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The first thing you need to know about Jamie Smart is this: He's nuts.

I'm not talking about the ‘locked in a padded cell, claiming to be Napoleon’ kind of nuts. I'm talking about something much more dangerous; the ‘here's to the crazy ones’ kind of nuts. The ‘willing to be true to yourself and do whatever it takes, no matter what the cost’ kind of nuts. The kind that sets out to do the impossible and transforms how you see the world in the process. The totally lovable kind of nuts.

I first met Jamie in 2006, shortly after I sold my digital startup to BSkyB. In the course of the conversation, he asked me if I'd mentor him on growing his business. I refused, not because I didn't want to, but because I simply didn't have the time, but the second thing you need to know about Jamie is this: He's persistent. Extremely persistent. He kept asking and I kept refusing over the course of several weeks until finally, we made a deal: I would mentor him, but if we agreed something was the right thing for him to do, and he didn't do it, I would fire him as a client.

I expected this arrangement only to last a few weeks, but it's now 10 years later, and I still haven't fired him. Instead, he's become a dear friend, and we've each grown in ways that neither of us could have anticipated. Both of us have walked away from ‘sure thing’ ventures to follow our hearts. I left Smarta, the company I founded and grew through the midst of the recession. Jamie left the field he was a leader in and headed in the opposite direction to explore the principles behind clarity of mind and high-performance. And that's the third thing about Jamie: He's willing to follow the truth, wherever it leads. When my first book Stop Talking, Start Doing got knocked off the top of the bestseller charts after 14 months at number 1, it was no surprise to me that his first book CLARITY was the one that took its place.

Which brings us to Jamie's latest book, RESULTS: Think Less, Achieve More. The reason I habitually used to refuse to coach and mentor people (and said ‘no’ to Jamie initially) was this: The people who asked me to coach them inevitably turned out to be unwilling or unable to take the action needed to create the results they wanted. They seemed to get paralyzed with fear of criticism, fear of failure or fear of success. They'd get stuck and make excuses, claiming they lacked that ‘special something’ they needed to move forward. They'd say ‘I’d do it if only I had more confidence…'.

More self-belief… Less doubt… More creativity… Less uncertainty… More courage… Less fear…

This had always puzzled and perplexed me. I could see people were capable of great things; why couldn't they see it? I knew that we each have the ability to create the results that matter to us; why didn't everyone else know it? Why is it that people so often struggle to create the results they want?

RESULTS: Think Less, Achieve More doesn't just answer this question; it takes you much further, giving you a practical solution that's both simpler and more powerful than you may ever have imagined. And the answer has never been more important. The world is in a state of constant flux, with massive uncertainty and huge opportunities. There's never been a better time to be dreaming big and taking action. Twenty years from now, people will look back on this as a ‘golden age’, a time when the field was wide-open and there was everything to play for.

This book is going to wake up your innate ability to create results. As you go through the three transformations that Jamie covers so masterfully, you're going to get more in touch with who you really are, and what really matters to you. As you tap in to your authentic purpose and direction, you're going to start discovering an unsuspected ability to take action and move forward, even if you can only see the next step. And, while that's great, the key to all of this is something even more important: discovering who you really are (I know that may sound strange, but bear with me). Most of us have spent so long trying to be who others have told us we should be that we've lost touch with our true selves. And this is the real genius of RESULTS. You see, your ability to get results flows directly from who you really are. Your authenticity is the source of your power. One of my favourite artists, Curtis Jackson (aka 5 °Cent) puts it beautifully:

‘The greatest fear people have is that of being themselves. They want to be 5 °Cent or someone else. They do what everyone else does even if it doesn't fit where and who they are. But you get nowhere that way; your energy is weak and no one pays attention to you. You’re running away from the one thing that you own – what makes you different. I lost that fear. And once I felt the power that I had by showing the world I didn't care about being like other people, I could never go back.'

You're going to start waking up to that same source of power and fearlessness as you read this book. And don't be too surprised if you find yourself having more fun, bigger ideas and better relationships in the process. As you get an understanding of the principles behind RESULTS, you're going to find yourself having less on your mind, and being more present to the richness of the here and now. And here and now is the best place to start creating what matters to you.

We live at a time of increasing volatility, uncertainty and complexity. We're each here for a reason, with our own unique gifts to give. It's never been more important for each one of us to wake up to who we really are, and play our part in the shaping of our lives, our communities and our world. As well as answers, we need visionaries; people who are willing to challenge what we hold to be true. And that's the other thing you need to know about Jamie: What he's about to show you may turn everything you've ever believed on its head. And it turns out that's a wonderful place to start.

Sháá Wasmund, MBE

London, 2016