Changing Directions Without Losing Your Way: Managing the Six Stages of Change at Work and in Life (Paperback)

by Paul Edwards (Author), Sarah Edwards (Author) "Sometimes, it's like a rear-end collision-sudden and completely unexpected..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, New Year, Handling the Emotions of Change (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The huge following the Edwardses have garnered for their books (Working from Home; Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century), seminars and media ventures give them a competitive edge over the many other self-help authors who have recently entreated readers to find their inner passion and translate it into a satisfying life plan. Yet their underlying practicality evident in their advice to readers to secure their immediate well-being before changing direction and their subtle and intelligent inspiration also distinguish them from the rest. Considered gurus by home business owners, the Edwardses predictably focus on making a practical connection with one's passion (i.e., using it to support oneself), often referring to their popular Finding Your Perfect Work. Assuming their readers are capable of introspection, self-discipline and self-education, they suggest exercises to ascertain one's true interests by describing peak experiences and identifying patterns among them. Intended to be done with a partner, these exercises might be easier in a workshop setting; in any case, they should help participants recognize patterns and build confidence. When it comes to handling the emotional aspects of change, however, the Edwards defer to practitioners of neurolinguistic programming for advice. Offering many devices common to the genre including a workbook approach with specific tasks, questions, challenges; a change journal; excellent self-quizzes; and true-life examples the authors consistently reinforce the importance of developing a careful strategy and doing one's homework. (Apr.)Forecast: With a Today Show appearance on March 19 and a 20-city satellite tour, the Edwards will rouse their considerable audience; this practical book has a solid shot at long-term popularity.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Change happens, but usually neither easily nor smoothly and often begrudgingly. That explains the phenomenal success of Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese? (1998). This thin volume has perched atop best-seller lists for the past year with sales topping one million. Managers in large corporations hand out copies by the thousands to get their employees not only to accept change but also to embrace it. After all, that is the first and biggest hurdle. But what happens afterward? How do those facing change take the next step? That is where the Edwards come in. They have written more than a dozen books on home-based businesses but also manuals such as The Practical Dreamer's Handbook (2000) and Finding Your Perfect Work (1996). They guide readers step-by-step through six stages of change, showing them how to recognize it's time to move on, release the past, find their way, embrace the future, develop a strategy, and experiment and follow through. The Edwardses' advice is both inspirational and practical. David Rouse
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158542076X
• ISBN-13: 978-1585420766
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #723,389 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the read..., May 19, 2001

By	D. Charles (Burbank, CA) - See all my reviews

I found the book to be extremely helpful in identifying what it is you wish to change in your life, eliminating the fear and psychological blocks which stand in the way, and manifesting the dreams you've always had...yet often forgot were still locked inside, waiting to be fulfilled. The authors have written in a way which is immediately accessible, entertaining, and easily digested. There is a gentle urging which draws you closer to those "fantasies" many of us let go of, only to replace with a half-life of others' belief systems that ultimately have not led to our fulfillment. "Changing Directions" gets you in touch with what you may have forgotten or forever released as "inappropriate" or "irresponsible choices"...and challenges you to once again embrace them as perhaps the only appropriate, responsible choice you can make if you are ever to achieve happiness.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forget Moving The Cheese. This Is Your Life, May 30, 2001

By	Kevin Gillogly (Thousand Oaks, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

About 30 years ago I read Alvin Toffler's FUTURE SHOCK wherein he described the rapidity of change and impact it would have on society and the individual in the coming decades. I have since observed in my personal and professional lives much of that dispossessing "shock" where the future meets the present. I could well have remained immobilized in the wake of recent life path switcheroos but for the wholly manageable techniques laid out in Paul and Sarah Edwards CHANGING DIRECTIONS. Clearly they have done their homework and have fashioned a plan of action that anyone can commence and complete, regardless of how stranded one may feel or uncertain the road may look. The book's life lessons allow individuals to reset the compass, fuel the engine, align the steering, inflate the tires and provide some fresh views of roads taken or not taken. Last year's WHO MOVED MY CHEESE provided a nice little fable and easy read for time-strapped rat-racers. But it might leave many feeling a bit undernourished in the how-to department. Paul and Sarah Edwards have set the table nicely with a six-course feast ("to go") of work and life-changing wisdom. Just desserts await those who faithfully follow their recommended menus.