Between Trapezes: Flying Into a New Life with the Greatest of Ease

by Gail Blanke

Book Overview

With record unemployment, divorce rates and financial instability, more people than ever before will find themselves in transition. Most of us are afraid of the in-between times-those stretches... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1579549284
• ISBN13: 9781579549282
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Rodale Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.6" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Between Trapezes

I have enjoyed reading this book by Gail Blanke. She has a great gift in telling stories that share an enlightening truth. This is a great book for anyone considering a life or career change.

Learn how to fly!

Goosebumps. I had barely finished the prologue of "Between Trapezes: Flying Into a New Life with the Greatest of Ease," when author Gail Blanke managed to make my skin crawl. Having recently made a huge leap of faith myself, I saw my own circumstances in this book - worried and uncertain, determined to make a change but fearful of the consequences. It's heartwarming (and tear-jerking!) to read from Gail that no matter how extremely terrifying it is, flying through the air is actually a good thing. In "Between Trapezes," Gail walks us through her own life - her personal challenges, as well as her privileges, opportunities, and achievements. With each step she pulls out a lesson and a bit of advice. Many times she asks rhetorical questions that help us draw our own conclusions and reach our own "Aha!" moments. Discussing how people who sense there is something essential missing in their lives tend to cling to what's known, Gail asks, "Isn't the whole point of a great adventure that you don't know the outcome, and that anything can happen? Isn't that why adventures are intrinsically thrilling?" In the pages of "Between Trapezes," Gail injects her expertise as an executive coach and motivational speaker. She lets you put yourself in the shoes of the people who gained from her coaching - a number of them are featured in the book. She lets you imbibe the benefits of virtually having her as your personal bedside coach. Every chapter is packed with Gail's colorful personal experiences, quotes from famous inspirational personalities, and references snatched from today's real world like the headlines, movies, sports, and politics. Every page has a truth, a lesson, or an inspirational insight about confidence, courage, and self-esteem that you'd want to always remember. After a wrap-up with a quick summary of her message, Gail caps each chapter with a few exercises -- ways to apply the learning to your own situation in life. It's a highly empowering book. Here's an excerpt: "This book will show you how to bring a sense of buoyancy into your life. It will enable you to make changes and reinvent yourself in ways that will truly propel your life forward. You'll get the tools that will help you soar into your next life, and the one after that, and the one after that." So, if you feel somewhat stuck in life, and think that some kind of change is in order, but just can't seem to budge, let this book give you a jumpstart. Let Gail Blanke guide you into the void. And she quotes... "... because hurtling through the void, we may just learn how to fly." - Danaan Parry -Ruby Bayan (http://www.OurSimpleJoys.com)

Keep flying!

Blanke has managed to find a fresh, new metaphor for life transitions -- not a small feat! I found this book by accident, tucked high on a bookstore shelf, and wonder why it hasn't gotten more attention. Perhaps it's because Blanke doesn't exactly blaze new trails, but she does a wonderful job of guiding us through some less-traveled paths. Blanke suggests a five-step process: Build the castle, i.e., create your dream; fat doesn't fly, or get rid of excess baggage; new possibilities demand new solutions; falling isn't failing; and "get the bench," i.e., interpret what you hear in the most life-enhancing way. I especially like her practical advice, such as "Run on parallel tracks." I bring the same message to my own career change clients: don't quit your job, but leverage what you have to reach your dream. And I like, "Own the ground you've already traveled." Starting over at midcareer is not the same as starting out as a recent young graduate. I make a similar point: You've traveled a lot of career miles -- now cash them in for an upgrade. Some of her advice takes us to the edge of practicality: "Once you start believing in statistics, it's almost impossible to believe in yourself." This is true -- and almost identical to Julia Cameron's warning: Thinking about the odds can kill creativity. However, I find that anyone who tries to learn more about creativity bumps up against odds very quickly. Writing conferences tend to be all about odds -- enough to give anyone permanent writers' block. At the same time, understanding odds can be liberating: you realize you must send out dozens, maybe hundreds, of queries to get any response. Perhaps the most fascinating part of Blanke's book comes in her stories of people she helped. She describes, for instance, a lawyer who gets fired after her boss feels threatened, but then moves to a new firm where she's more appreciated. Another lawyer learns to present herself more confidently. And a laid-off mid-career executive discovers a new career, while finding a way to keep alive his dream of a teenage safe driving program. Blanke draws extensively on her own corporate background -- twenty years with Avon, where she rose to vice president. She combines practical advice -- sending someone to a personal shopper, for instance -- with encouragement to dream big. And I especially like the way she sidesteps traditional assessments in favor of questions like, "When was the last time you felt great about what you were doing?" Between Trapezes will help career changers validate their feelings of being caught in the air without a net. I would recommend Between Trapezes to my own clients, as much for her philosophy as for her specific suggestions. If nothing else, it's a good antidote to the dozens of "dream-and-do-it" books floating around out there.

Powerful, inspiring book on getting to the next level

Gail Blanke's book Between Trapezes is different from other self-help titles in that it's not preachy; rather, it is written in an informative but down-to-earth and uplifting style. Most of us just rush through those in-between times and don't realize that those can be the times that define the rest of our lives. Between Trapezes helps you get over the fear of the unknown and fear of the future by living in the present and learning to dream and trust yourself and your abilities. I highly recommend this one!

Let go of the old, embrace the new

You've seen trapeze artists do amazing things. Maybe you've thought, "I wish I could do that." In one sense, you can. Watch carefully, and you will notice there is always a time trapeze artists are between trapezes. They must let go of one trapeze so they can grab onto another. This is the only way they can be successful. And, it's what you must do to be successful. Let's put you in this picture for a moment. Imagine yourself swinging on a trapeze high overhead. Can you let go of one trapeze to grab onto another? Or, would fear keep you from letting go? It's a long way down. Are you sure about your answer? You may be saying, "Of course I would let go. How else would I be able to do what I'm really supposed to be doing?" But, would you let go? This metaphor of the trapeze aptly applies in life, and it forms the theme for this book by Gail Blanke. As you read this book, you will gain insight into what degree you let go of the old and embrace the new--or let the old trapeze hold you back. And, you will find practical insights to help you do what you are really supposed to be doing. You may find that you aren't letting go, after all. Most of us find this to be very difficult, if not completely alien. What if you let go of the trapeze and could not catch the next one? You would fall. In the circus, you'd have a safety net. In real life, you seldom have one. And that is enough to paralyze us into letting go, so that we soar to the next trapeze bar. Instead, we hang onto the old one, letting fear rob us of the opportunity to fly to new rewards and new adventures. In the process of hanging on, we may stop moving and fall anyway. And many people do. So, what does Ms. Blanke have to tell us about letting ourselves be between trapezes? Ms. Blanke established herself in the executive ranks, first at Avon. She is now CEO of Lifedesigns. Her string of accomplishments started in her youth, when she was a champion swimmer. She missed qualifying for the US Olympic team by one tenth of a second! She is a motivational speaker with other books to her credit. She's also an executive coach, and her clients include such notables as Senator Bob Graham. She has spent a fair amount of time between trapezes herself, and in this book she shares insights that are both practical and motivational. She walks through case histories that show how she and other successful people faced and overcame doubts--how they let go of the old trapeze bar and grabbed the new one. And she provides exercises that can help you do the same. If you're stuck in the same old routine and wonder if there's more to life, the answer is yes. If you work hard at your job but can't seem to get ahead, the answer is probably in this book. If you just can't bring yourself to let go of old notions or old doubts about yourself or others, this book will show you how. One old notion many people have is they are right about others being wrong. Being right in this way feels good at first. But, it keeps you