Mastering Life's Energies - Book Review

MASTERING LIFE'S ENERGIES: Simple Steps to a Luminous Life at Work and PlayBy Maria Nemeth, Ph.D.Reviewed by Lynda Levy, Ph.D.What is luminosity? How does it differ from happiness? Is it possible to live a meaningful life in an uncertain and unpredictable world? These are the questions Maria Nemeth asks and answers in her latest book: Mastering Life's Energies: Simple Steps to a Luminous Life at Work and Play.Happiness is a feeling that comes and goes. Luminosity - the experience of being fully engaged in a life worth living - is a quality that can be cultivated, and each of Mastering Life's Energies' four sections is devoted to one of what Nemeth has identified as its four essential components: clarity, focus, ease and grace.When we gain clarity about who we are and what's most important to us; learn to focus energy towards personally relevant goals; discern the difference between taking action with ease rather than struggle; and discover the ability to appreciate all that l
ife brings - whether it's what we expected or not - we experience ourselves as living the life we were meant to live.Don't be surprised if Nemeth's refreshingly apt metaphors have you nodding your head and smiling in recognition. Have you ever given up on an important goal or dream? Nemeth's description of "Trouble at the Border" may ring the proverbial bell. Ever wondered why the same "accidents" keep happening to you over and over? The chapter on "Driving in the Fog" may produce your "aha" moment. This is what it's like for all of us, Nemeth says, and once we develop our capacity to observe, the way gets clearer and clearer.Moving seamlessly between principle and practice, Mastering Life's Energies is not just an inspirational treatise; it's a real-life guide for ordinary people who want to live extraordinary lives. Every chapter contains illustrative stories, brief exercises, and simple but powerful tools that can immediately be put to use. (A pen or pencil and a few 3" x
5" index cards are all that's required).Many of us have read self-help books, been in therapy or attended personal growth seminars. We may think we've heard it all! The best way to approach this book is to gently set aside what you already know and come to Nemeth's work with "beginner's mind." Read slowly, do some of the exercises, talk about them with a friend or loved one.See what discovering your "Life's Intentions" is like for you. Consider her description of the "fundamental affirmation," one that works by affirming what is already true about who you really are. Create one for yourself and try it on for size as you walk into an important meeting or begin that next chapter of your book.What would it be like to live a life full of "games worth playing" and "goals worth playing for?" Years of practice as a Licensed Psychologist and even more years working with literally thousands of people as a Master Certified Coach have taught Nemeth that "our lives are shaped by the qu
estions we focus on." In Mastering Life's Energies, she shows us specific and practical ways to direct our attention to the kinds of questions that create a sense of possibility, promote compassion for ourselves and others, and open the way for the answers we need to become clearer and clearer.

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