The Power of Story: Change Your Story, Change Your Destiny in Business and in Life

by Jim Loehr

Book Overview

New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Power of Full Engagement, examines the way we tell stories about ourselves to ourselves and, most importantly, the way we can change those stories to transform our business and personal lives.

"Your story is your life," says Loehr. As human beings, we continually tell ourselves stories--of success or failure; of power or victimhood; stories that endure for an hour, or a day,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743294688
• ISBN13: 9780743294683
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Create a better story, create a better life

This is a very thought provoking and life changing book. Jim Loehr first brings us face to face with the stories that we tell ourselves. Your first reaction is that you don't tell yourself stories. But you do. We all do. And often the stories we tell ourselves are crafted to fit our excuses for why we do or don't do things. As long as we are telling ourselves stories that are not based in reality, we will continue to live according to the story line we are telling ourself. The book is not just about stories, it is actually a step by step manual for finding out your old story, discovering where it is wrong and then developinig a new story based around your purpose in life. When most people list their priorities in life, they go something like this: God, family, work and other. But when they really examine their lives, they have made their career the most important thing in their lives. They devote most of their energy to their career and never have enough left for the other things in their lives. They tell themself one story but live another. There is another very important lesson in the book. We all think that time is our most important asset. As Jim points out, it is not time but the energy we bring to the time we devote to any activity. He gives countless examples of people spending time with family but not fully engaged. The energy is not there. If we are not physically fit, we do not have sufficient energy to accomplish the tasks we set out to do. This is not theory. Jim runs the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, FL and the book is filled with examples from the work he has done with thousands of people. The book is well written, easy to read and a real eye-opener. There is a step by step plan for the individual to come face to face with their old story, write their new one and change their lifestyle so that they bring their life into harmony. Well worth reading. You will never be living your ideal life until you get your life aligned with your story. This book tell you why and shows you how. The rest is up to you.

Storytelling Will Never Be the Same Again

"Everybody has a story," asserts Dr. Jim Loehr, in his lifechanging and innovative book, "The Power of Story." Every once in awhile a book comes along that is so unique in how it presents the human condition that it leaves you wondering why we continue to live a life filled with self-imposed limitations that compromise our health and happiness. Jim Loehr has created insights into who we are and how we live in a way that reminds us that we have far more control over our destiny than we think. He's right, of course. We run around with false pretenses about what we "think" must get accomplished, and whose approval we need to feel satisfied. But we are wrong, as he points out in his section on "faulty assumptions" (p. 71). We create stories to justify our storms, our dilemmas, and our failure to live a life consistent with our values - our core beliefs about what we consider important in life that so strongly influences our behavior. For some strange reason, so many of us have "handed over the keys" of our life to others, who we allow to control us. We have lost our mission due to our "old story" that supports our unhealthy habits (or do our unhealthy habits support our old story?). The book's main theme is the importance of being aware of our mission - which lends meaningfulness to our life and to our legacy - and to replace our bad habits with healthy routines. Well done, Dr. Loehr. Afer reading "The Power of Story," how we live our life will never be the same.

MAKING YOUR FREE WILL FREE

In an age where it's easy to feel invisible and even impotent, Loehr delivers mental Viagra. Any book that can do that is worth reading. This book takes a big, profound idea and makes it personally relevant. Loehr excavates the basis of free will. Loehr's insight that "if you aren't the author of your life story you're the victim of it" is a way of summing up that the unexamined life will almost assuredly reduce us to supporting actors in someone else's story. One thing I really like is that he goes way beyond the vastly over-simplified idea of The Secret into something much deeper and more actionable. The more I read, the more I was convinced that this was the real secret. The author has a great way of applying the value of writing our own story to change the conditions of our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. While some other books have touched on these concepts, this book uses the latest research to bring our human habits into full view and offers practical methods to become the "cause" of our lives instead of "the effect" of someone else's. That's the essence of Free Will. Will Marre' Founder of the American Dream Project

The Power of Story

Jim Loehr has done it again! In the Power of Story, the author has painted a rich mosaic of real life situations gleaned from personal experiences in working with world class athletes, business people,and "average Janes and Joes" who yearn for a formula for self-improvement. I found the "stories" in the book compelling and many hit close to home. The writing style is engaging, easy to follow yet much of the content is profound. If you're looking for a unique way of looking at your life now and searching for a way to create more personal energy and engagement at work or with your family, this book lays out both the theory and practical application. Ronald B. Woods Adjunct Professor, University of Tampa and University of South Florida

Highly Recommended

I would highly recommend Jim Loehr's "The Power of Story". This high energy, page turner gives a fresh stance on the power of positive thought with a unique twist of Loehr's personal experiences. "The Power of Story" is about controlling your inner voices to tell the same story so you can devote your energy to the things that matter. The concept that Loehr achieves in the book is very attainable in the "normal" everyday life. He has the ability to wrap the concepts so that it is viable for the college graduate, the executive, and the stay-at-home mother. Loehr does an outstanding job of getting readers to acknowledge and recognize the stories that they may be telling themselves. Then he goes deeper, to push the reader to reveal the real story. This is the strongest aspect of the book. You can't get away without being honest with yourself. Then he leads you to the idea that you can change your story, and sequentially, transform your future.