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Academic Writing 310
Fall 2015 Athina Brox
As a student studying business and entrepreneurship it is all aboutfollowing and
pursuing my dreams, and I think that most of the students in Antioch is on the very same
path: following our dreams to get one step closer to our goals in life. Whether it is
becoming a psychologist, be a business consultant, develop yourself as a human or getthe
job you always wanted. In school, love and life in general there are ups and downs, and
sometimes it is hard to get through our daily lives and we need that extra motivational
boost to get through it all. I once heard a saying that People say that motivation
doesnt last, well, neither does bathing, thats why we recommend it daily. Therefor the
natural choice for writing my final paper was to interview a mental-trainer
This summer the famous Norwegian author Erik Bertrand Larsen is launching his
book Hell Week in the US. Erik Bertrand Larssenis a former Marinejeger which is a
special soldier in the Norwegian military. He went through a tough time in the Norwegian
military, and there is one sentence from his officer/commander that he remembers the
best You are capable of so much more than you think! Bertrand realized that you can
train your mind and that you can be capable of doing anything you want!Through Erik
Bertrand Larsens books, TV shows and seminars he is teaching people how you can
achieve your dream and how to pursue your dreams. And he sure is setting a good
example for his audience: One of Bertrands own dreams were to launch his book in the

US. His book Helvetesuka / Hell week will soon be in stores in New Yor, a big step
from small Norway to all the way to US, - and he made it because he followed his dreams
and didnt give up, he also used a lot of cool move to make people interested in his
writings. Self-develop booksare one of the toughest genres to reach through, it is the most
competition in this genre, but as we now know: Bertrand is not one to back down. He
was 19 years old and he was about to go with special soldiers, fallskjermjegere for his
survival course in the military.
What did you feel like when going into the training, were you ready? Im
wondering. He tells me I was asking my self if I had taken water over my head, all the
other contestants seemed so robust. I was scared, really. He further on tells me how he
was totally out of his own comforts one, doubting himself. But with the words -You are
capable of so much more than you think!- Bertrand made it through, and after his
military training he became a mental coach, helping people reach their highest goals, or
even help find meaning in some people's lives, where they couldnt find it themselves
Dreams is important for us as people, and by dreaming in this case I dont talk
about dreaming at night in your sleep but the dreams you pursue when you are awake, a
dream of what you want to do and a wish, maybe a goal that you want to reach for.
Bertrand is the kind of person who wishes everybody had a dream or a vision that makes
you jump out of bed in the morning thinking, This is mypurpose!
There is one story that Larsen often tells in his seminars, it is from his early
childhood. He states that he had a different kind of superhero when he was a little boy. He didnt care too much about superman, batman or any other heroes; his biggest hero
was his grandfather. His grandfather was a kind and a goodhearted man who always

encouraged Bertrand. Bertrand always looked up to his grandfather, but one day he
started thinking about the stories from his grandfather and he questioned if he really was
happy with his life. Bertrand realized some years later that his grandfather was so sad
about his stories. In his books and his seminars he encourages everybody to make sure
that one day when we are laying on our deathbeds, we should be happy and proud of our
stories. We should make the most of this little time that we been giving on this earth, he
says. Thats why it is so important to live the life you want to.
There is no way we were put on this planet to just work 9-5 in a job that we hate,
counting down the hours to when your workday is over. You should get up in the morning
with a smile on your face. -Whether it is about being the best version of yourself, being a
kick-ass teacher or to become a millionaire or own a non-profit even! Goals are important
to us! They give life meaning and when you have a goal it is easier to make and find the
path you want to walk in life.
It is no secret that there has been plenty of so called success advisors,
entrepreneurial minds that takes money for their courses and so on. Knowing your
audience is the key, what language do you use, who is your target and how do you use
rhetoric is some of the key elements when hitting nr one on a best-selling list. Bertrand
has cracked the code of reaching out to his audience. Here I offer my definition:
rhetoric is what allows you to write (and speak) appropriately for a given situation, one
that is determined by the expectations of your audience, implied or acknowledged,
whether you are texting, writing a love letter, or bleeding a term paper (Pg. 100)
How to stand out, how to get your readers hooked and to know your audience is the most
important when you want to be successful. When Bertrand wrote his book Hell week he

had to think about his audience, who was he writing this to and how to hook them. First
of all making a real-life connection is a clever way to do it He starts his book
challenging his audience, drawing lines from his 7 day hell week to make your own 7 day
hell week, which is supposed to make you stronger. When writing a book like that,
making it relatable for your audience is so important. And as described in Finding
evidence, exxxx to the splaaaane aka explane more
Bertrand conducted interviews through many years coaching people his facts are
often updated and relevant. Bertrand talks about people we all have heard about and
writes about Winston Churchill, supporting his evidences, as well as he talks about all
kinds of different people he met working in the field as a mental coach
If you think about all the questions he asked his grandfather about his life was
even a research for his book years later! Bertrand claims there is one question that he has
been asking his whole life is it possible to change path? He claims that some people go
through life not using their biggest potential. And he also states that the answer to this
question is yes, it is possible, it is all about what thoughts you put in your backpack.
He is not only a famous author in Norway but he now owns a successful compan,
where he and the other mental coaches in the company coach 1 on 1, in bigger and
smaller groups and their clients range from highly famous athletes, Microsoft engineers
as well as famous pop artists as you may notice, mental trainingis for everyone. I asked
Erik Bertrand Larssen what he thinks about the most when he writes his books and
seminars. He claims that it is definitely the real-life-stories that he has conducted through
working with many different people. Bertrand explains further on that the best way to
reach out to his clients is his one on one conversation, which he also writes about on his

web page. You must understand your audience and therefore I understand that he speaks
with them face to face to find out how he can help them. You can't show too much
emotion on an email basically. Maybe you can show your ton, but Bertrand proclaims
that it is better to talk to his clients directly. His favorite way to work is his 1-1 approach,
it was even a TV-show for this Bertrands Metode as we say in Norway or Bertrands
Method in English.
Bertrand uses what he conducts in his interviews with his clients when he writes
his books and speeche. It is very important to be persuasive when you have a big
audience you are talking to. I think this relates to our reading Finding Evidence, () saying
in PP. 395-40, To be most persuasive, evidence should match the time and place in
which you make your argument. For Bertrand it is always about being updated and
keeping his seminars relevant for what is happening now. By engaging his
audience he is always updated.
Bertrand does so much more than just launching a book, Bertrand is writing to
help people change and reach their goals. It is so important to understand the people he
helps and that his self-developments books is so much more than just a genre in a
bookshelf. It is about real-life connections. And when he writes and holds his public
speeches he has to think about his move, his way of speaking, what jargon and structure
he uses. His writing has a bigger meaning, with the purpose of helping people. The words
Bertrand chooses in his book awakens the reader's interest.
Bertrands books are really inspiring and it shows how much a small thing in your
text can do, after all he basically took his military commanders sentence and put it into a
move in his book and reached a large audience with those very words!