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The Power of the Other
The Startling Effects Other People Have on You, from the Boardroom to the Bedroom and Beyond – and What to Do About It
The Power of the Other (2016) shows you how the relationships in your life profoundly affect how you think, act and feel. These blinks examine why certain relationships harm us while others nurture us. Importantly, you’ll learn how to cultivate real connections that fulfill you and help you grow as a person.
- Leaders and managers looking to connect with work teams
- Students of psychology or business
- Anyone wanting to improve their personal relationships
Dr. Henry Cloud is a psychologist, expert on leadership and bestselling author. Success magazine in 2014 named Dr. Cloud as one of the 25 most influential leaders in the area of personal growth and development.
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The Power of the Other
The Startling Effects Other People Have on You, from the Boardroom to the Bedroom and Beyond – and What to Do About It
- Read in 15 minutes
- Audio & text available
- Contains 9 key ideas
Synopsis
The Power of the Other (2016) shows you how the relationships in your life profoundly affect how you think, act and feel. These blinks examine why certain relationships harm us while others nurture us. Importantly, you’ll learn how to cultivate real connections that fulfill you and help you grow as a person.
Key idea 1 of 9
Your well-being depends on your brain, your relationships and your mind.
No bodybuilder strengthens just one or two muscles, but trains to improve his entire body.
Cultivating happiness works the same way. If you want to live a happier life, you have to work on yourself as a whole. This means taking care of your mental health, which means taking care of your brain.
The brain functions through a combination of electrical charges, hormones and neurotransmitters. If something upsets the balance of these elements, you won’t feel well. For example, if your brain doesn't secrete a sufficient amount of the chemical serotonin, you'll struggle to focus and potentially feel depressed.
Your success and well-being also depend on your relationships.
Each and every person needs close, supportive relationships to thrive. Strong relationships help us cope with stress, overcome setbacks in our lives and even heal pain.
Unhealthy relationships, on the other hand, add stress. They can hamper your ability to deal with tough situations at work, for example. Imagine returning home from a rough day at the office. If you turn to a partner to vent but your partner just makes fun of you, you'll feel even worse.
In addition to taking care of your brain and your relationships, you also have to tend to your mind.
Your mind isn't the same thing as your brain, however. Your brain is like a piece of hardware, where your mind is the software that runs it. Your mind is essentially the mental process that works to decode incoming information, and importantly, determines how you react to this information.
Understanding what's happening in your mind is a key element of living well. When you understand your mind, you can stay in control of your thoughts and better manage your emotions.
All three components – your brain, mind and relationships – are crucial in leading a happy life. Now we’re going to go deeper and focus on just one of these elements: your relationships.
Key ideas in this title
- Your well-being depends on your brain, your relationships and your mind.
- Avoid these harmful relationships: those with no connection, a bad connection or a fake connection.
- In sincere relationships, people thrive as they can be their true selves and openly admit weaknesses.
- Meaningful, connected relationships energize us and help us thrive in everything we do.
- A person with whom you're well-connected will offer you freedom and valuable feedback.
- Corner four relationships help you to accept failure and bounce back from it.
- One person’s values and beliefs in a strong relationship can shape another person’s behavior.
- Use five criteria to assess if you can trust a person in your life.
- Final summary
