I Used to Have a Handle on Life But It Broke: Six Power Solutions for Women With Too Much To Do (Paperback)

by Mary LoVerde (Author) "IF ONLY I COULD get a handle on my life..." (more)
Key Phrases: paying intention, fact check, Garth Brooks, New York, Stop Screaming (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
For women particularly working mothers who are trying to manage their way out of chaos, former Hypertension Research Center director Mary LoVerde (Stop Screaming at the Microwave) offers a different approach: instead of struggling to organize one's environment, one can give up the need for control and find more energy and contentment. Written with wit and down-to-earth style, I Used to Have a Handle on Life but It Broke: Six Power Solutions for Women with Too Much to Do includes suggestions for using "microactions" to accomplish goals and to anticipate one's Achilles' heel the vulnerabilities that lead to anxiety and controlling behavior.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Working 24/7 and STILL
Can't Get It All Done?

Then don't! Most women think that the only way to manage the mounting chaos in their lives is to take control and organize, organize, organize. No wonder we have overwhelming to-do lists that leave us feeling exhausted and powerless! But in I Used to Have a Handle on Life but It Broke, Mary LoVerde has a better idea.

Showing us that the opposite of control is not chaos but contentment, LoVerde demonstrates how to counter the natural urge to assume responsibility for everything. In place of frustrating and futile controlling strategies, she gives readers straightforward techniques for maintaining their energy and keeping their balance no matter what life throws their way. Recognizing that we often confuse control with power, LoVerde delineates six solutions that will help women change from striving for control to thriving with true power:

1. Pose good questions
2. Pay attention
3. Predict your Achilles' heel
4. Partner with women
5. Pause before judging
6. Position yourself

With her trademark sense of humor and the compassionate voice that has earned her such a strong national following, Mary LoVerde shows us that the result of letting go is not a black hole of dirty laundry and unpaid bills, but a life that is light, free, and joyful.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Fireside; 1st edition (April 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684854198
• ISBN-13: 978-0684854199
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #705,877 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Little Book that Will Change Women's Lives, October 26, 2002

By	Roger E. Herman (Greensboro, NC USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This little 5" X 7" book is packed with frustrations, irritations, confusions, and challenges faced by thousands of women who hold two full-time jobs: employee and mother. The magazines and newspapers are filled with stories about the difficulties women wrestle with every day. Women without husbands and/or children face the same issues. The message is clear: gotta be in control!

Control. Organize. Direct. Internalize. Chaos. Responsibility. Stress. Ineffectiveness. Unhappiness. This flow is not going to good places. And that's what has to change. Mary LoVerde takes her readers through the process in a comfortable, conversational "been there" style that will be much-appreciated.

The text is filled with comments, testimonials, emotional expressions and more from a wide range of women. I was amazed at how much was woven into this book to make it a really helpful tool for all those women who have tried to improve their life by tightening their grip. Change comes when you understand that control is often confused with power.

LoVerde suggests that true power comes from six approaches: pose good questions, pay attention, predict your Achilles' Heel, partner with women, pause before judging, and position yourself. The book is filled with compassion. Women who follow the advice will find a new serenity.

Side comment: a lot of men could learn a lot from this book, too. Couples reading it together risk finding a new level of happiness.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, Enduring Wisdom, May 17, 2002

By	S. Horn "Communication & Creativity Consultant" (Washington DC, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mary's new book transcends platitudes and offers genuinely original suggestions on how we can gain the contentment we seek by letting go of our compulsion to control everything and everyone.
As she points out, the more we try to control life, the more out-of-control we feel. With real-life examples, laugh-out-loud insights, and tangible suggestions; the author shows us how to relax, connect, and enjoy our life as it unfolds instead of rigidly trying to predetermine every outcome.
The book is divided into easy-to-access-and-apply read bytes so you can dip into it and derive value even if you're busy and only have a few minutes to spare. Read it and reap.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book--Helped me get a handle on life!, April 13, 2002

By A Customer

I was really stressed out a few weeks back and picked up "I used to have a handle on life, but it broke." I love this book! It has very useable ideas and makes some points I had never considered. The book is small enough to not be overwhelming but packs a punch of information. I especially liked the chapters on the Powers like partnering with women and stop doing the behaviors (like filling in the blanks)that drain my energy and give me a false sense of control. I recommend this book to anyone overstressed and out of time. Great for men too!