For people looking to transform their lives there's a sea of “self-help” books to choose from. Amazon alone produces almost 200,000 results when you enter that exact phrase into their search engine. With this abundance of transformative theories for sale it can sometimes feel like you’re drowning in an ocean of ideas when you’re actually searching for the opposite - a life raft to help you sail through an uncertain or tough phase of your life.

With this in mind, it’s a welcome occurrence when you come across a self-help programme like the Jolt Challenge that has a clear foundation – in this case, the improvement of health, wealth and relationships - and is simple in its delivery.

Created by martial arts instructor Wade Jackson and Steve Hill, the Challenge spans nine weeks and focuses on increasing awareness of your body and mind. The week-long stages include strengthening your foundations; discovering your brain; maximising your energy; putting into action your success strategies; mastering your emotions; exploring your behaviour; aligning your needs; unleashing your creative mindset; and mapping your future.

The Challenge consists of a guide book, face-to-face lessons and a journal. The guide book includes factual information about behaviour and the body, case studies and movie recommendations, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Austin Powers and The Horse Whisperer. By watching the movies, Jackson believes, human actions can be examined in the context of the guide book.

“The movies are just another way for people to learn. We all have preferred learning styles and we adapt to this by providing in the book quotes, information, stories, trivia and movies. These different ways ensure that the participants connect with the content,” says Jackson, who has 15-years of experience in the fields of performance, healing and martial arts. He goes on to say, “It’s the job of the actor to re-create the human experience on stage and film so movies help to explain the psychology of human behaviour.”

For those who avoid embarking on a personal transformation because they think it will interrupt their lives, Jackson and Hill came up with the “ish” concept, where participants are encouraged to be “consistent-ish” when participating in the Challenge. “It's a way to be kind to yourself, to avoid absolute thinking and to take little steps rather than beating yourself when you get overwhelmed and fall off the wagon,” Jackson explains.

The Challenge even states that caffeine and alcohol are allowed – in moderation, that is. “If people disagree and don't want to drink alcohol that's fine, that's their choice. We're saying in moderation alcohol is OK and red wine especially has antioxidants which are good for you,” says Jackson.

According to ARBIAS, an expert in the field of alcohol-related acquired brain injuries, the Challenge’s recommended one glass of alcohol per day is fine, however they believe people sometimes underestimate how big their glass is.

“Many people believe that when they consume a glass of wine they are drinking a standard drink, when often a glass can easily hold two standard drinks or more depending on the size of glass, it’s very misleading. A standard drink of wine is 100ml,” says ARBIAS Executive Manager John Eyre.

In the early stages of the Challenge participants are encouraged to improve their breathing technique. Jackson says that being aware of your breathing is the first step to improving it. “Correct (diaphragmatic) breathing is the first thing to go out the window when you're stressed. So when things are hectic, stop and focus on your breathing. An easy way to check is to place one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach. Breathe in and if your chest rises before your stomach then you're shallow breathing,” he explains.

According to breathing expert Dennis Lewis (on Discovery Health) other ways of improving your technique include inhaling and exhaling through your nose only, sensing the movement of your breath in every movement of your life and relaxing your belly.

Apart from maintaining proper breathing, drinking in moderation and watching movies, the Challenge teaches participants how the brain works. Jackson says this is important because “the brain is our greatest change agent. Understanding how it works helps us to better appreciate who and what we are, why we think, feel and do what we do.”

Jackson uses Steve Peters, the clinical psychologist and mental skills coach for the 2008 British cycling team, as an example of the importance of understanding the brain. “He teaches the top performance athletes how the brain works so they can ‘recognise when they are using parts which are not advantageous to them and get them to tune in to controlling it. You are trying to reconstruct the personality and tap into the strength within the brain to contain the bits that have been hijacking you without you realising it’,” he says.

While the Challenge uses movies and characters to elaborate on the guide book’s lessons, he asks participants to model their behaviour on people possessing lives they desire. Jackson models himself on Helen Keller and Nelson Mandela because of the courage they have shown in the face of adversity.

However, he does admit there is a downside to this practice: “Modelling yourself on someone who has things you want, and you are envious, jealous and/or resentful of them, spells disaster,” he says.

So how can family and friends help someone who is doing the Challenge? “They can be supportive, which may be words of encouragement, and help them make time for the self-directed learning. We've had spouses of the participants do the Challenge with them which has helped them gain deeper insight into not only themselves but each other. One participants said doing the Challenge with his wife saved his marriage,” says Jackson.

There are lessons in the book that Jackson himself is still trying to grasp, namely the idea that human beings judge others by their behaviour, but judge themselves by their situation. “This happens to me,” he confesses. “If someone told me they were going to do something for me but they let me down, I think they're unreliable. Yet if I couldn't fulfill a promise to someone it was because I had too much on my plate (situation), not because I was unreliable (behaviour).” Proving that, like the sea, our lives, actions and behaviour are unpredictable and even when we think we're safe a life raft won't always save us.

Face-to-face Jolt classes are currently held within the organisations that sign up for the program. The public program and official book will be launched on July 17.

www.joltchallenge.com