I have followed Lior Arussy’s work in the customer experience space for years, so I was a bit surprised at his new book, Dare to Author!: Take Charge of the Narrative of Your Life. This work would seem to stray a bit from the core of his work. But then again, it doesn’t.
Why? Because delivering an exceptional customer experience relies on the choice each and every employee makes each and every day to deliver on that experience. To make that exceptional kind of choice each and every day requires a human who sees opportunities to delight. To see the glass half full. To be optimistic. To enjoy the human experience. And THAT requires one who writes a positive narrative about their life and what happens in that extraordinary life.
Arussy says
“Authoring is the process of converting life experiences into future strength, resilience, and elevated performance.”
Some of the key takeaways are:
“If we do not attempt to author our story and change our listening tool kit [he gives us quite a few tools to do so!], we are living within a story crafted for us but not by us.”
“Having a vision will likely help you be successful because it describes who you are, where you want to go, the price you are willing to pay, and the value system you bring with you.”
Don’t go “discounting aspects of your real story (such as accomplishments and positive feedback) and letting emotions fill in the blanks instead.”
“Let history strengthen our identity but not rob us of the excitement of the future.”
“Be careful not to transform every opinion of ours into the truth. Our evaluation of opportunities and threats should be equally balanced, and not influenced by our past fears or our glorified aspirations.”
“Life is about authoring the unknown. We just need to choose to do so, not as a helpless recipient but to transform into an active participant sooner.” (and to make a greater impact!)
“Choose a deliberate new chapter….reach out to your friends and family and gain support for sticking to the choice and living it to its full potential.”
“Take special note of the defining moments [a moment in time that shapes your future behavior and changes the direction of your trajectory]. We need to evaluate them and ensure that we are happy with the way they shape our lives and make them uniquely us.”
“In your choice of words, make sure you are being deliberate and authentic to your own style and avoid defaulting to the retelling of someone else’s story.”
“Create your own story. All other stories are already taken.” (I think that’s my favorite!)
“Anytime our story revolves around blaming others, we are not the authors of our story. We are not the heroes, but rather mere victims. We cannot author a story in which we are not the owners of our lives.”
From this book, I have gained inspiration to reflect on and continue to author my own unique and authentic story of my life. Thanks!
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Kristin Arnold
KRISTIN ARNOLD, MBA, CSP, CPAE-Speaker Hall of Fame, CPF | Master has been facilitating meaningful conversations between executives and managers to make better decisions and achieve extraordinary results for 30+ years. She's a leading authority on moderating panel discussions and passionate about finding the perfect olive to complement a vodka martini.
