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The Power of Story: Rewrite Your Destiny in Business and in Life
 
 
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The Power of Story: Rewrite Your Destiny in Business and in Life [Hardcover]

Jim Loehr (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)


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Book Description

September 18, 2007
In his groundbreaking new book, Dr. Jim Loehr, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Power of Full Engagement, examines the way we tell stories about ourselves to ourselves -- and, most important, the way we can change those stories to transform our business and personal lives.

"Your story is your life," says Loehr. As human beings, we continually tell ourselves stories -- of success or failure; of power or victimhood; stories that endure for an hour, or a day, or an entire lifetime. We have stories about our work, our families and relationships, our health; about what we want and what we're capable of achieving. Yet, while our stories profoundly affect how others see us and we see ourselves, too few of us even recognize that we're telling stories, or what they are, or that we can change them -- and, in turn, transform our very destinies.

Telling ourselves stories provides structure and direction as we navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and helps us interpret our goals and skills. Stories make sense of chaos; they organize our many divergent experiences into a coherent thread; they shape our entire reality. And far too many of our stories, says Loehr, are dysfunctional, in need of serious editing. First, he asks you to answer the question, "In which areas of my life is it clear that I cannot achieve my goals with the story I've got?" He then shows you how to create new, reality-based stories that inspire you to action, and take you where you want to go both in your work and personal life.

For decades, at the Human Performance Institute, Loehr has been examining the power of story to increase engagement and productivity, and Fortune 500 companies have paid millions to send employees to his program, in which he applies the principles and methods that he now offers in this book. Global business leaders, world-class athletes, military special forces, and thousands of individuals from every walk of life have sought out and benefited from his life-altering insight and expertise.

Our capacity to tell stories is one of our profoundest gifts. Loehr's approach to creating deeply engaging stories will give you the tools to wield the power of storytelling and forever change your business and personal life.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

According to this pragmatic self-help, each person has a story they tell themselves about themselves, which is often flawed and misunderstood by the conscious mind telling it: "Residing in the subconscious is most of the hidden matter that influences our stories-all the instinctual urges coded in genes... all the conditioning that took place during childhood... all the trauma and conflicts festering." Performance psychologist Loehr, coauthor of The Power of Full Engagement, shows how these stories, which can be as broad as a worldview ("The world is full of traps and misfortune") or focused unhealthily on a particular "subplot" (like work), define our reality and "destiny." To fix a story gone awry, Loehr explains how to plumb the mind's depths with honest questioning and self-regard, then to rewrite stories using three basics of storytelling-purpose, truth and action-in order to fashion a new, healthy, mission-oriented narrative. Later chapters provide guidelines for rewriting, with instructions on "indoctrinateing yourself" and creating specific training "rituals" you can adopt to turn "story into action." Loehr draws a lot of complex, convincing points from his seemingly simple premise; his book should give anyone suffering from general life dissatisfaction or business malaise plenty to think over.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Jim Loehr's principles have helped unleash the creativity, capability, and potential of top-performing people throughout P&G. This book can do the same for knowledge workers everywhere."

-- A.G. Lafley, Chairman of the Board & CEO, Procter & Gamble

"Jim has brought to print many of the key insights that he has so successfully used to help athletes, business executives, and other leaders as they confront and change their own personal stories. I know his coaching works because I have seen it change the lives of many of PepsiCo's leaders."

-- Steve Reinemund, former CEO, PepsiCo

"This book powerfully and inspiringly communicates that we are the creative force of our own life. We can write and act on the stories that give our life its greatest meaning and fulfillment. Jim Loehr has produced another brilliant and immensely practical book."

-- Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

"This epic contribution from Jim Loehr is fully compatible with the prevailing science of human flourishing: More than actual events, people's interpretations of those events -- their stories -- determine their emotional states, and in turn their actions, health, and success in life. If you'd like to re-sculpt your life, the accessible synthesis of science and practice offered here can be a welcomed road map."

-- Barbara L. Fredrickson, PhD, Kenan Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"Being fully engaged as a Navy SEAL demands skillful management of all four sources of energy -- physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. This passionate and convincing book can change one's life through the process of facing your own personal truth, determining those aspects of your life you hold most important, and crafting an action plan to complete your life's mission. The young men who successfully complete SEAL training have, in their own way, done just that! Jim's wisdom can be anyone's wisdom, and his energy and passion can be shared among us all."

-- Rear Admiral Ray Smith, former Commander of the Navy SEALs, U.S. Navy (retired) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Free Press (September 18, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0743294521
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743294522
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Jim Loehr has worked with hundreds of world-class performers from the arenas of business, sport, medicine, and law enforcement including Fortune 100 executives, FBI Hostage Rescue Teams, and Army Special Forces. He is the author or coauthor of several books on mental and physical training for peak performance, including "The Power of Full Engagement," "The Power of Story," "Stress for Success," and "Mentally Tough: The Principles of Winning at Sports Applied to Winning in Business." He is co-founder of the Human Performance Institute with Dr. Jack Groeppel.

Jim Loehr is also well known for his individual work with top-flight athletes and Olympians. A sampling of his elite clients from the world of sport include: golfers Mark O'Meara and Justin Rose; tennis players Jim Courier, Monica Seles, and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario; boxer Ray Mancini; hockey players Eric Lindros and Mike Richter; and Olympic gold medal speed skater Dan Jansen.

Dr. Loehr has a masters and doctorate in psychology, serves on several scientific boards, and is a full member of the American Psychological Association, the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and the Association for the Advancement of Applied Sport Psychology.

 

Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (16)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, September 24, 2007
This review is from: The Power of Story: Rewrite Your Destiny in Business and in Life (Hardcover)
I would highly recommend Jim Loehr's "The Power of Story". This high energy, page turner gives a fresh stance on the power of positive thought with a unique twist of Loehr's personal experiences. "The Power of Story" is about controlling your inner voices to tell the same story so you can devote your energy to the things that matter. The concept that Loehr achieves in the book is very attainable in the "normal" everyday life. He has the ability to wrap the concepts so that it is viable for the college graduate, the executive, and the stay-at-home mother. Loehr does an outstanding job of getting readers to acknowledge and recognize the stories that they may be telling themselves. Then he goes deeper, to push the reader to reveal the real story. This is the strongest aspect of the book. You can't get away without being honest with yourself. Then he leads you to the idea that you can change your story, and sequentially, transform your future.
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Create a better story, create a better life, June 2, 2008
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This review is from: The Power of Story: Rewrite Your Destiny in Business and in Life (Hardcover)
This is a very thought provoking and life changing book. Jim Loehr first brings us face to face with the stories that we tell ourselves. Your first reaction is that you don't tell yourself stories. But you do. We all do. And often the stories we tell ourselves are crafted to fit our excuses for why we do or don't do things. As long as we are telling ourselves stories that are not based in reality, we will continue to live according to the story line we are telling ourself.

The book is not just about stories, it is actually a step by step manual for finding out your old story, discovering where it is wrong and then developinig a new story based around your purpose in life.

When most people list their priorities in life, they go something like this: God, family, work and other. But when they really examine their lives, they have made their career the most important thing in their lives. They devote most of their energy to their career and never have enough left for the other things in their lives. They tell themself one story but live another.

There is another very important lesson in the book. We all think that time is our most important asset. As Jim points out, it is not time but the energy we bring to the time we devote to any activity. He gives countless examples of people spending time with family but not fully engaged. The energy is not there.

If we are not physically fit, we do not have sufficient energy to accomplish the tasks we set out to do.

This is not theory. Jim runs the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, FL and the book is filled with examples from the work he has done with thousands of people.

The book is well written, easy to read and a real eye-opener.

There is a step by step plan for the individual to come face to face with their old story, write their new one and change their lifestyle so that they bring their life into harmony.

Well worth reading. You will never be living your ideal life until you get your life aligned with your story. This book tell you why and shows you how. The rest is up to you.
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars MAKING YOUR FREE WILL FREE, October 2, 2007
This review is from: The Power of Story: Rewrite Your Destiny in Business and in Life (Hardcover)
In an age where it's easy to feel invisible and even impotent, Loehr delivers mental Viagra. Any book that can do that is worth reading. This book takes a big, profound idea and makes it personally relevant. Loehr excavates the basis of free will. Loehr's insight that "if you aren't the author of your life story you're the victim of it" is a way of summing up that the unexamined life will almost assuredly reduce us to supporting actors in someone else's story. One thing I really like is that he goes way beyond the vastly over-simplified idea of The Secret into something much deeper and more actionable. The more I read, the more I was convinced that this was the real secret.
The author has a great way of applying the value of writing our own story to change the conditions of our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. While some other books have touched on these concepts, this book uses the latest research to bring our human habits into full view and offers practical methods to become the "cause" of our lives instead of "the effect" of someone else's. That's the essence of Free Will.

Will Marre'
Founder of the American Dream Project
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
ultimate mission, dysfunctional story, dysfunctional stories, faulty story, crap detector, indoctrination process, private voice
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Power of Story, Old Stories, New Stories, Old Story, Training Mission, Idea Training, Mission Success, Deborah Layton, George Bush, Fred Rogers, Sports Illustrated, President Bush
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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