned to Brad P. in the other bed to ask him if he could hear it, he replied 'Hear what?' Yes, I now had more voices in my head competing for my time!
Along with Customer Service we now had a 'lost and found' desk - with books, cameras, phones, clothes, glasses and I wondered how people could lose such things and not take care of them. Oh the irony... I'd lost my switch card in one hotel and forgotten my fleece and T-shirt in another!
I'd met loads of friends there that I didn't expect to see as well as those that I did. Someone even asked for me at Customer Services, though didn't leave any details.

Monday: This was a quiet day with not much to do that then exploded into a huge ball of energy at the end of the event, before fizzling away after the participants and most of the crew had left. I had managed to get a place to dance on stage when Tony would come on. Then another crew member came back late, I stepped out for him as I could see on his face that he really wanted to do it.

A girl from the Youth Leadership Team wanted a pink t-shirt and I'd already promised mine to someone else. So I went round asking some of the other male crew members. I It's funny how all of a sudden they'd come attached to the pink they disliked at the beginning of the weekend. I finally got around and borrowed one. It meant so much more than a t-shirt to this girl and the smile, hug and asking for a picture with me spoke volumes in the grand scheme of things!

It was amazing to see people returning their headsets as changed people. They were actually smiling despite the mishaps of no headsets on Friday. I made most of them give me a hug or at least a high five before they left to make their way home.

In hindsight, I now know why the crew were flagging towards the end of UPW last year. We had been getting up before 6am and getting to bed anytime after 10pm, depending on whether we wanted to go and socialise in the hotels or not. The feeling of wanting to be left alone I had a few days earlier had been replaced with a need to just chill out with everyone there. We were having a blast.
Had I left my own little world or started to drag everyone else into mine!?

Andrea S. asked me what I'd thought of the experience. I told her it was the best crew ever! She asked how many I'd done before and smiled that it was my first. I just felt that we were the best and truly knew it in my heart! It is going to be a tough crew to beat in future.
I could tell you everything, including the lows of the politics and the crew not having a proper farewell or the real highs, though those special moments will belong to those that were there :-)
You get what you focus on so I will take away just the great moments and learn from the rest.
I felt priveliged as it really may be the last one with no further dates released for the UK / Europe.

I came to contribute and meet some old friends and took away so much more. Including the wonderful friends that I met over the weekend, I miss them so much already that I had to write this. This was the family and peer group that we all wish for - and I can't wait for the next time. I made so many new friends that now mean so much to me - you know who you are...

People were asking me where I'd got all my energy from, as I was busy jumping up and down, clapping and giving the crew a boost as well as the participants. I stopped to wonder why afterwards. I wasn't fitter than anyone else there - or healthier!?

Then I realised! I was getting some of it from the crowd and participants. The rest I got from the great guys and lovely gals crewing that I had been hanging around with all weekend; we just passed that energy around amongst ourselves and magnified it. And remembering the reason that I crewed in the first place, the promise I had made myself to help make it the best crew ever! And it WAS!

Till we meet again... Bobby

P.S. 29th February - Happy Birthday Tony!

P.S. If you'd like to attend the next Tony Robbins UPW (Unleash The Power Within) in London, email: upw@networkbillionaire.com , with your name and number, to get the best deals on tickets.

January to December 2007

Find my Blog for 2007 at my old site here: Bobby's Blog