If you have some new year’s resolutions in mind to make a fresh start in various areas of your life, reading Ali Campbell’s new book ‘Just Get On With It- A Caring Compassionate Kick Up The Ass!’ is a very simple yet in depth way of looking at things differently and in doing so, leads you onto making those changes you may have been procrastinating about for too long.

Ali’s book complete with short exercises and a warm encouraging voice feels like having a life coach in your home guiding you to differentiate between your internal and sometimes limiting dialogue as opposed to your inner knowing. We already have the answers inside us it’s just that we might need the odd gentle prompt (or kick) to access them.

“Metaphorically I’ve got 2 tools as a coach. I’ve got a mirror and a torch. I help people to see things for what they are and I help them to see things that they have never noticed before. I hope the book will help people to actually reflect on where they really are, not the story that they tell themselves. And then shine the light of their own awareness in order to gain another sense of perspective.”

Ali’s experience comes from years of working as a life coach, NLP practitioner, hypnotherapist and previously as a fitness instructor. He works with people both in the public eye such as celebrities and politicians and those out of the public eye and he has gathered a large tool kit of practical coaching tips including NLP techniques, therapies and metaphors. It’s apparent when talking to Ali Campbell why he has become so popular as a life coach. He is approachable, down to earth and keen to make a difference using plain speaking language. But I suspect the hidden key to his success lies in his quiet innate wisdom which he strongly believes needs to be combined with action in equal measures in order for us to get out there and live our authentic lives.

“The key for me is to being open to opportunity and then taking action when you spot it.” It’s about keeping yourself in a good space to see the opportunity.”

Each chapter provides stepping stones to realising that “the key to long lasting change and living a happy and fulfilled life lies in following your own path and sticking with it”- even when logic kicks in and tries to tell you otherwise about what it thinks you ‘should ‘ be doing.

One example of an area that Ali shines the light on is the theme of ‘effortless effort.’ “Where nothing is too much trouble because you are doing exactly what you ‘want’ to do. Everything then gets much easier because the motivation comes from the inside... and you are propelled towards your goal with seemingly effortless ease.” Ali serves to remind us that we can achieve an unbelievable amount in this frame of mind.”We all have experience of this. There are lots of motivational speakers for example, but I never need to be motivated for something I really want to do.” For Ali writing this book is about helping us to stop working so hard so that we can enjoy steering ourselves on the right journey.

Leading on from effortless effort, Ali highlights that each day it’s important not to look at ‘what can I start today?’ but instead for us to address, ‘what needs to be completed or finished today?’ Breaking down tasks into bite sized chunks for completion leads to greater productivity and lower stress levels within ourselves.

Ali also asks us to look in the mirror to see who we really are. We may define our self-worth or our sense of security by the work that we do, our relationships with partners, our bank balance etc, this is to do with the external reality. Lose any of these attachments and are we still ok? “Security, financial or otherwise comes not from containment but from creation...to create whatever you want or need, whenever you want or need it.” Ali explains that it’s liberating to say I’m ok and I’ve got a great career/house, etc and not, I’m ok because I’ve got these things. We can still lose our jobs, etc and remain fine once we know our true selves.

I am interested to gain some insight on what motivated Ali to make the transition from fitness instructor to his present role as a life coach.

“When I was personal training I had always been fascinated by the brain and how it can affect sports performance. I was increasingly finding that when I was taking on clients who were looking to lose weight for example, which is something I have done a lot of, we could work hard in the gym and do a great job but my influence or ability to help them ended when they went for a shower and got changed and went home. I was chatting to a couple of friends about this and one of them joked that I could hypnotise people to stop overeating, and he referred to Paul McKenna’s t.v. programme where he hypnotised people. It planted an idea in my head. I then found a hypnotherapy course and that’s where it began, with the intention to help my clients more. I found that I had an aptitude for hypnosis. From there I found Neuro Linguistic Programming and life coaching. It’s been an organic journey really.”

As Ali mentions, he has worked extensively with people wanting to lose weight from which he created ‘The Slim Girl’s Box of Secrets’ consisting of a book and also coaching and exercise c.d.s and dvd’s .The box set has already had wide coverage in the national press with a large amount of satisfied customers. I ask if the core message of the box set is also about going within in order to lose weight and be happy. “ Yes it’s the same principle, being happy and slim as opposed to being happy once you are slim. When someone overeats it is almost always about fulfilling an emotional hunger and not a physical hunger. Nobody that I have met overeats because they are blissfully happy.” Therefore is it about a person’s relationship with food I ask. “Always. One lady lost 13 stone last year from using the box set. She found her inner well-being and weight loss was an inevitable side effect.”

As we proceed to wrap up the interview Ali mentions that he is going to be interviewed next by the national tabloid newspaper ‘The News of the World.’ I joke that seems like quite a contrast to Voyager Spirit. He leaves me with something else to muse about along with much of the content of ‘Just Get On With It.’ He says his aim is to bridge the gap between the spiritual /self development world and the no –nonsense just get on with it world by engaging with an audience across the board.”We are not the ones we need to talk to. If we are going to make a difference to the world it’s by resonating with people we don’t normally talk to.” And perhaps that’s the key here; this book is capable of engaging positively with a large majority of people.

© Ali Campbell 2010

Ali Campbell: Celebrity Life Coach, and Master and Trainer of Neuro Linguistic Programming.

Ali has gained an enviable reputation in the UK media as 'Mr Fix it'. He has trained extensively in NLP and Coaching with some of the world leaders in the fields gaining knowledge and skills which he has refined and adapted to make him one of the most effective Presenters, Coaches and Trainers practicing today.

An advisor to Business leaders around the world, Diplomats, Politicians, Rock Stars, Celebrities including Kelly Rowland and Mica Paris and Royalty and regularly featured in the media, last year has saw Ali make his TV debut in the USA.

In 2008 Ali focused mainly on completing and perfecting ‘The Slim Girls Box of Secrets’ delivering a unique way to blend weight loss with health, happiness and style… clients have lost up to 6 stones in 7 months and kept it all off. The Slim Girl’s Box of Secrets looks set to be a great success with customers in 11 countries after only a few weeks of being on sale.

But he’s not all about weight loss, Ali also effectively cures phobias, and anxiety, improves confidence and well being, helps people stop smoking and offers advice on all manner of life issues where he uses his considerable skill and irreverent approach to bring about fast and permanent results.

Ali combines one to one coaching with group work, teaching and presenting and has recently done so in the UK, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Los Angeles, New York, Monaco and the US Virgin islands. Ali's dynamic approach makes him one of the UKs most potent and sought after catalysts for change.

Ali’s true passion is coaching and bringing out the very best in his clients. In contrast to most coaches Ali draws on his background as a former international athlete and believes that while conventional coaching wisdom suggests that ‘the answer lies within.’ Just as often it doesn’t and new skills and practices have to be learned. Here he uses his skills as a teacher and modeller of process to enable people to quickly grasp new skills, techniques, beliefs and even attitudes so that change can be easier than you think.

www.alicampbell.com