Shift: Let Go of Fear and Get Your Life in Gear [Paperback]

Jeffrey W. Hull PhD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2010

We all go through major life transitions--whether they take us by surprise or we take the leap and "make a shift" into unknown territory ourselves. Change is a basic part of life. Jobs change, lovers change, ideas change, people change. No matter how well thought out our “life plan” might be, life throws us a curve now and then. But, too often, we become overwhelmed by fear when faced with a new direction. We become stuck. This book fundamentally changes the way we cope with change.

 

“Shift happens,” says psychologist and executive coach Dr. Jeffrey Hull, “and we all need to get better at dealing with it. Life is not a straight line ramp up to nirvana, as some self-help books would have us believe.” After working with thousands of individuals and executives at companies such as Booz Allen Hamilton, AT&T, MasterCard, HSBC and TD Ameritrade over a twenty-year career, researching both Western science and Eastern philosophy, and dealing with life crises of his own, Dr. Hull offers up what is missing from the majority of self-help books: a roadmap for navigating change and its faithful life partner, fear.          

 

“Having a program to support you through the throes of major change—and help to release the fear that accompanies it—can really make a difference,” Dr. Hull assures anyone facing a major (or minor) transition, regardless of age, lifestyle, or circumstances. In a down-to-earth inspirational style backed by real-life examples and action steps, SHIFT reveals:

 

·        Why the self-help industry’s obsession with achieving “instant happiness” is a cultural fantasy that actually reinforces its opposite: distress;

 

·        Why endings—of jobs, relationships, life situations—are so difficult and how to make “starting over” easier, even FUN;

 

·        An innovative and practical way to understand life’s inevitable cycles, by learning to navigate the six stages of every life shift: rupture, release, retreat, revival, rehearsal, and realization;                                                     

 

·        A radical new way of understanding personal growth—not as a quest for an elusive “authentic self” but as an evolving, creative story of continuous reinvention; and

 

·        How practices that integrate the body, the mind and the heart are key to true transformation, not just “changing your thoughts” or re-wiring your brain.

 

Showing how to move through fear and accept change as something that happens for us and not to us, Shift is not another “quick fix, five steps to endless happiness” self-help book. With real-life case studies, useful diagnostics and down-to-earth practices, Dr. Jeffrey Hull offers a vital guide for everyone grappling with and reeling from our turbulent times.                          

 

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jeffrey W. Hull, Ph.D., is a psychologist, executive coach, and writer widely recognized as a pioneer in the field of leadership and high performance coaching. Featured in a segment on creativity in business for Good Morning America, he has also appeared on NBC News and other programs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press (April 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762756624
• ISBN-13: 978-0762756629
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #595,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey Hull is a writer, psychotherapist, and executive/life coach whose clients range from single individuals in private practice to multinational Fortune 500 corporations. Throughout his professional career, Dr. Hull has worked with hundreds of individuals, organizational teams, and community groups, and is widely recognized as a pioneer in the fields of performance coaching for executives and life coaching for individuals.

Dr. Hull's gift is the ability to sense intuitively what aspects of your mental, emotional, or physical well-being may be stuck in place from past trauma or early conditioning. These blocks, some conscious, some not, may be holding you back from realizing your goals in life. Within a context of complete safety, confidentiality, and compassion, he partners with you to move quickly through these barriers and to jumpstart the life you have always desired but may have never thought possible. The Life-Shifting approach to healing and transformation is a deep and comprehensive process that provides equal attention to issues past, present, and future, empowering you to live out your dreams on all fronts--career, finances, relationships, health, and spirituality.

Prior to earning his Ph.D. in depth psychology, Dr. Hull worked for fifteen years as a human resource executive for Sheraton Corporation, EDS, and the international strategy consulting firm, Booz, Allen & Hamilton. In the mid-nineties he co-founded and led the highly successful management consulting firm, TGE Associates, focusing on fostering peak performance in fast-growing organizations. Throughout this time, Dr. Hull worked with senior executives at firms like AT&T, Banque Paribas, Bankers Trust, and Business Objects Corporation.

Today maintains a private "Life-shifting" practice in partnership with Judy Fox and other highly qualified therapist/coaches in New York City and upstate New York.

Dr. Hull received his Ph.D. from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, California, and holds an MBA (Phi Kappa Phi) from the University of Maryland and a Magna Cum Laude BA from Bowdoin College. He has written two books and published numerous articles in the New York Jung Institute Journal, Quadrant, and the San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, as well as co-authoring a professional newsletter that explores the soulful sides of leadership and business titled GENESIS: Exploring the World of Business From the Inside Out. He has appeared on NBC news and was featured in a story on "Creativity in Business" for Good Morning America on CBS-TV.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "There is a gift in the shift.", June 29, 2010

By 

B. Kapp (Portland, Maine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shift: Let Go of Fear and Get Your Life in Gear (Paperback)

I found this book moving, inspirational, direct, and ultimately very helpful in shifting myself away from some long-held fears. As with any book, of course, some things resonated personally more than others. And timing is everything. I read it during vacation, so I had plenty of time to do the exercises and reflect on the material. Dr. Hull's writing is so user-friendly, though, that I would have benefited from reading the book at any time. I'm grateful to have happened upon it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Filled with idea gems -- e.g., the Asymptote of Joy, June 15, 2010

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This review is from: Shift: Let Go of Fear and Get Your Life in Gear (Paperback)

You have to love a book that manages to use the word asymptote in a non-mathematical context. "Shfit" by Jeff Hull, an executive coach and Jungian psychotherapist, pulls that off deftly in his description of the Asymptote of Joy (essentially, there is always more joy to be experienced).

There are many gems in this book. I personally loved the exercise where you hold an uncooked egg (helps you feel grounded and pay attention). There are substantive tests to take (are you a thinker, feeler or doer?), breezy stories to read of other people's life shifts (many examples so you'll see yourself somewhere), meaty psychological text (for those who like their research), and an overall poetic writing style (which keeps the book accessible to leisure readers like myself).

The subtitle of "Shfit" by Jeff Hull is Let Go of Fear and Get Your Life in Gear. Hull talks about the stages of change and gives inspiration but also practical suggestions of how to deal with the different stages. Mixing life and career examples makes the book relevant for different challenges. The exercises at the end of each chapter are a good reference and handy as you hit a new stage or challenge and need to refer back.

I highly recommend the book. Early in my career, I worked at a company that used Dr. Hull for executive coaching, so I had met him briefly over 10 years ago before reading the book. I was intrigued at the possibility that high quality executive coaching might be available to the masses. This book does not disappoint. It's engaging but substantive and with enough strategies that you want it for your personal and professional development reference shelf.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gives Courage and Excitement for Big and Small Transformation, June 14, 2010

By 

Alison Poulsen - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shift: Let Go of Fear and Get Your Life in Gear (Paperback)

I picked up this book and couldn't put it down. It reads like a novel, yet it is also deep, inspiring, and very well-written. It is such a pleasure to read a book written with such authenticity as well as style about the meaningful questions and dilemmas in life. Dr. Jeff Hull articulately shows us why people who are successful in many ways in their lives can get stuck or challenged in specific areas, and how they can move forward to live life even more fully and with more depth and choice. I highly recommend this book to anyone who either likes to read or to improve his or her life.