Gerry Hussey’s “Awaken Your Power Within” covers many elements. Gerry introduces us to aspects of science, elements about our own beliefs, exercises to encourage self-reflection and meditation, advice to help us find our potential as well as Gerry’s own personal story.
It has taken me 3 months to read this book. I have never met Gerry but if he was open to a suggestion from me, it is that I think structuring the book as a 3 month course similar to, for example, “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron might make it even more accessible and perhaps more actionable. Maybe that suggestion is also to help me feel better about taking so long to read the book!
Overall, this is an excellent book packed with insight and advice, that’s why I had to progress slowly!
A key message that I took from the book was, whilst being connected via external relationships is essential as we are social beings, we must also be important to ourselves. If we don’t prioritise our link with our authentic selves, we lose sight of who we really are and constantly seek external approval to fit in and please others.
One of my favourite exercises that Gerry offers is about how to construct and sustain positive thoughts. He uses the analogy of crossing a 100m wide river using 10 pieces of timber, each 10m long.
He gives an example of someone who has an initial thought that they will start a business but relatively quickly this is followed up with doubt thoughts and so this person talks themselves out of their initial ambition. Gerry suggests trying to create a sequence of 10 thoughts all of which sustain the initial idea, so that plank by plank, we cross the river.
Sustaining 10 thoughts in a row is firing new beliefs in the brain and creating a pathway that cements our self-belief in our own ideas. It’s a way to help us beat the fear thoughts that will always pop-up. I liked this as its simple but I can see how it would be effective. It’s challenging to get to 10 thoughts in a row without succumbing to negative beliefs.
I enjoyed this book and I’m grateful to Gerry for sharing his personal story as well as his expertise as a performance psychologist and coach.
I’ll finish with 3 of my favourite quotes from the book.
“We can’t arrive at a new destination using the same old roads of the past.”
“Today is either one day or day one.”
“We only die once, we get to live every single day.”
Sinead Huskisson 