Managing Your Energy: The Key to Personal Growth?

Book Reivew: The Power of Full Engagement : Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal

Authors: Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
245 pages, Free Press, $15.99

 

Why is it that when we start a new job we are extremely enthusiastic, but after a year or maybe more we no longer have the energy or motivation we once had? Perhaps initially, we want to prove why we belong at work. As time goes on, our behavior changes, we no longer enjoy going to work as much and this then affects both our work and home lives. Coworkers begin to notice that despite working long hours there appears to be a lack of effort. You may even contribute less at home, affecting your relationship with your partner. Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz are here to teach you how to improve your work and home lives in their New York Times bestselling book, The Power of Full Engagement : Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal. For too long we have tried to manage our time to improve our lifestyles. Loehr and Schwartz argue that it is our energy, both our output and intake, and managing that energy which will help us to improve our lives.

This energy management is the “currency of high performance,” according to the authors. The Power of Full Engagement is split into two parts. In the first part, “Dynamics of Full Engagement,” Loehr and Schwartz explain that in order to perform at high levels you must balance four types of energy: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Without balancing these four energy types you will not have the ability to be fully engaged; each form of energy is integral to the other in order to maximize your performance level. Furthermore, it is important to balance how much energy you expend and when to renew it. You may think renewing your energy is a sign of weakness, Loehr and Schwartz believe it is essential to our success. Life, according to the authors, is a series of sprints rather than a marathon. In this truly effective allegory, life does not happen in a slow, steady pace with no end in sight, but rather a rapid series of life events. These events may include a new job, a marriage, children, a promotion, perhaps an injury, or familial death. We cannot always predict when and what may happen to us. We must also understand that life provides us with the rest period between sprints. However quick these periods may be, they allow us to renew our energy.

For Loehr and Schwartz, it is important for us to push beyond our limits by taking action. How are we to improve our performance and our lifestyles without trying to push ourselves further? The Power of Full Engagement teaches you how to connect your values with your vision through realistic optimism. Loehr and Schwartz want you to close the gap between whom you are right now and who you want to be. This book is a transformative experience. It looks at how you manage stress, the way you take care of your body, and whether or not you feel as though you have a purpose to live. Once you discover these things and balance your energy, you are on the road to success.

In the second part of the book, Loehr and Schwartz provide you with the training system to implement the tools and lessons they provide in part one. What is great about this book is that it provides you with many resources to help you achieve your goals, including an Action & Development Plan, (Positive) Ritual Building Strategies, a vision building worksheet, Physical Management Strategies, a website, and more. At the end of each chapter, the authors provide you with a summary, so you can refer back to it in the future. It is an easy read to help you improve your performance and, in turn, your life.

So what is stopping you from becoming a happier, more efficient and successful you? With this book and all of its great amenities at your fingertips you have nothing to lose. Take action now and  transform your life.