What Happens When You Don't Eat For 7 Days?

Yesterday I finished a 7 day fast. I had done a 10 day fast last year so knew what I was in store for – at least I though I did. My memories had become very different from the true experience over time!

Detoxing is something that I do occasionally to give my system a flush and raise my energy levels. The outcomes are increased energy, motivation and drive. Not to mention extra time, where I would have been eating.

The experience also comes with challenges. Not eating is not natural to most human beings. Changing the habits of a lifetime are never going to be an easy task. I have seen my will power stretched and undergone numerous trials and tribulations in the past week.

I have also listened to numerous opinions on fasting. Most people that I spoke to believed that they would not be able to last that long. Others have told me that there are better ways to detox and some just didn't see the point at all.

Many people were impressed by my will power and wished that they could do the same. It is my belief that there are many beliefs that are incredibly restricting. It is never a case of not being able to do something like this – it is only a case of having sufficient motivation.

If your life was at stake you would most certainly be able to go a week without food.

Being a Health Consultant with a liking for coffee, chocolate, cake and pizza I take the rough with the smooth. Over the months and years I have reduced my intake of these foods and increased my healthy foods intake, yet I still enjoy indulging occasionally.

During the past week I have discovered the wonders of drinking hot water with lemon, lime, maple syrup and cayenne pepper – a veritable taste sensation. My daily drinks gave me more pleasure than I can describe!

I believe that life is about balance. Focusing too strongly on what you have denied yourself is the fast track to failure. For example, how many smokers stop smoking, only to start again? They are so focused on not smoking that they inevitably do. Only by focusing on the benefits will change ever last.

I decided to distract myself from food by focusing on what I did want. I wanted to take action on things that I was passionate about. One was feeling great (and I did during the fast) and another was running an event that could change lives in a positive way – and maintain the results.

Where do I begin?

I decided to ask the person who had made the most change in my life in a short time, Sidra Zaidi, to work with me. She agreed – that was surprisingly easy – all I had to do was ask. Secondly, we need an idea. A few hours with Sidra saw the creation of The Journey To Empowerment.

Thirdly, we need a date – we quickly agreed that we could both do the 6th December and that it was better to do it sooner, rather than later. Next we needed a venue – it seemed like a daunting experience having had no dealings with this before. So, I put a plea on Facebook for help.

Within minutes two people had given me leads. One phone call later we had a room booked at a reasonable price. Finally, we needed to create some advertising material. That night a good friend spent two hours on Skype going through our advert with meticulous detail.

The result – within two days I had taken an idea and made it real. Furthermore, I had even called another friend and arranged to get it filmed for future marketing material. This was what is possible when I channelled my focus into the benefits of the fast and the extra energy that I had. In this time I felt no hunger – hydration is a great replacement.

Fortunately, during my fast there was a time limit on how long I had to do this for. As I have no intention of giving up anything I was happy to indulge in several puff pastry mince pies upon my completion. I did this experiencing taste like I never had before.

I feel better now than I have all year – and that's after my cake indulgence. Focus, balance, belief and action are an incredible combination.

How could you feel better right now?

A Weekend in The Garden of Eden

Magic is a wonderful thing. For years I have been bamboozled by the mystic genius of the likes of Houdini, David Copperfield, David Blaine, Derren Brown and Tommy Cooper. The escapism to our imagination is a most wonderful thing.

This weekend, through a most serendipitous chain of events, I landed myself in the garden of Darren Eden. The venue may have been a hotel room but all sorts were blossoming within those who attended.

Darren has nurtured a community of magicians, showing them how to tap into their intuition.

The simplicity of his message is the power of it – focus on what you love and take all obvious steps towards it.

When you spend time with magicians, synergistic wonder occurs. When you look for love from external sources you give away your power. When you nurture it from within, by loving yourself, then magical things occur.

Watching magic in action is the best way to develop your own. I learned many things about my life during this weekend.

I learned that football is a wonderful metaphor for my life and there are so many obvious steps towards getting what I love that I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I hadn't seen them.

I have never been the greatest footballer but I have always loved the sport. I have been injured, hospitalised, beaten, kicked, punched and head-butted over the years. I have had more near misses than I can remember and suffered some humiliating moments. However, I have also experienced some incredible highs, raised my game, played some amazing football and inspired team mates to new levels, way beyond what I thought was possible. I have conquered adversity and played in some shocking conditions.

The fact is that I have always entered each new game as a new beginning. Like watching a different movie – I never know what I will be facing and how my character will be tested. I love the excitement, unpredictability and team dynamic that is offered. Most importantly, as I begin each new game I swiftly forget everything that has happened in previous games.

Because I love football, the highs and lows are part of the rich tapestry that is the beauty of sport, life and what I love. Transcribing the same mindset to my business has given me a quantum shift in thought process. Previously I had been letting tough learning curves affect my mindset at the beginning of a new day. From now on each new day is a new game and a new set of goals.

Through focusing on my business, which is something that I love, I'll now be starting each new day as a new game. My goal is a straight forward one – score more than I concede. If I don't – learn, move on and get ready for the next game.

Life is simple – focus on what you love and take the obvious steps towards it. Today's steps involve writing this as a reminder to myself that I will be playing for the rest of my life.

When the Why is Big Enough the How Will Unfold as We Take Action

What happens when we ask questions like "How can I help the planet?"

I asked this question a while back and it led to me dispensing with a car, walking more and creating a local community through Walk Innovation to help people to clarify their purpose in life. It is quite incredible to me how many people dwell in a life of unhappiness with no real purpose or focus in their lives.

How exactly this movement will lead to me helping the planet on a more global scale - I'm not yet sure. However, one of the concepts taught at Walk Innovation is : When the why is big enough the how takes care of itself as we take action towards our purpose.

In a nutshell - worrying about the seemingly impossible nature of one person sparking a movement for planetary sustainability will not achieve anything positive. Keeping the belief, maintaining focus and taking action towards my goal is enough. The rest will unfold as it is meant to.

Through this blog you can witness my journey unfold. I would also recommend that you set yourself a purpose that is so big that it scares you - that's when you know that you're on your path towards happiness.