The Power of Moments’ Back-of-Book Description
The New York Times bestselling authors of Switch and Made to Stick explore why certain brief experiences can jolt us and elevate us and change us—and how we can learn to create such extraordinary moments in our life and work.
While human lives are endlessly variable, our most memorable positive moments are dominated by four elements: elevation, insight, pride, and connection. If we embrace these elements, we can conjure more moments that matter. What if a teacher could design a lesson that he knew his students would remember twenty years later? What if a manager knew how to create an experience that would delight customers? What if you had a better sense of how to create memories that matter for your children?
This book delves into some fascinating mysteries of experience: Why we tend to remember the best or worst moment of an experience, as well as the last moment, and forget the rest. Why “we feel most comfortable when things are certain, but we feel most alive when they’re not.” And why our most cherished memories are clustered into a brief period during our youth.
Readers discover how brief experiences can change lives, such as the experiment in which two strangers meet in a room, and forty-five minutes later, they leave as best friends. (What happens in that time?) Or the tale of the world’s youngest female billionaire, who credits her resilience to something her father asked the family at the dinner table. (What was that simple question?)
Many of the defining moments in our lives are the result of accident or luck—but why would we leave our most meaningful, memorable moments to chance when we can create them? The Power of Moments shows us how to be the author of richer experiences.
My Thoughts
So, I don’t remember at all where I heard about The Power of Moments, but it was around Christmas because I put it on my Amazon wish list, and (thankfully) my amazing stepmom got it for me. And about a month ago, I was in the mood for a nonfiction and decided to finally give this one a shot. Shortly thereafter I was listening to a podcast interview with one of the authors and imagine my surprise!! Dan Heath was the host of one of my favorite podcasts – Choicology (emphasis on the word ‘was’ there….he left after the first season, but the podcast is still really good).
The point – there were a lot of little, cool coincidences that add up to me really liking one of the authors, and thus respecting the book even more maybe? But whatever let’s get into it.
The Power of Moments is a lovely non-fiction, self-development book. It’s written by two brothers who have spent a lifetime each in the field of psychology and business. They use real examples and stories of big, memorable, or defining moments in people’s lives – that most of us can relate to. They then break down the psychology of why those moments stand out, and how we can pay attention and spot opportunities to take advantage of it. For example, the first day of your new employee’s new job, a memorable exercise or assignment for your students, or a vacation your kids will remember forever.
A large majority of the book talks about positive moments, and how they positively impact us. There is a mention at the beginning and an appendix at the end with additional resources on negative moments and trauma. I for one appreciate that that was included, and I think it will be a nice reference to have in the future or for friends.
All of the stories and examples used were really enjoyable to read about. There was so much insight, but it wasn’t boring or overwhelming to take in. The writing was fun and playful, but not in a way that makes you question the science of it. The chapters are broken up with sub-points, so it’s easy to digest the information, as well as finding stopping points when you need to.
And I marked so many quotes and paragraphs! There are so many practical, applicable tips in this book, that I can’t even list them all below or it would be out of control long.
Favorite Quotes From The Power of Moments
“Thinking in moments: to recognize where the prose in life needs punctuation.”
“Offering to help someone in a difficult time is its own goal and reward. It also has the side effect of being good for business.”
“Mentors focus on improvement: Can you push a little bit further? Can you shoulder a little more responsibility? They introduce a productive level of stress.”
“We will never know our reach unless we stretch.”
“The promise of stretching is not success it’s learning. It’s self-insight. It’s the promise of gleaning the answers to some of the most important and vexing questions of our lives: What do we want? What can we do? Who can we be? What can we endure?”
“Practice quiets the anxiety that can cloud our mind in a tough moment. When we lack practice, our good intentions often falter.”
“Once you realize how important moments can be, it’s easy to spot ways to shape them.”
In Conclusion
While it unfortunately took me a while to get through The Power of Moments due to outside factors (school, work, the news…) I did really like it! 4.5 stars! There was so much insight and useful information that you could really apply to all kinds of situations – parenting, management, teaching, hospitality, etc. I would definitely recommend this to anyone in a management position, or those looking to make a positive impact on the people around them.
Or if you’re just really intrigued by social psychology like me – then give this a whirl! It makes a great gift, too!
Thank you for checking out the review of The Power of Moments. Be sure to check out my other book reviews and share with friends.
