Use the power of storytelling to achieve work-life alignment

Our capacity for storytelling is one of our most profound gifts. Yet sometimes our personal stories--the ones we tell ourselves--become dysfunctional. These stories can become obstacles to progress in work and personal life.

An eight-step life storyboard template is now available from the Human Performance Institute based on their work in peak performance training and development. The free tool is derived from the new book by Institute CEO and cofounder Jim Loehr, Ed.D. titled The Power of Story: Rewrite Your Destiny in Business and in Life. Download it at the following URL: http://www.energyforperformance.com/sample_stories.html. To learn more about The Power of Story, please visit: http://www.energyforperformance.com/book_power_of_story.html. The book and storyboard tool offer the same energy and peak performance training concepts that global business leaders, world-class athletes, medical professionals, military special forces, and thousands of individuals have received at the Human Performance Institute in Orlando, FL.

ìThe storyboarding process is a wonderful tool for rewriting a life story,î says Dr. Loehr. ìIíve seen individuals who have struggled for years with an unsatisfying job or life situation clarify their direction in a matter of hours with this tool.î

Steve Reinemund, former CEO of PepsiCo, says of Loehrís work, ìI know his coaching works because I have seen it change the lives of many PepsiCo leaders.î

The storyboard process helps individuals examine their personal stories, challenge themselves to find deeper truths beneath those stories, and then to align their stories with their work and life goals and missions. Loehr outlines the eight steps:

1. Identify purpose
2. Face the truth
3. Select a story
4. Describe the dysfunctional story
5. Read your old story
6. Write a new story
7. Create supportive rituals
8. Provide accountability

The Power of Story explores this process in great detail with examples of ìold storiesî as well as new stories that are reinvigorated with truth and purpose, leaving their owners poised for meaningful action.

Dr. Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, praises The Power of Story. He says, ìThis book powerfully and inspiringly communicates that we are the creative force of our own life. We can write and act on the stories that give our life its greatest meaning and fulfillment. The book is endorsed by Barbara L. Frederickson, Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, a researched and author who is noted for her groundbreaking work in the field of positive psychology. Former Commander of the Navy SEALS Rear Admiral Ray Smith and A.G. Lafley, CEO, Procter & Gamble also praise The Power of Story.

Dr. Loehr is the coauthor of The Power of Full Engagement (featured on a full segment of Oprah in 2003), Stress for Success, Mentally Tough, and The New Toughness Training for Sports.

Dr. Loehrís list of professional sports clients include Mark OíMeara in golf, Jim Courier and Monica Seles in tennis, Jim Harbaugh in football, Mike Richter and Eric Lindros in hockey, Grant Hill in basketball, Eddie Cheever, Jr. in race car driving, Ray ìBoom Boomî Mancini in boxing, and Dan Jansen in speed skating.

Employers such as Citigroup, The Este Lauder Companies, Federal Bureau of Investigation, GlaxoSmithKline, House of Blues, Merrill Lynch, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, and San Juan Regional Medical Center have turned to the Human Performance Institute for employee engagement strategies, wellness programs, work life balance programs, and Employer of Choice initiatives.