University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
The Power of Story
Book

The Power of Story

Rewrite Your Destiny in Business and in Life

Jim Loehr
Free Press, 2007
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

What stories do you tell yourself about your life? That you must spend every waking hour at the office? That you have no time for exercise? That self-fulfillment is an impossible dream? If this is your internal dialogue, then you should not be surprised if it is also your external reality. Acclaimed performance psychologist Jim Loehr spells out a program that will enable you to discard your old negative stories and develop new positive ones that will make your life better. He shows you how to turn these new stories into your new reality. Plus, he explains why physical energy is crucial in this changeover, and what you must do to stay constantly energized. getAbstract believes that anyone who is stuck in a rut will benefit from reading Loehr’s inspirational book and putting his transformational principles to work.

Summary

Your Life’s Story

What is your story about your life? Does it hold you back or help you move ahead? What if you could somehow change a negative story that pulls you down into a positive one that lifts you up?

Dan Jansen, a world champion sprint speed skater, was favored to win at the Calgary Olympic Games in 1988 and the Albertville Games in 1992. However, he lost both contests in humiliating ways. In past races, Jansen had performed best at the 500-meter length. But at the Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994, he decided to train equally hard for the 1,000-meter race. He made a conscious decision to change his longtime mental story. His old story was that he would blow the competition away in the 500-meter race, but not in the 1,000 meter. This time, Jansen vowed to himself that he would win the 1,000 – and he took the gold medal. He regained championship status in a race long dominated by other skaters because he created a new life story and worked hard to make it his new reality. He changed his old story mentally first, and then followed up with the actual achievement.

The story you tell yourself about your life becomes your life. If your story is one of constant...

About the Author

Jim Loehr, Ph.D., a performance psychologist and bestselling author, co-founded the Human Performance Institute, which helps elite performers improve their productivity. It is located in Orlando, Florida.

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