Expedition 70N - 26 years in the making

So on May 20th I travel to the arctic circle to put the final touches to a lifelong ambition. 26 years ago I read a story that I never quite forgot, and when I seen the book again in a bookstore I just had to buy it asnd remind myself of this incredible tale.

 Not only was it an incredibly entertaining and captivating story, it’s true, and it inspired me to do something about it! 

Three years ago I began planning and working on making it possible to retrace this incredible story, and give others the opportunity to change their lives from it too.

To that end I sat down and spent a long time working out a new adventure series that would see the lives of twenty ordinary inexperienced 18-30 year old Joes forever changed in a competition of endurance, danger, elation and conquering the odds at all costs to earn a place on an expedition to 70N and the very place that this true story took place – across the 245km escape route that saved this man’s life.

So I’m crowdfunding right now to raise the necessary funds to make this awesome adventure series a reality and in exchange for donations starting at just €1 there are some pretty awesome rewards on offer ranging from your name and star on our “Wall of Honour” to T-shirts and Subscriptions to the series as well as other really cool merchandise.

The thing is, this project won’t become a reality without the help of the general public and those with a love of really cool stories, you can have a ringside seat to it all too. Expedition 70N really needs anyone and everyone to choose a perk and donate some cash to help make it a reality, without YOU there can be no project!

All your generous donations will result in an awesome life changing Adventure Series that will inspire both on and off screen.

Get involved today and choose a perk , donate and help us achieve the goal of a lifetime…

Click here to donate: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/expedition-70n

 

Let’s get busy changing some live y’all!

The only easy day was yesterday…

Retracing World War II’s greatest survival story: History in the making

Retracing World War II’s greatest survival story: History in the making

Have you ever heard of “Operartion Martin”? Well, it was one of the many Shetland Bus Operations that took place during the war, but it has the distinction of being the most incredible act of strength of human will in the face of extreme circumstances - it is legendary in Norway and was even made into a 1957 Oscar nominated film.

Picture a mission destined for Bardufoss and sabotage, a group of Norwegian Commandos and Sailors sent into the hornets nest under the cover of secrecy posing as fishermen. The mission goes fubar when intel lets them down and their cover is blown, a German patrol ship arrives in the sound and attempts to sink their boat. Abandoning ship into row boats, the fuses on the explosives aboard are and boat scuttled - attempting to row to the shore behind the explosion.

Picture yourself in that situation; You don't get that far before being thrown into the Arctic ocean at 70N inside Toftefjord on Rebbenesoya, Norway and swim to shore - of 12 men on that boat only 1 manages to get away.

You can reach freedom in Sweden 245km away, but not before;

·         You swim two arctic sounds and almost die there and then

·         Have your big toe of the right foot shot off

·         Traverse the Lyngen alps for days becoming snowblind and delirious, frostbitten and paralysed in the legs due to the cold

·         Falling at the mercy of a local Norwegian, you must then endure weeks in a barn and incredible pain in your feet and legs

·         Cut off from the world hidden in a hut on the opposite side of the fjord you then must suffer cutting out the gangrene from the remaining nine toes - using only a small knife and no anesthesia – all by yourself

·         Hidden in a cave for a month after some unsuccessful attempts to bring you to Sweden you lie in wait for a pair of Lapps that will take you by Reindeer to Sweden instead.

·         You spend a while in a snow dome on a plateau awaiting these men in the open air of the Arctic plains and there you must actually amputate your toes before they kill you completely - you weigh just 35kg at this stage.

Your name is Jan Baalsrud and you reach the safety of neutral Sweden after your own countrymen put their lives on the line to save just one life!

How the hell did this man endure and survive all of that?

This is the question we will ask and answer in our seriously intimate and factual documentary and Adventure Series delving into the deepest depths of this story and bring it to life through modern eyes.

We will retrace history, to make history.

The aim is to make 

1. an exclusive online adventure series and

2. a cinematic theatrical release 2.5hrs long that showcases my script in its greatest potential.

To finance the project, I have to fundraise, and it’s no small sum that is needed. The funds will cover two years’ work, employing over 30 people and will retrace this truly astounding story of survival and strength of human will in one of our darkest periods in human history.

Selecting 20 people from a pool of applicants, the top best suited candidates will compete over five months to earn one of ten spots on an expedition to Northern Norway, 300+ miles inside the Arctic Circle and retrace this incredible story as authentically as possible on foot, over 245km, after we have sailed from the Shetland Islands on the same course taken by the original Linge Company Operation Martin Commandos and Sailors.

Over the five months we will train using similar methods to the 1940’s commandos and delve deep into the mindset that makes a person ready to tackle the missions these brave men accepted to help liberate and create the free world!

I and my team have been building teams commercially via elite methodologies used by the military with the last 5 years, most of us have twenty or more years in uniformed service behind us and we are extremely dedicated and hard workers that love nothing more than helping people reach their full potential.

In these dark and hard times, we aim to show that there are many lessons we can learn from this story to inspire us to create a better history for humanity.

If you are interested in being part of the adventure or know someone that you think this would be perfect for, spread the word! Apply! Compete! Earn! Succeed…

APPLY HERE...

Can you stay the course?

Most people will answer yes, without batting an eye-lid, but not really knowing what it means.

90% of people will sign up to something or other online these days and think that the preparation will be difficult, but find that they actually get bored of it rather than finding it hard, and ultimately quit.

Quitting because of monotony is not a good enough reason to stray off course, life is a long undetermined flight plan, yet most of it is predetermined for us!

Don’t believe me? Look at the day you were born, from day one it was determined that your parents/guardians would raise you, feed you, clothe you, nurture you and ultimately shape you into who you are today - for better or worse!

Childhood, School, Sport, Development, Adulthood, Work, Living and Death are all predetermined paths everyone of us are subject to in life – whether we like it or not.

Many people quit even at the earliest of stages, but what makes those of us in life the successes we turn out to be?

A choice made long before the end is here; a choice to “stay the course” – to earn those just rewards we claim such entitlement to.

The truth is, everything in life must be earned one way or another!

To truly achieve in life you must weather the storm of boredom and monotony, stick with the plan and stay the course. Don’t waiver or change heading, as doing so will lead you to uncharted territory that can be almost impossible to return from.

The Selection Challenge™ was originally designed as a program to teach people about the benefits of mental strength, and where to source such strength in times of need. It’s not something that can be spoken about, lectured on or written about to provide clarity to the inexperienced.

To truly understand what it’s all about, it has to be lived – that’s where the true value lies, in the knowledge gained through experience as well as theory.

Sign up to the best challenge you will ever undergo and you are guaranteed to meet your self for the first time, and learn just what it means to "stay the course"…

…the only easy day, was yesterday.

www.hellweekpt.com

TIME'S UP... SELECTION CHALLENGE(tm) CLASS 011 LAST EVER RENDITION!

 So this is it, time to say goodbye to the Selection Challenge™, it’s been a thrilling ride and the memories we’ve created will never be forgotten. The emotions, highs, lows, thrills, spills and choices experienced by all that have undergone signing up to, training for, participating in and completing the Selection Challenge™ remain as vivid today as the first day it was ran with just four people in attendance.

We’ve watched as apprehensive Gymbunnies and hardcore athletes have looked at the pictures, listened to our presentations and grimaced as they made the plunge to sign-up to and train for the most Elite Military Themed Challenge in Europe. We’ve watched with glee as others have jumped straight in and made the biggest boasts about how they will smash the challenge with both hands and then piss on it, only to be bell ringers without even showing up for the most incredible test condensed into a few short hours, or the longest day of their lives depending on perspectives. Oddly enough, it’s the average Joe and Jane that make it through, the ones willing to do whatever it takes to hang in there and not quit. 

Bell ringers are always there, signing up for the wrong reason and not really being committed – but why would you sign up to something only half hearted? You don’t sign up to an Ironman race only to quit at the starting line, right?! Most don’t see the bigger picture and think it’s all about bragging rights, and some just come along for the ride, those that enter for the right reasons are so apparent on the day that it’s completely mind-blowing to watch them arrive as individuals and strangers only to leave as a team, a band of brothers (& sisters) if you will.

Strangely enough we see the men crying and the women just sucking it up and getting on with it, every single time. We have no doubt that the last ever rendition of this challenge will be just the same, and we have some repeat candidates that graduated 005 and 010 coming back for more, it’s gonna rock.

Going out with a bang has always been the intention and for Selection Challenge™ Class 011, we will be doing just that. Expect the unexpected – but expect everything you could possibly dream of as well.

Memories and treasures will be created on April 13^th 2014 like never before. The challenge has never reached its full potential to date, 98% of it maybe, but not 100%, but on April 13^th 2014 Class 011 will be enveloped in a fireball of hellish tests that will challenge every last bit of resolve they have, and then some. 

You will laugh, you will cry, you will beg for mercy, you will plead with god, you will shout out in anger – but it will all fall on deaf ears until you either grit it out or ring out! 

So who the fuck is with us?

April 13^th 2014, Mornington, County Meath, Ireland – Early bird offer 65 Euro.

The chance to train with a former SEAL team six officer known as Warrant Office Manslaughter: Don Mann; www.usfrogmann.com

The chance to do something just once in your life that only a handful will ever experience, how can you turn that down, For Fuck Sake… stop reading, sign-up and get training: REGISTER HERE

losing sight of the goal

Often in life there are obstacles thrown in our path to trip us up, albeit with good intentions but the wrong outcome will result. It's so easy to fall into a tunnel-vision mindset and see success in something that is not yours.

These last two years have been incredibly difficult for me, emotional stress and strain took their toll and I began making decisions I would never normally have made. This led to me losing sight of my goals, and some very important foundations I had set weakening in the process.

It's so easy to get sucked into something that can be deemed complimentary to what you do and sometimes you can see a new opportunity as a way out of a rut that will allow you to have time to focus on your original goals - except, it isn't a way out of a rut, it's a direct path into simply another rut, and, you won't have the time needed to achieve your original goals.

Hellweek PT(TM) was started because of a deliberate and intentional goal, to change mindsets and help people realise their true potential. I never lost sight of that fact, but did try spreading my time too thinly across multiple projects. Stress is a killer and a very real one too! It can cause you to make too many bad decisions, and unless you recognise that there is an issue and do something about it, you're gonna crash'n'burn, with no time to eject. 

Never lose sight of your goals, always write your goals down and visualise them, keep things simple and never let anyone else influence what only you know best. Stick to your core values in that plan, cooperate but don't deviate! Don't argue, don't debate, don't waiver - if you find you are micromanaging delivery of services and need to emphasise why something needs to be done "this" way, then you are losing sight of the goal and you can't trust your staff! They may be amazing, but if they are creating micro-management, it's time to reel the reigns back in! Don't lose sight of the goal, deliver to your standards! Not someone else's.

When you have a plan, it means you can go back and reference it for confidence, guidance, reasoning and quantification. You wrote it for a reason, use it! Never, ever, ever, lose sight of the goals and when you feel your self slipping, reel your self back in, put your self in check and take time out. If you have to do this when your business is your livelihood, you might feel so stressed that the world will fall out from under your feet, but it won't. Everybody needs a time out to get things in check. Seek advice, find inspiration, use those assets and motivate your self to bring calm and focus back into your life when you do lose sight of the goal.

You will be glad you did. 

As an adult, if you feel you are losing focus in life and want something that will really hone your mind and stimulate your soul, take on the challenge that is the Hellweek PT(TM) Selection Challenge(TM). Class 011 open for registration right now; www.hellweekpt.com/selection.htm

For 65 Euro you get a training plan, free training days leading up to the challenge, nutrition advice, cognitive skills that will help you at home, in work and on the sports field, memories that will last a life time, and the chance to say you have a true understanding of what Special Forces Operatives go through to be chosen for their specialist trades. It's a truly amazing experience that has to be lived to be understood.

See you on the beach April 13th 2014.

The only easy day, was yesterday...

Success is deliberate...

There are times when you wonder if you've absolutely lost the plot starting a business on your own, there are times when you wish there were more hours in a day, less to do and more people to do it, and more of you to spread around for family time versus work time. However, if you're as driven as required to start, build, run and develop a business then it becomes obvious that the first 5 years of your life is another apprenticeship, just like when you started out in your first real job as a kid all those years ago. You realise, hell, I've got a long way to go yet before I can take time off! 

It does kinda suck eggs, but if you want to build something and not just "make money" you gotta be ready to make sacrifices, and coerce loved ones into accepting it and assisting even. 

Four years ago Hellweek PT(TM) was in the final stages of its "proof of concept" phase. When I approached Senior Chief about joining me on this wild and wacky adventure that I had started from nothing, he thought I was absolutely nuts - but he seen the potential in what was there having listened to me. Based on watching me lead from the front for several months, SC came on board and did the Selection Challenge him self, together with 13 unsuspecting athletes from our Athletics Club. At the end of that session, comments were made to the nature of, "I don't know whether I love ya or hate ya after that!", "There are places for sadists like you and they all have iron bars on the doors, but damn that was good!", "I loved it, and I can see how you will make it grow, change it up and give candidates an experience they won't get anywhere else, and I'm in the Army 23 years!!!"

And since then, it has indeed grown, changed up and given people experiences they wouldn't have gotten anywhere else, we've even had a USN SEAL on the deck with us. Support has come in from all over the world but especially from within the Special Forces Community where its authenticity and professionalism has been acknowledged time and time again. 

Ambitions are a wonderful asset, but knowing your trade and knowing how to turn it into a viable business that will be successful take deliberate vision, execution and learning - you are always learning in this world - ALWAYS! 

Having the vision to realise that no matter how much you already know, you will always have to learn something new to be in and ahead of the game is paramount to successful outcomes - whether it be that you need to find a new way to make the same decision but in a more positive and amiable manner, or be it a case that you have to learn something new altogether in order to make something work, you are always learning. 

All of that aside, if you don't have the stones to go out and make your dreams and ambitions a reality and you're not willing to make the sacrifices, you're going nowhere fast! So don't put it off, do it today, you'll be glad you did.

Success whether you know it or not, is very intentional and deliberate, there has never been a person that simply woke up one day and was successful by chance... 

Selection Challenge(TM) Class 011 is ready for bookings and training, get your slot here; www.hellweekpt.com/selection.htm 

More Competitions...

Following on from our 4 Week Personalised Training Competition, we are offering a few more =)

We will be offering the chance to win some serious time for free on weekend courses covering

• Survival
• Evasion and Escape
• Tracking
• Navigation 

These are of course in tandem with our upcoming Full Scale events based around the same subject matter. So those that win the prizes will receive proper skills and proper knowledge - before entering be sure that you have a genuine interest in the subject matter being offered, it's not suitable for a Stag do or something of that nature, these are serious skill set content based courses and completely professional.

You will be filmed and photographed as part of the course, so please be aware of this too.

We will be launching each competition in due course and entry will be free - done via our website. There will be a question for each competition, easy to answer of course, based on the subject matter at hand.

If you ever fancied being a Bear Grylls, Ray Mears or even Action Man for a day (G.I. Joe had the man flu) then this is your chance...

Keep your eyes peeled for the competitions coming soon =)

until next time; train SMART, train hard and remember to smell the roses...

Níl ní níos daingne ná croí an óglaigh.

Hellweek PT(TM) - Ireland and UK's Nr. 1 Elite Military Themed Events Provider

The only easy day, was yesterday...

www.hellweekpt.com

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