The power broker in your life is the voice that no one hears. How well you revisit the tone and content of your private voice is what determines the quality of your life. It is the master storyteller, and the stories we tell ourselves are our reality.
— Dr. Jim Loehr
Dr. Jim Loehr is a world-renowned performance psychologist and author of 17 books, including his most recent, Leading with Character, which also comes with “The Personal Credo Journal: A Companion to Leading with Character.”
He also co-authored the national bestseller The Power of Full Engagement.
From his more than 30 years of experience and applied research, Dr. Loehr believes the single most important factor in successful achievement, personal fulfillment, and life satisfaction is the strength of one’s character. He strongly contends that character strength can be built in the same way that muscle strength is built through energy investment.
Dr. Loehr has worked with hundreds of world-class performers from the arenas of sport, business, medicine, and law enforcement, including Fortune 100 executives, FBI hostage rescue teams, and military special forces.
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What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
SCROLL BELOW FOR LINKS AND SHOW NOTES…
Want to hear an episode with an athlete at the top of her game? Have a listen to my conversation with tennis powerhouse Maria Sharapova in which we discuss discipline, rejection, effective self-talk, exercises for injury prevention, the problem with the phrase “work-life balance,” and much more.
SELECTED LINKS FROM THE EPISODE
- Connect with Jim Loehr:
- Leading with Character: 10 Minutes a Day to a Brilliant Legacy by James E. Loehr with Caren Kenney
- The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
- Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Tim Ferriss
- The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
- Mental Toughness Training for Sports: Achieving Athletic Excellence by James E. Loehr
- National Prep Wrestling
- Olympic Speed Skater Dan Jansen Falls after Sister Dies | History
- Dan Jansen’s Olympic Secret | NJBIZ
- What the Voice inside Your Head Says About You | BBC Future
- What My Morning Journal Looks Like | tim.blog
- Boomerang Effect | APA Dictionary of Psychology
- What is Motivated Reasoning? How Does It Work? | Discover Magazine
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
- Defiance, Iowa | Wikipedia
- Damion Searls: How Does the Rorschach Inkblot Test Work? | TED-Ed
- The Last Dance | Prime Video
- Two Most Important Days in Your Life: The Day You Were Born and the Day You Discover Why | Quote Investigator
- Braveheart | Prime Video
- Senna | Prime Video
- 30 for 30 | ESPN+
- Lonesome Dove | Prime Video
- Return to Lonesome Dove | Prime Video
- Robert Duvall Remembers | Cowboys and Indians Magazine
- Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi
SHOW NOTES
Note from the editor: Timestamps will be added shortly.
- Jim has worked with hundreds of world-class performers. Who are a few the listener might recognize?
- How Jim’s work influenced me as a high school wrestler, and the context of why I wrote “I LOVE THE 1,000” in my journal during this time — the story of Olympic speed skating champion Dan Jansen.
- Jim’s notes on the real power broker governing our lives: the internal, private voice only we can hear, and what we have to gain by understanding our relationship with that voice.
- How can we better develop an awareness of what our private voice is trying to articulate and reinforce in us so it serves rather than hinders our efforts?
- How might a script that channels encouragement from this private voice be implemented?
- What inspired Jim to write Leading With Character, and what is the intention of the companion journal that accompanies it?
- In six to eight words, describe who you are when you’re most proud of yourself.
- In six to eight words, how would you like your life to be summarized on your tombstone?
- Having worked with countless athletes who could be considered number one in their craft, what consistent life patterns does Jim see among those who have staying power contrasted with those who seek their way to the top via shortcuts?
- Does Jim believe practicing kindness is more than just the right thing to do, but a crucial investment in one’s own chance at success?
- Documentaries and movies that Jim finds moving.
- Parting thoughts.
PEOPLE MENTIONED
- Jim Courier
- Novak Djokovich
- Monica Seles
- Mark O’Meara
- Eric Lindros
- Mike Richter
- Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini
- Hector “Macho” Camacho
- Dan Jansen
- Riley Opelka
- John Buxton
- Jane Jansen
- Kevin Scott
- Nick Kyrgios
- Roger Federer
- Rafael Nadal
- Angela Duckworth
- Arnold Palmer
- Hermann Rorschach
- Michael Jordan
- Andy Roddick
- Tiger Woods
- Mark Twain
- William Wallace
- Dennis Rodman
- Ayrton Senna
- Joe Gebbia
- Andre Agassi
- Ray Mancini
- Robert Duvall
- Gus McCrae
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Steffi Graf
