6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Are We Driving Ourselves to Fulfillment or Are We Driving Ourselves Nuts?, January 18, 2009
This review is from: Heroic Living: Discover Your Purpose and Change the World (Hardcover)
While there have been many fads providing "quick fixes" on how to have a healthy, happy life, we rarely find these people in our life nor have we found a solution for ourselves. According to Award-winning author Chris Lowney, "We are not driving ourselves to fulfillment but rather, we are driving ourselves nuts."
In "Heroic Living," Lowney responds with a "radically new" approach - proven over five centuries. His is a "whole life" strategy that connects us with our deepest beliefs, and connects these beliefs with what we do every day to "make the world not only life-giving and sustaining but beautiful and interesting."
Applying the Spiritual Exercises of the sixteenth century Ignatius of Loyola, Lowney encourages us to forego today's market of quick fixes and apply The Exercises. These have been part of the Jesuit tradition since Loyola and remain as one of humanity's more powerful and proven instruments for confronting life's fundamental questions and figuring out one's path in response. Through them, Loyola invites us to see the world as God sees it, to work as God works...to learn what nourishes and sustains life, and, what makes it more beautiful, fun, interesting, and entertaining.
"Heroic Living" encompasses three primary dimensions which are critical to a successful strategy: the transformative power of vision and purpose; the ability to make good choices in an ever-changing world; and the skill to live out those choices every day. The practices provide the tactics to execute on each of these three dimensions.
The book begins by encouraging us to reflect intensely on our human purpose - Who am I? What am I trying to accomplish in life? How should I behave and treat other people? What values are important and fundamental, in business and family life? Why do I matter? What makes my life meaningful? A "whole life" strategy will not succeed if we cannot connect with what we consider ultimately important in life. Instead, we will be doomed to an inauthentic life, a split life.
Throughout the book, Lowney profiles people who are living their purpose - teachers, parents, lawyers - people who exemplify strength, courage...nobility or exploits...and can be regarded as hero models for applying a "whole life" strategy - and benefiting from it. Each of these stories challenges the reader to look at him or herself and their purpose. He also challenges the reader with summary questions at the end of each section, helping to discover and develop personal "whole life" strategies.
One of these exercises I have just integrated into my life is "examen," the the process of weighing something. This habit suggests that for a few minutes, several times per day, we take time out to:
1. Be grateful
2. Recall a key objective
3. Mentally relive your past few hours to draw some lesson that might help in the next few hours.
I begin each day with "examen"; and have also set my watch alarm to ring at 1pm, and 5pm to remind me again to "examen." I found it to be a very profound exercise a positive impact on what follows.
In "Heroic Living," Lowney successfully shows us how to integrate the wisdom of Ignatius of Loyola freeing us to pursue a "whole life" strategy - one that allows us to connect with our deepest beliefs and to express these beliefs in our life and in our work. An approach to life that helps us to see new possibilities as doors open, and provides seeds for not only for our resurrection but also our ascension - as we "Find God in all things."
The book is for all - from all faith traditions.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A powerful and excellent book. This book *deserves* a wide audience., February 11, 2009
This review is from: Heroic Living: Discover Your Purpose and Change the World (Hardcover)
Simple, yet profound.
Deep, but not overly long.
Poetic, yet practical.
There are many remarkable aspects to this book. The breadth of sources is amazing. The author cites Martin Luther and a number of Popes. John Calvin and Buddhist monks. Harvard professors and "everyday" people.
But the core of book is Ignatius of Loyola; the founder of the Society of Jesus. The "Spiritual Exercises" were written by him hundreds of years ago, but the values and advice are useful to this day.
Many of the business insights which are claimed to be new are really elements of the "Spiritual Exercises." For example, control the controllables discussed at 117-121.
Charlie Munger is a big fan of Ben Franklin. Franklin, in turn, was an advocate of weighing pros and cons. Ignatius of Loyola sets out the same decision matrix in his "Spiritual Exercises" a good 200 years before Franklin. Id. at 138.
Chapter 10 is exceptionally good as the author's ability to synthesize and explain are on display.
Don't discount the book as only for Catholics or for those that went to Jesuit schools. There are many secular examples and also points from other religions. In this regard, this book is better than "Heroic Leadership" as the focus is less on the history of the Jesuits.
I also appreciated the author's optimistic tone.
The challenge for the reader is to practice daily the values of the book. The book's "warranty" only applies if the reader actually does what it recommends.
There can't be another American with the author's background as a Jesuit, investment banker and author. That's one of the great values for readers of this book in the America of 2009.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book For Self Reflection, August 31, 2009
This review is from: Heroic Living: Discover Your Purpose and Change the World (Hardcover)
As Lowney says, it is not a book that will tell you what to do. You have to take the book and work with it. I took his advice - I read the book, took notes, and reflected. It helped me to clarify my vision, mission, values and sense of purpose. This is truly a book where you get out of it what you give - it has made a difference in my life and I recommend it without reservation.
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