ELEVEN WORDS That Will Change Your Life

Carl Reader

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Eleven Words is a book that serves those who wouldn’t normally reach for ‘self-help’ personal development books.

During my life, I’ve become a passionate observer of people. What we do, how we behave, and why we do what we do. I’ve had the good fortune to know and work with people from all walks of life – from those with rags-to-riches stories to those at the fringes of royalty. Premiership footballers through to ordinary people like the rest of us. And we all have one thing in common: we can do better.

My personal journey started with a bang at the age of 15, and not in a good way. Despite being blessed with a grammar school education – unusual for someone from a council estate – I had no interest in the academic world and left school before my GCSEs to become an apprentice hairdresser. Along the way, I fell into the professions, became a qualified accountant, bought out my company, scaled it up to a multi-million business, and worked with people from all walks of life along the way.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with the leaders of global brands, elite sportspeople in multiple fields, and government ministers – and socialising with labourers, taxi drivers, tradespeople, and so on. I’ve worked with sporting governing bodies, including the formation of a federated body to unite the Taekwondo associations of North and South Korea, which ultimately raised funding for both grassroots and Olympic participation. I’ve served as a Trustee of a national education charity and as Chair of my professional bodies members panel.  I’d even taken over a National League South football club and engaged a small town community of 5,500 to make it one of the most well-supported clubs in the country by local population, and the highest-ranking not-for-profit members club in the English football pyramid.

I say this to reinforce a core point – I’ve seen the commonality between people, regardless of their status, background, wealth, occupation, race, gender, or any other factor. We all have a mind which is capable of both genius and destruction. And sometimes, the simplest things are the ways that help us be who we want to be, as a parent, a child, a friend, a colleague, a manager, or a high-performing individual in any field.

The eleven words that I share in this book are a simple reminder of how we should look after ourselves, whilst doing good in the world. They are the catalyst for the content which covers how we think about ourselves, who we are as a person, and how we do things for the best effect. They help the reader tap into their ‘why’ and convert it into action. And they lead to practical tools that the reader can use to reinforce their mindset, their behaviours, and their actions.

In an ideal world, this book will not only serve the traditional self-help market but also those who shy away from it. Those who might be too insecure to pick up a book with a pink cover, or with what the reader might deem a fluffy approach. Similarly, it would serve those who are put off by academic works, and instead be written in a practical, conversational style. There has been a fantastic increase in the number of conversations about mental health amongst everybody and as a society we are becoming far more open to talking about how we feel, what we are thinking, and our fears and aspirations. 

This book is a tool to help those who are new to this world.  

Carl Reader is WH Smith best selling author, international keynote speaker, regular media commentator and multiple business owner.