The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz

It’s a great read, I tell you. The Power of Full Engagement is based on the premise that the key to high performance and satisfaction in all aspects of life is not managing time, but managing energy.

Much like the same way Anthony Robbins talks about managing your state if you want to perform optimally, the authors, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, say that everything we do requires energy.  They believe that all our thoughts, emotions and behaviours have an energy consequence, for better or worse.

The effective management of energy requires both exertion (expanding energy beyond ordinary limits) and recovery.  Stress, they say, is not as much an enemy as we’ve been led to believe.  Stress is the key to growth, provided that it is followed by a period adequate recovery. “That which does not kill us,” as Frederic Nietzsche wrote, “only makes us stronger.”

The authors define energy as, “The capacity to do work.” And they ae adamant that, following a period of activity, the body must be allowed a period of rest to replenish its fundamental sources of energy. 

Full Engagement, they claim, requires a balance between the expenditure of energy (which is stress) and the renewal of energy (which is recovery).  They say, “Too much energy expenditure without sufficient recovery eventually leads to burnout and breakdown (if you overuse it, you will lose it).  Too much recovery without sufficient stress leads to atrophy and weakness (you either use it or lose it).

Workaholism is bad for you.  Laziness is also bad for you.  To build your capacity to perform you must systematically expose yourself to more stress – followed by adequate recovery.

Be careful though, because if you push too hard too quickly, you risk injury.  But if you don’t push at all, you risk lethargy.  Your exposure to pressure must be gradual and incremental.

The food you eat also affects your energy output. 

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz suggest that you eat

at regular intervals (every two to three hours). 

More importantly, watch what you eat. 

You must eat just enough to sustain your energy

for the next two to three hours. 

Don’t stuff your stomach like a pig.  Eat foods that are low on the glycaemic index.  These foods help to release a steady source of energy to your body.  Examples of low glycaemic index foods include whole grains, proteins and certain vitamins.

Drinking enough water is also important to managing your energy, so too is sleeping sufficiently.  Sleeping is an important source of recovery in all dimensions: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

In Good to Great, Jim Collins writes about the Stockdale Paradox being a critical component of building a great company.  In The Power of Full Engagement, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz refer to this concept as “Realistic Optimism.”

Realistic Optimism is the ability to see the world as it is, but always working positively towards your desired outcome.  It is the ability to fully assess situations for their potential benefits or threats, and thus avoid situations that are likely to result in a destructive (negative) outcome.  Negativity drains energy, and this lack of energy leads to poor performance.

Inspiration and purpose result in positive energy, and consequently, increased capacity to perform.  Connecting to your deepest values and a purpose beyond your own self-interests may lead to you doing your best work. You are most likely to perform at optimum levels when you are engaged in an activity that you choose voluntarily, and feel most passionate about, and from which you derive the most pleasure.  When you dread your work, or you work in a toxic, non-supportive environment, you are less likely to perform at your best.

The Power of Full Engagement offers a few exercises you can do to discover your purpose, values and virtues in life.  The authors of The Power of Full Engagement also give a few examples of how they’ve helped their many high-end clients overcome certain challenges in their own careers and lives.  They also share a list of resources that can help you to be fully engaged at work and at home.  They have an incredible chapter that guides you to take action in the right direction.  This chapter helps you understand the key building blocks of your current disempowering habits.  They also offer suggestions and guidelines about how you can begin to take charge of your own habits and rituals in order to get to the point you want to get to in life.