Excerpt from "Be The Hero: Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life", by Noah Blumenthal (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2009), www.bkconnection.com
Introduction: Change Your Stories, Change Your Life.
No one is free from challenges. Work and life events stress us out, people treat us unfairly, and we sometimes feel powerless. We have tough moments, times when we become frustrated and angry with our jobs or our lives. We may have angry bosses or customers, or we might have spouses or kids who at times feel like too much to handle. Life is uncertain, and change is constant.When frustration settles in, we sometimes see ourselves as victims. Perhaps you can finish these victim sentences:
"My boss is a _______."
"My job _______."
"Worst of all, there's nothing I _______."
When in victim mode, people complete these sentences with words like jerk, stinks, and can do. Such statements produce a self-fulfilling mentality that makes it impossible to be your best.
Yet some people are at their best even in the toughest times.
You might know some of them. No matter what happens, no matter the stress or challenge, even if they become angry or get thrown off their game, they quickly recover. And before you realize what happened, they are positive, energized, and taking productive action.
I wrote this book because I believe anyone can become that person -- the person who experiences pain or doubt or tough times or unfairness but who maintains perspective, humor, and a sense of optimism. When this person faces difficult problems, he or she still performs at his or her best. This person is an everyday hero.
This book is about helping you choose to be an everyday hero.
Everyday heroes don't let life's challenges bring them down.
Instead, they stay positive and find a way to overcome their obstacles.
Everyday heroes don't always succeed, but they consistently act on the belief that they can do something to improve their situations and those of the people around them.
The way you think -- what I call your stories -- can lead you to be an everyday hero. The stories you tell can make your life
