Brett Blumenthal - A Whole New You: Six Steps to Ignite Change for Your Best Life

Text copyright 2012 Brett Blumenthal
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

The information contained in this book is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject addressed. It is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice. Any use of the information in this book is at the readers discretion. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use or application of any information contained in this book. A health-care professional should be consulted regarding your specific situation.

Published by Amazon Publishing
P.O. Box 400818
Las Vegas, NV 89140

ISBN-13: 9781612186153
ISBN-10: 1612186157

For my family, for their love, support, and encouragement.

GOOD, BETTER, BEST. NEVER LET IT REST.

TIL YOUR GOOD IS BETTER AND YOUR

BETTER IS BEST.

SAINT JEROME

I BELIEVE IN TRANSFORMATION AND REINVENTION. Ive morphed myself numerous times over the years, trying to become better in one area or another. Ive tweaked aspects of my life that werent quite working for me, such as developing confidence and comfort with meeting new people, and expanding my social and professional networks. Ive reinvented my perspective and mindset about health and fitness. Ive renewed how I approach love and relationships, even overhauled my way of thinking and perceptions of myself. Its not that Ive been bored or needed some excitementchange was brought on because of a real desire to address an issue in my life, and an underlying passion for self-improvement.

The first big change I can recall was deciding I was going to take control of my health and fitness. Up until the age of seven I lived in Manhattan, where PE class was nonexistent and recess mostly included a rousing game of Red Light, Green Light, 1-2-3, an activity that by no means required great athleticism. When my family moved out to Long Island, New York, however, sports were a big part of school life.

On my first day in my new elementary school, I was herded onto the open field with my classmates to play soccer, a game with which I was completely unfamiliar. Within seconds, I was hit square in the face with the soccer ball. It hurt, but the shock and embarrassment stung much worse. From that point on, anything sports related became synonymous with humiliation. I shied away from sports, telling myself it wasnt for me.

It wasnt until college that I decided I didnt want to be judged poorly anymore for something I knew I could control. I wanted to be fit and strong, and although I might not have had talent in sports, I wanted to at least look as though I could hold my own. For the first time, I started exercising regularly. The decision was as simple as that. But I had to let go of my negative feelings from the past, make a commitment to something with which I was uncomfortable, and stick with it for the longer term.

Before long, I became an avid fan of exercise and its many benefits. I felt physically better, slept better at night, and was generally happier. I was better at managing stress and had improved focus in school. And the best outcome of my transformation was that I finally started to shed my fear of rejection and to believe in myself. I became so passionate about wellness that by the end of my freshman year, I had become a certified fitness instructor, teaching some of the most popular fitness classes on campus.

Transformations in my life have not just been related to health and fitness. After college, I started practicing architecture. Within a few years, I became frustrated by the profession: the pay was low, the industry was highly cyclical, and the career path to advancement was longer and more arduous than most. I realized that the aspects of my job that I actually enjoyedclient-relationship management, problem solving, and project managementwere integral to a much higher-paying, more stable profession: management consulting.

Given that I had no business experience and came from a design profession, a transition to management consulting was somewhat unlikely. Yet, I was determined. I did research and applied a relatively rigorous process to making the change. I recognized there was a need for change; I analyzed what I wanted; I designed a vision for the future; I created a plan to make it happen; and I executed the plan with passion and determination. Within a few months, I accepted a position with PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting (PwC).

Over the next several years as a consultant with PwC and, after business school, at Deloitte Consulting, I spent the majority of my time providing change-management services to our clients. I helped companies manage and structure the changes, the transformations, and the reinventions they faced in business so they could operate and perform better. I realized that the very process I applied to changing my career looked much like the process many businesses apply to implementing change within their organizations.

After working on over a dozen projects, big and small, and domestic as well as global, it became clear that the companies that chose to invest the time and resources to appropriately plan and manage their changes were the ones most likely to succeed. The companies that didnt put in the time or energy to plan for it, however, often faced great difficulty in making the changes work within their organizations, sometimes even failing completely.

Just as I had experienced with my own changes and reinventions on a personal level, my professional experience proved that, regardless of circumstance or situation, if change and improvement are desired, a structured process or path is required to make it a reality.

When I finally changed my career to become an author and wellness expert, I was once again reminded of the importance of process. Success was (and continues to be) dependent on a deeper understanding of myself, a constant ability to develop a clear vision, and the determination to take my vision and make it come to fruition. It excites me to finally be able to combine my passion for wellness with my extensive experience in change to bring you A Whole New You.

My goal in writing A Whole New You is to provide a simple yet effective approach to transforming any aspect of your life. Over the years, Ive learned what works and what doesnt, and have become increasingly aware of factors required for success, as well as the potential roadblocks one might encounter that can debilitate even the best of intentions. Based on my personal and professional experience, as well as some of the most up-to-date research presented by experts and authors within psychology and human behavior, A Whole New You provides you with a detailed step-by-step guide to building the best life you can.

What inspires each of us to change can differ greatly from one person to the next, and even though your personal reinventions may differ from those of the person sitting next to you, the simple path I outline remains applicable. Whether you want to reinvent your career, your physique and health, your love life, or your emotional happiness, following the path outlined will enable you to make real change, real transformation, real reinvention.