This morning, on TV, I was amazed to see how a house could be transformed by experts. They were allowed to use only 500 (or $1100 dollars) and they had to complete the work in two days.

The owner wanted to sell his house but had had no offers so far although about 8 people had visited the house.

The reasons were fairly obvious. The house was large with great potential and the gardens were beautiful. However, inside the house, the carpets were shabby and needed removing or steam cleaning. The colours were drab; you would probably need counselling after living in the house for too long. The windows were dirty and obscured by net curtains which looked liked discarded bloomers.

The experts juggled the furniture around the sitting room until they found the best arrangement. They compared it to solving a jigsaw puzzle. Keep moving the chairs and sofa around until the pieces fit. They made the conservatory look 'unbelievable' according to the owner.

They used colour combinations which were similar to the most attractive colour combinations of food. Strawberries and cream, for example, not only taste good; they look good.

They used simple things like candles, tapestries and blocks of paint to create a magical effect in the rooms.

The owner was stunned but delighted by the changes and he learned fast. He had to show the first prospective buyer (who arrived after the changes) round the house. He pointed out the benefits of the changes like a professional. The buyer was impressed.

It was obvious that, with a little training, the house owner could himself become an expert at making over houses for sale. It has been said that if you train for an hour a day for six months in anything you can become an expert.

Of course, this would not apply to those who wish to be heart surgeons or astronauts but it would apply to many areas of expertise.

I was recently delighted by the work of a copy writing expert who lives in Italy. I asked him to write the sales page for my recent book. He started by suggesting a much improved title for the book.

I had called the book 'Awesome Acronyms About Achieving Your Aims'. He thought this was boring and changed the title to '36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now!" I think he was right!

He brought some stories into the sales copy and used powerful and exciting words which showed off the best points of the book. He made me impressed with the book I had written and he was also able to say things about me which I would have been too modest to say about myself.

His changes were often small but made a big difference to the copy.

Where I wrote: "Lose Weight But Avoid Losing Money", he used a more positive phrase like : "Lose Weight But Keep Your Money!"

He empowered readers by using imaginative metaphors or pictures. For example, where I wrote "Three Words That Can Achieve All Your Goals", he wrote 'Three Words To Help You Take Flight And Achieve All Your Goals."

His version is much more imaginative. You can visualise yourself flying through the air like an eagle rather than plodding along like a donkey.

His expertise transformed the sales copy but it also made me realise that I could do the same myself if I really worked at it. I have since joined Trevor 'Toe-Cracker' Crook's copywriting website and plan on becoming an expert myself. Trevor, incidentally lives in Australia.

Copywriting is something you can do from any location in the world. So is golf.

You can improve your golf swing greatly by having just one session with a golf pro. They can teach you all sorts of ways to improve your swing. You can attach a light to your golf club, for example, and use the beam to make sure you swing the club along the correct arc.

You can improve your putting by hitting a wooden tee placed upside down. The size of a hole on the green is about 30 times the size the top of a wooden tee. The experts will provide you with all kinds of tips but if you learn these tips yourself, you could become an expert as well.

I encourage all my martial arts students to aim to become instructors. They will continue to learn themselves by teaching others. I spend most of my own time teaching others the things I need or want to learn myself.

So then, bring in the experts or become an expert yourself or do both. Some kind of success is likely to follow. Sometimes the success will astonish you.