The Power of Story: Rewrite Your Destiny in Business and in Life (Hardcover)

by Jim Loehr (Author)
Key Phrases: ultimate mission, dysfunctional story, dysfunctional stories, The Power of Story, Old Stories, New Stories (more...)

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)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (September 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743294521
• ISBN-13: 978-0743294522
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #101,069 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended, September 24, 2007

By	Rachael A. Drozd - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAKING YOUR FREE WILL FREE, October 2, 2007

By	William Marre - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Create a better story, create a better life, June 2, 2008

By	John Chancellor "Mentor coach, www.teachtheso... (New Orleans) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.