The Seven Minute Difference: Small Steps to Big Changes [Hardcover]

Allyson Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

Do you want more? More hope, more joy, more fun and more fulfillment? Change is the essence of life; the biggest, most meaningful, and dramatic differences in our lives—and in our world—are really just the result of a series of small, seemingly insignificant changes. "Amazing changes can occur in the most surprisingly small amounts of time," says Allyson Lewis, author and senior executive at a major financial services firm. "In just seven minutes my life changed forever, in this book I will share exactly what happened to me and how it can happen to you."In The Seven Minute Difference, Lewis motivates business professionals to grow through micro-actions that can be completed in as little as seven minutes. According to Lewis, small efforts such as two extra sales calls, a daily action plan, a review of a competitor’s product, or a change of schedule can make the difference between mediocrity and excellence.This book coaches readers to realize their full potential by focusing on four fundamental truths: Change begins to happen the moment you decide to change ; you must want to change; you must expect change; you should enjoy the process of change. Drawing upon years of experience as a motivational speaker and financial advisor, Lewis shows how she has successfully used these principles to help thousands of corporate executives, financial advisors, insurance executives, entrepreneurs, accountants, and attorneys change their lives. Chapters are filled with concrete examples, anecdotes, and sage advice, such as "Life is like luggage, there are limits to what you can take on the journey" and "If you want your life to be different, you must be different."With humor and flair, The Seven Minute Difference spurs people to unlock their purpose, knowledge, and passion, and as a result, transform their lives at work and at home.HighlightsAllyson Lewis inspires readers to:• Define a mission and action plan that will support change
• Implement change and keep the momentum going
• Paint the canvas of your life – map out your goals
• Prioritize, organize, and simplify work and life to achieve greater productivity

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At a team-building meeting, Lewis, a stockbroker and motivational speaker, was asked to write what her purpose in life was. For the first eight minutes of the 15-minute exercise, her mind wandered. She snapped into action for the remaining seven minutes and felt stunned when she finally put down her pencil: she had encapsulated her deepest desires in that time, and with this book she asserts that others can change their lives, too, through such small steps. Citing a study that shows that corporate executives have only an average attention span of seven minutes, she posits that people should make seven-minute decisions that will result in enormous benefits at work and at home. She recommends a bevy of "micro-actions" (babysteps toward larger goals) and provides blanks for the readers to write down personal insights. The few stories Lewis uses to flesh out her advice tend to be familiar (a pallid retelling of Shackleton's perilous Antarctic expedition) or self-serving (her delight in returning home for Christmas). The readers most likely to respond to Lewis's recommendations will be those who have already made the major commitment to take small steps.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Change happens the moment you decide to change.  In The Seven Minute Difference, Allyson Lewis spells it out!

-

 

(David Bach #1 Bestselling Author of The Automatic Millionaire )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419537237
• ISBN-13: 978-1419537233
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #534,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Allyson Lewis is a time management author and speaker. Are you ready for a "7 Minute" revolution? In The Seven Minute Difference, Allyson shares over 100 time management and productivity micro-actions that you can immediately put into action at work and at home. Her "7 Minute" books help people clarify goals, improve time management skills, and create repeatable systematic processes.

The 7 Minute Life(tm) Daily Planner takes these time management and productivity ideas and turns them into a step-by-step 90 day plan of action. This daily planner will help you unlock your purpose, potential and passion to transform your professional and personal lives. Focusing on activities that capture your attention and excite your soul gives you boundless energy and provides a new sense of meaning and fulfillment. Become intentional about these activities and make them a consistent part of your daily life. Now is the time to pro-actively determine where your focus will be and how you will live the rest of your life.

What if you took just "7 Minutes" a day to create a daily written plan of action? This planner will teach you how.

-Reignite the passion for your daily work
-Unlock your purpose, knowledge and strengths
-Clarify your goals
-Establish realistic priorities and written action steps
-Prioritize, Organize and Simplify® your work for greater productivity
-Implement time management techniques to reclaim your day
-Turn your ideas into action

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent concept... well presented, May 30, 2006

By 

Tom Carpenter "- www.sysedco.com" (Marysville, OH) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Seven Minute Difference: Small Steps to Big Changes (Hardcover)

There are only so many ways to present the same information, but Allyson Lewis seems to have found a new one. The concept of seven minute exercises is GREAT! There are procrastinators and unmotivated people everywhere who can be impacted by this book.

Lots of books tell you you should change this or that, but they fail to make the change appealing or even possible. This book proposes that change can happen in little seven minute increments. That concept alone, will change thousands - even millions - of lives.

I think this would be a great gift book for any procrastinators or unmotivated people in your life.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional, August 8, 2006

By 

Dawn C. Duca (Tulsa, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Seven Minute Difference: Small Steps to Big Changes (Hardcover)

In just seven minutes, the course of Allyson Lewis' life changed. In just the few hours it took me to read Allyson's book, The Seven Minute Difference, my life changed. Allyson's book does not just provide advice, but actionable steps that can be taken to take charge of your life -- professionally and personally -- to achieve the goals you want to achieve. She is a hands-on writer and the book is chock full of tangible ideas for ways you can implement the Seven Minute Difference in your life. It is an easy-to-read book and one that you will want to own, not borrow, so you can underline and highlight the points you want to remember and come back to again and again. Allyson makes her points with both enthusiasm and poignancy and I personally have purchased 6 additional copies to give to friends. As Allyson says, "change happens in an instant," and the changes you want to make in your professional and/or personal life will happen when you read this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get the life you truly want--read this book!, April 7, 2006

By 

Steven M. Rowell "The IDEA Doctor™" (Exton, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Seven Minute Difference: Small Steps to Big Changes (Hardcover)

We are all overwhelmed by information overload, jam-packed personal calendars, and to-do lists that never stop. Many of us are working in jobs that don't allow us to do what we do best every day. And many of us spend hours dreaming about what it would be like to have passion for our work again.

This is all about to change in an instant!

The Seven Minute Difference delivers powerful micro-actions that you can do immediately building massive momentum in your life!

The genius of this "personal success mastery" book is the practicality of its solutions, and the accessibility of the concepts. I have read this entire book on a single airplane ride, three times! Every time I get juiced and focused on powerful strategies to get my life and my work moving forward.

This book helped me realize what I had to do immediately to become a better husband, a better father, and a better entrepreneur.

Read this book-and most importantly "DO THIS BOOK." It will change your life, seven minutes at a time!

If you know someone who is stuck or not achieving their greatest potential, give them this book, and you will give them their greatest gift of all-the ability to take control of their dreams, their passion and their life!