I know what you are thinking right now: "When there are a multitude of speakers, trainers, life coaches and various other 'gurus' who are only too eager to have me part with my money in exchange for advice on how to live a better life or run a better organisation, why should I listen to this guy?" Have you ever read a so-called 'motivational' book or listened to a 'motivational' speaker and felt that the author or speaker was missing something, even though you were not quite sure what it was? After reading many 'motivational' books, I had the same feeling and was determined to find out what this missing thing was. 

The short answer to your question of why you should consider listening to me rather than any of the other 'motivational' speakers and trainers out there is that I have found this missing truth and personally experienced the inspiration, the creative action to which it leads and the mind-blowing results that can be achieved when you are acting out of true inspiration, proving the (highly scientific!) formula INSPIRATION X ACTION = RESULTS². I know I can help you and / or the people in your organisation find this truth and the results it leads to. For the long answer, you'll have to read this whole page (I didn't say I was going to make it too easy for you!). 


WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAY ABOUT ME

But first, you probably want to know a bit more about me and why I can claim to know a 'missing truth' that almost everyone else is missing. Firstly, what I'm not: a millionaire business owner, retired sports star, celebrity, self-styled 'guru' or professional speaker whose only claim to fame is that I have spoken (and charged!) a lot. I'm actually just an ordinary guy who has, through a process of much searching and many VFE's (that stands for Valuable Failure Experiences, in case you are wondering), truly understood this extraordinary missing truth buried beneath the weight of social memes arising out of people's conditioned egoic fears and desires. 

Not only do I know this truth, but I can, at least according to some people who have heard me speak and have read the monthly ezine I send out, explain what it is and how they can apply it to their own lives, families, groups and organisations quite well: 
 

MORE ABOUT ME

Not only have I read extensively on subjects as diverse as psychology, health and wellness, business, religion, philosophy, science and spirituality (and quite a lot else!) during my 36 years on this planet, I have had a few interesting life experiences that have helped me to crystallise the concepts and theories I have read about into a practical, livable  philosophy that results in both inner peace and external achievements. I read my first 'motivational' book at the age of 12, a classic called Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (which you can download free by clicking here, if you are interested) and decided that I wanted to be a billionaire by the time I was 40 as well as the world champion squash player! School at King Edward VII School (KES) in Johannesburg and university, where I studied Business Science at the University of Cape Town, majoring in Finance, Accountancy and Business Strategy, did not quell my optimism, and still dreaming of that world championship title, I went to the UK to play professional squash for nearly 3 years, and travelled quite extensively during that time to play tournaments in the UK, Europe and Africa. 

I came back to SA in 1999 having been told to leave the country by Her Majesty's Customs Service (but that's a story I won't go into now!), and needing to earn money from something other than squash, which is not a very lucrative sport (and that's an understatement!), started my own web development business in 2000. In 2003, an old school friend and I teamed up to create Lifebuild, an online personal development portal. In 2007, I started the Lifebuild Property Investment Network to help people to create financial freedom for themselves through property investment - click here to find out more about this. I am a property investor myself and have been involved in a number of other business ventures - not all successful, I might add - over the last 9 years, so I guess you could call me an entrepreneur as well as an adventurer. I am currently working on launching a community and network that will show people how to become financially free and create wealth in every aspect of their lives by providing them with revolutionary products, services and training to support them in living a far more intelligent and conscious lifestyle, as well as an opportunity to market these products and services and earn a large regular income from doing this. 

Over the last 4 years, I have personally organised, marketed and delivered a series of public talks and workshops around South Africa where I have talked about how to overcome fear and how to become wealthy through investing in property. I was recently interviewed on SAFM radio by Michelle Constant about the benefits of meditation and life coaching. I was an expert on breathing on the Health 24 web site for a period and am a member of Success University's Faculty of speakers along with legends of the personal development industry like Zig Ziglar, Dennis Waitley and Les Brown. I have spoken in South Africa and internationally for companies and organisations in many different industries, such as:

SA Rugby
The Holiday Club
Sportron
Smile Education
Propgroup
Brockhouse Cooper
Rand Mutual Assurance
Wirsam Scientific
Braby's / Ananzi
Transstate
SuperGroup
Sun International
Norbain
Momentum
The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
Eagleteam (GNLD)
Barker Insurance Brokers
Southern Spoor Marketing
Global Gold Club
Success University 

Click the links above to email the people who organised the talks at these organisations to find out what they thought of my talk. 

To cut my fairly long life story short, I have had a few interesting life experiences and some fairly profound realisations on my journey through life so far, the essence of which it would be my great privilege to share with you if you choose to listen to what I have to say. Click here if you are convinced you would like to hear what I have to say, otherwise keep reading to discover the missing truth ...


THE MISSING TRUTH

"So what is this missing truth, and why won't he just let it out?", I know you are asking yourself. The short answer is:                                         

"But that's a question!!" you're thinking. And you're right. You see, questions are the answers! The depth and quality of your questions determines the answers you will get in life. Most of us are content to ask fairly superficial questions like:

"Why won't my boss give me a raise?"
"Why doesn't anyone listen to me?" 
"Why am I always the one who seems to get the blame for anything?" 
"Why do bad things always happen to me?"

Which is why we get fairly banal answers that do not reveal much about life or ourselves and keep us locked in the same repetitive and negative patterns of thought and behaviour that lead to the same poor results we have always experienced, causing the belief that this is just how life is to become even more deeply ingrained in us. Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, yet most people do exactly this their whole lives and then (maybe) finally wonder on their death- beds what it was all for. 

Instead of waiting until you are on your death bed to ask questions like this, why not ask them now? Imagine if you asked and answered for yourself - because no one but you can answer - questions like: 

"Why do I / does my organisation exist?"
"What is my / my organisation's purpose within this world?"
"Why is there so much conflict and unhappiness in my life / organisation?"
"Why do I fear life and everything so much?"

The last question reveals an important truth already - it is FEAR in all its guises and manifestations that is the single reason why you as an individual are not living the life you could live or your organisation is not operating as well as it could. It is FEAR that stops you asking the deeper questions of life and searching for the answers, for your mind has decided that the unknown is a scary place and you would rather stay with what you know and is comfortable - even though it's not really comfortable at all and beneath the polished exterior you project to the world, you are actually deeply unhappy and in pain. Which, as old Albert said, is quite insane. 

Fortunately, the truth and the true wealth that it leads to, is so close to you it is part of you - in fact, the only part that really has any meaning. A simple parable illustrates the point well: 

A beggar had been sitting by the side of the same road on an old box for over thirty years. One day, a particularly relaxed and confident looking stranger walked by.  "Spare some change?" mumbled the beggar, mechanically holding out his old hat, as he always did. "I have nothing to give you," said the stranger. Then he asked: "What's that you're sitting on?" "Nothing," replied the beggar. "Just an old box. I've been sitting on it for years."  "Ever looked inside?" asked the stranger.  "No," said the beggar. "What's the point? There's nothing in there."  "Have a look inside," insisted the stranger.  Reluctantly, the beggar managed to pry open the lid with the help of the stranger, and to his  astonishment, disbelief and sheer delight, he saw that the box was filled with gold coins.

I am that stranger who has nothing to give you and who is telling you to look inside. Not inside a box, but inside yourself and your organisation. "But I’m not a beggar," you are thinking to yourself. If you have not found your true wealth, which is the simple joy of being alive and the deep, unshakeable peace that comes with it, you are a beggar sitting on a chest of gold, even if you have great material wealth. You are begging the world for scraps of fulfillment, validation, security, love and more when you have a treasure within you that not only includes all these things, but is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer. 

If what I have said here makes sense to you and you are willing to search for and discover for yourself the missing truth within you and / or your organisation, I invite you to take the next step and contact me about personal coaching for you or speaking or training for your organisation. All it takes is a little willingness, a little courage, and I can help you to find the answers to all the deepest problems you or your organisation now face. 


PROBLEMS, PROBLEMS ...

The problems that currently beset you and / or your organisation may include:

All of these problems are inter-related and stem from FEAR, which in turn arises from the failure by people and organisations to understand who they really are and why they exist at all. To try and solve each problem individually by focusing on changing people's behaviours and imparting specific skills to them simply does not work, as it does not address the root cause of the problem, people's fundamental misunderstanding of themselves and the world. 

It's like trying to chop off the nine heads of the Hydra, the monster of ancient Greek mythology that Hercules eventually killed, which is futile, as two new heads grow back in place of the one that has been cut off. To slay the beast of FEAR, its body or source must be seen for what it is, a monster of the mind with no true reality other than that which our minds give it.

I simply help people to correct their perception and perceive truly, and all the heads of the monster die with it. Very simple, really, but as any hero tasked with slaying a monster will tell you, not easy! As with most difficult tasks, the process does take time, but significant headway can be made in even one training or coaching session, especially when people have really had enough of all the problems in their lives and are ready to change. I can guide you and your organisation through the process of learning and growing into a true understanding of yourself and your purpose in the world IF you are willing to open your mind and explore the path I will show you. 

Doing a once-off talk or interactive training session will show you the path, but it will not guide you to walk it continuously, particularly through the rocky terrain that will come. Like a sherpa guiding mountain climbers to the top of a mountain they want to climb, I feel it is my duty to be there to guide and support my clients on their climb up the mountain to make sure they stay on the path and take some of the weight off their shoulders until they truly understand the path they are on and can find the way forward themselves. However, if you simply want to book me for a once-off talk or training session, that is fine, as one talk or training session can help many people to have major break-throughs and realisations, after which you may decide you want my help on an ongoing basis, or not, which is also fine. (As you can see, I try to practise the non-attachment I preach!)


MY PRESENTATIONS / TRAINING SESSIONS

I can cover the following topics in a one-hour or two-hour presentation, or as a half-day or one-day training session:

1. How to Overcome Fear and Ride the Wild Tiger of Life

A guy named Tom Payne once said: "We can't fear the past. Fear is a future thing. And since the future's all in our heads, fear must be a head thing." This presentation / training session will show you and your people clearly and simply how to overcome the fear in their heads in all its manifestations, including very practical ways to do that and open themselves up to all the joy and possibilities life has to offer. Fear is the root cause of all problems and all pain that people experience in their personal and professional lives. The talk helps people understand that fear is a mind-created experience that they need no longer choose, and shows them what they can practically think, say and do to set themselves free to be who they were meant to be, experience all the love and joy that life has to offer and 'ride the wild tiger of life' to manifest mind-blowing results in every aspect of their lives, including their work. 

This is an excellent presentation to inspire, motivate and entertain any audience and is recommended if you have a mixed audience of people from different walks of life and / or different departments in your organisation whom you want to inspire to change and perform better.

Key benefit: Your people will be helped to find the path to eliminating fear from their lives and transforming themselves and their personal performance in every aspect of their lives. This presentation lays the foundation for all future training, and it is recommended that you start any ongoing training process you are planning with this presentation delivered as a longer half-day or full-day training session. 

2. How to Ride the Wild Tiger of Change 

This presentation will show your people how to overcome their fear of change and become the drivers of creative change rather than the reactors and resistors to change. Change is the one constant in life, but the resistance to change as a result of fear is the root cause of many of the problems organisations are experiencing today. The session will help the attendees understand that underneath the constantly changing forms of the world, there are unchangeable principles and values that will give them the security they yearn for but will never find in the world, and will explain what these truths are. They will learn very practical techniques to set themselves free from the fear of change so they can become conscious creators of positive change and innovation rather than reactive resistors to change in their lives and jobs, which is riding the wild tiger of change and enjoying the ride! 

Key benefit: Your people will understand and be able to work in a changing environment far better, and will be encouraged and shown how to become initiators and drivers of creative, positive change and innovation in the organisation.

3. How to Create a Blueprint for Business Success in a Brave New World

You, like many other conscious people around the world, are probably wondering what is happening to the world right now as financial, economic, social, environmental and other crises worsen, the systems we have come to view as normal fail everywhere around us and the old ways of thinking and acting are no longer adequate to cope with the problems that confront us. You may not fully understand why these changes are taking place and be feeling very stressed and fearful at the changes that are happening in the world and how they are negatively impacting your business and your personal life, or perhaps you are not fearful of the future, but are asking yourself how you and your business can make the most of the dramatic changes happening and take advantage of them to thrive in the brave new world that emerges from the next few tumultuous years.

This insightful and inspiring presentation will help you and the other key people in your organisation to see clearly the reasons why the current system is failing and the radically different new system that is in the process of arising to take its place, a system that is sustainable and works to create the highest good for the most people. But most importantly, the talk will show your executive team how your business can be part of creating the brave new world of ‘compassionate capitalism’ that is dawning and how you and all the people in your business can embrace and profit from the enormous opportunity for business, as well as personal and societal, transformation that these turbulent times present rather than fearing them. 

Specifically, this paradigm-shifting presentation will show you and the other key decision makers in your organisation attending it how you can: 

§         Perceive the integral and holistic nature of the world in which we live;

§         Conceive a strategy that is in tune with this new paradigm and the changes taking place in the world and your specific industry;

§         Determine the unique cultural blueprint that is integral to the achievement of your business’s strategy;

§         Communicate this blueprint for your business success to everyone working in your business so they all live it and act on it almost all of the time;

§         Create true value, or what Jonathan calls Inspired Capital, for all the stakeholders in your business – customers, employees, shareholders and society as a whole;

§         Build a unique competitive advantage and the sustainable cash flows and long-term profits that result from this. 

I can guarantee that this talk will give you a greater understanding of modern life and the flaws of the old, collapsing system for organising westernised societies, an expanded view of the opportunities offered by the brave new world unfolding around us and a vision of how your business can be part of creating this exciting and dynamic future. Most importantly, you and the rest of your team attending will come away feeling inspired to face and grow both personally and professionally from the challenges that lie ahead.

Organisations that do not have this inspired vision will simply not be able to cope with the massive and radical changes that will happen in the next few years and will almost certainly not survive these changes – one only has to look at the recent bankruptcy of General Motors and several of the world’s largest financial institutions in the last year to see ample evidence of this happening already. 

The bottom-line is this: if you are an entrepreneur or a CEO, Managing Director, director, senior manager or strategic planner in an organisation, you simply cannot afford not to listen to this talk coming from the cutting-edge of the new consciousness shaping the society and the business world of tomorrow.

Key benefit: People attending the talk will understand what is driving the radical changes rippling through society and the new paradigm for society and business that is arising, empowering them not just to survive, but thrive in these turbulent times of rapid change by becoming initiators and drivers of creative, positive change and innovation that is in alignment with the new consciousness shifting humanity into a brave new world of unlimited possibility.

4. How to Create Inspired Capital in Your Organisation

This presentation will show your people how to create true wealth or 'Inspired Capital' in their own lives and within your organisation as a reflection of their collective consciousness. The session helps people to understand the principles of creating true wealth in every aspect of their lives and in an organisation, which includes both material and non-material wealth. They will learn that they have the power to create wealth only if they have inner wealth first, as well as the practical techniques they can apply to create both inner and outer wealth in their lives and work, including an entirely new way of looking at money, business, achievement and goal setting. 

Key benefit: People will understand how to create material wealth by first creating inner peace and the feeling of inner abundance that automatically comes with it through feeling their underlying unity with all things and people, shifting their attitude so they will truly want to serve their customers and others in the organisation, which automatically leads to more sales and creates wealth in the financial as well as in all other aspects of an organisation.

5. How to Become a Superstar Salesperson

This presentation will show the poor or average sales people in your sales team how to overcome the fears that are holding them back from becoming top sales people, and sales people that are already performing at a high level how to become sales Superstars. The session will help your sales people to understand that their sales performance starts and ends with them and their own inner confidence, and shows them how they can first become that Superstar Salesperson inside before they can perform like a Sales Superstar. They will also view selling in an entirely different, more positive, light, and understand how to set and work towards goals in a way that generates ongoing enthusiasm, motivation and results rather than the fear of failure, disappointment and stress commonly experienced by salespeople. 

The talk or training will cover practical skills that will complement the new attitude and mindset your sales people will be encouraged to practise when selling. The approach I teach is based on asking a prospect questions to uncover his or her true personal and organisational needs so that your sales people can show them how your product or service meets their specific needs that they have explicitly stated. This sounds like it should be the most obvious strategy in the world to follow when selling anything, yet like most common sense, it is anything but common - less than 5% of sales people use this approach, and these sales people are inevitably the star sales people in an organisation. The simple techniques I teach have been developed based on hundreds of hours of practical in-field research and testing that cost millions to do, so they really work. They also do not rely on slick phrases or clever closes that only super-slick sales people often of questionable integrity ever manage to pull off. 

The amount of time spent on practical skills training is obviously dependent on the amount of time allowed for the presentation or training. The session should be at least 2 and preferably 4 hours or longer to allow enough time to cover these very important practical selling skills adequately. A full-day session will allow some practical training in the afternoon so your people can put into practice the philosophy and skills they have been taught in a number of role-play exercises. 

Key benefit: Your sales people attending this session will understand how to sell by first adopting an attitude of truly wanting to serve the customer in a spirit of love so that their customers automatically like and trust them first, then buy from them out of that affinity and trust once they have demonstrated their ability to solve the customer's problem. They will also understand the strategy and practical selling techniques to use to sell anything effectively.

6. How to Network Your Way to Success

In this presentation designed for key decision makers in your organisation, I talk about how we have moved over the last 3 decades from an Industrial Age into the Information and Knowledge Age where old-style industrial-age bureaucracies are fast dying out and knowledge-age networked organisations that are far more efficient and effective in the modern, fast-paced, knowledge-driven economy are winning the game. The session will help your key people to shift from industrial-age thinking and values to knowledge-age knowing of timeless principles, which will begin the process of changing your organisational culture, behaviour, structure and procedures so your organisation becomes a more networked organisation much more in 'sync' with the current networked economy, something that will reflect significantly in your bottom-line results over time.

Key benefit: Your people will understand how and why the world has changed dramatically in the last 30 years, and how they can work with these changes rather than resist them to thrive personally and create an organisation that will thrive in the new knowledge-age economy. 

All of the presentations detailed above can be delivered as a one-hour keynote speech, a two-hour training session, or a half-day or full-day interactive workshop, depending on your unique requirements. I will make the PowerPoint presentation I use to support the talk available to every member of the audience via the Internet or we can print the slides out and give them in a document to the audience members, which will allow them to review the key points I have made in my presentation after the presentation and will increase their learning from the session. I can also create a presentation or training session for the unique challenge or specific need you have, but if this is the case, the extra work I do in preparing the presentation will be factored into my fee. Please indicate when you contact me which presentation you are interested in having me present and if you would like me to focus on anything in particular during the session. If you would like a customised session on a specific topic, please indicate what that topic is in the message you write. 


OTHER LEARNING METHODS 

Research by Tony Buzan, one of the world's leading trainers, shows that people retain 50% of the information they hear and see, whereas when they say it themselves, they retain 70%, and when they say and do it, they retain 90%. Therefore, an interactive approach, where the audience speaks and takes actions in addition to hearing a speaker speak and seeing what is shown on a screen, is undoubtedly the best approach to maximise the information retention, understanding and its subsequent application by the participants. For large groups and when time is limited, a talk I give to an audience, some times supported by a PowerPoint presentation, is really the only option that can work within the constraints imposed by time and numbers, but for groups of 30 people or less where there is at least half a day allocated for the session, I prefer to use other, more interactive and experiental methods to help people to find the answers to the problems they think they are facing themselves. 

This is very powerful, as it helps them to realise that all the answers to their individual and collective problems lie within them, and it shows them how to use the same process they have learnt without me being there to help them to overcome challenges they may face in future. These methods also increase the amount of information people retain significantly, and truly empower them to make changes in their own lives and as a collective group rather than being dependent on an 'expert' like me to present solutions to their problems, which they will often resist in any case because what I am saying conflicts with their own internal 'map of reality' they have believed in for so long. Three of these alternative learning methods have been summarised below: 

'Savour the Mystery'

This approach entails giving the participants a Zen koan to think about that is designed to stop them thinking, opening their minds to new ideas that can be capture in a mind map using some software I have that allows one easily to summarise all the ideas in a document or PowerPoint presentation format for distribution to everyone afterwards. For instance,  asking people to ponder statements like, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" or "What would the time be if all the clocks in the world stopped?" can be used to stop the compulsive thinking of the mind and open the way for them to find the solutions that arise in this space of 'no mind'. 

Intrigued? Mystified? Bewildered? (Or perhaps wondering what on earth I have been smoking!?) In fact, research on highly successful and resilient people shows that the ability to live with, and in fact relish, paradox and ambiguity, is one of their key characteristics, so this technique is backed up by what we can observe really works in the real world. Click here to contact me to find out more about how this unique process can help you understand your life or organisation, your life or organisation's situation and how to move through the current challenges you face. 

'Movie Magic'

Another alternative method of learning is to show people a movie or clips from several movies and then have a discussion facilitated by me after they have seen the movie to draw out the key learning points from the movie. It also has the advantage of being entertaining, so people's attention is captured and held throughout the session, making this method ideal for events that have the dual purpose of being entertaining and educational. Click here if you want to experience 'Movie Magic' in your organisation.

'Story Telling'

We all like stories as they are simple, powerful and fun ways to communicate a message. But do you know that the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and our lives influence our lives and our behaviour in profound and mostly hidden ways? I can help you and your team members to become aware of the stories you tell yourselves as individuals and collectively as a team or organisation, and how this is affecting you and your results, then help you to re-write the stories you believe in so that your new stories truly empower you and your behaviour and results effortlessly change as a result.

TRANSFORMATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMMES

I can also facilitate training to initiate and drive a transformation of your team, division or the entire organisation and your collective results along with it. This process, which involves training and individual mentoring and coaching over a period of at least 6 months, will truly revolutionise your business unit or entire business. It will help the people in your business to see the purpose of the business and everyone’s function in the business completely differently, which will lead to a dramatic improvement in your results. If you have truly had enough of the conflict, stress and all the other negative experiences you have to endure in the normal course of working in your business (and your life, for that matter), and are really ready to change and find out how good business and life can be, contact me and let me know that you are interested in talking to me about how you and / or your organisation can transform. I will then give you a call to discuss your unique situation.  


TAKE ACTION

If you are interested in having me speak, train or coach you and / or people in your organisation gain a better understanding of yourself and / or your organisation, and the inspiration, action and mind-blowing results to which this leads, please contact me in one of the following ways:

I will then be in touch with you as soon as possible so we can discuss how best I can help you. I will also give you access to the PowerPoint presentation I use to support the talk I do on 'How to Overcome Fear and Ride the Wild Tiger of Life', as well as a recording of an interview I gave where I discuss how to overcome fear. I hope you will take this step so I can meet you and perhaps be your guide for a while on this ongoing journey of discovery we call life. I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Yours truly

Jonathan Quail

P.S. To get 12 free inspirational e-books you can read to help you to start improving your life and your organisation immediately, a free daily quotation sent to you by email and other great resources to help you build your life, click here now! 
P.P.S. If you are interested in personal coaching, click here to find out more about a programme for personal transformation I have designed that is guaranteed to transform your life and the results you experience in your life completely in the next 6 months.