My first taste of the James Bond “lifestyle” came after watching Dr. No on VHS when I was a little child. I had a plastic beach bag that looked just like the helmet for the radiation suit James Bond wears towards the end of the movie, and I loved to put it over my head, pretending to fight Dr. No. I also almost suffocated in it once, but the James Bond lifestyle is about danger, right? Or was that just stupidity…
I’m much smarter now (I hope), and after analyzing my life I realized I needed to make changes. My first year of college went well in that I was making “steady progress” towards “a degree”, but I felt unfocused and uninspired, and I knew it was my own fault. I needed a role-model or a template to follow, something to get me kick-started. I asked myself, “who is the ultimate man of excitement, who can think even under tense situations, who makes any day into an adventure, and who risks everything for a higher cause…and gets to wear a tuxedo to work?”
I stumbled upon the 007 Lifestyle course while searching Google for how to live like James Bond. I figured I didn’t want to earn a gun license or try to enter the CIA, but instead wanted to improve myself holistically with that James Bond edge thrown in. That is what Derek Johanson’s course promised. Did he deliver?
Split into three broad “Missions”, the course teaches you how to upgrade your image, seduce women, and earn money while traveling abroad. He largely succeeds by providing many tips and explanations for such expected things as dressing, following an exercise and diet program, and all the general facets of seduction. Although I could have found other and more specific literature on any of those topics, the use of James Bond as an overarching model was both entertaining and useful at a conceptual level.
But what made this guide much more interesting, and which really caught my eye, was the inclusion of more genre-specific information. The third Mission, “Money, Wealth, & Exotic Travel” discusses the ways of acquiring a mobile income through freelancing and product creation. Derek describes the method he used to increase his standard of living abroad while earning money in U.S. currency, and I was impressed by his own successes published on his blog. I don’t expect to traipse the world like him, but learning how to make a decent buck on the internet is very useful and an intriguing addition to the course.
As a general guide that shows what is possible in life and inspires you to make strategic and focused changes, the 007 Lifestyle course definitely succeeds. What struck me was how realistic the 007 lifestyle became as I read through. However, considering Derek’s promise that you will “design a lifestyle” of your own, it should come as no surprise that specific details or more nuanced discussion is not always provided.
The supplementary guides and MI6 report attempt to address this issue – he explains gambling in a 007 context, and expands on a workout and diet program, but I would have liked to see more. After a few articles the newsletter seems to stop, which is unfortunate considering how entertaining or thought-provoking the articles have been.
Still, I do not see the lack of specifics as a disadvantage, because the 007 Lifestyle course provides the reader with the space needed to custom make his own lifestyle based on principles rather than detailed scripts and directions. And, at such an affordable price, this course provides more than enough information to get you started on the path to personal development. Although you will likely turn to other sources as you become more entrained in the 007 lifestyle, I recommend this e-book to anyone wanting to make a change. Entertaining, well organized, well designed, clearly written, and packed with useful tips and bonuses, this course serves as the perfect platform for building an extraordinary life.