Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Review: 10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea by Suzy Welch


10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea is an amazing book, chock full of great ideas, anecdotes and humor and it is written by best-selling author Suzy Welch, a mother of four and a columnist for Business Week and O, The Oprah Magazine. Suzy developed this 10-10-10 principle from her own experience as a mom and businesswoman. The 10-10-10 principle is a wonderful tool to help you think through choices and determine how a decision would impact your life immediately (10 Minutes), in the short term (10 Months), and over a longer stretch of time (10 Years). This approach is similar to looking at things with a pro and con viewpoint but it takes it much further. It allows you to look at things over time and think through how a decision may effect you. It is not always wise to go with that first gut reaction that we often do, myself included, it really is important to think things through before reacting. When we go by the gut only, it's often emotional based and we also need to engage our brains and think about our values and beliefs to make some of those more serious decisions. We can use our gut instinct but also challenge ourselves to think beyond the here and now. I believe that this approach can blend with a person's religious beliefs and faith. Here is a quote that Suzy mentions in the book:


"You can consider 10-10-10 another approach in that it's powerful means to make sure you are living in accordance with your values, no matter what their source"


Suzy shares her own story and others and how they have used the 10-10-10 method to make choices and decisions that are big and small and how using this method has transformed their lives. The 10-10-10 approach has helped everyday people make decisions about buying a house, career choices, changing jobs, having more children, staying in a marriage, ending a friendship, etc. I enjoyed reading the real life stories and how they applied this approach. Suzy shares through different chapters how to apply the 10-10-10 method to motherhood, working and stay-at-home moms, marriage, friendship, jobs and career changes. I really enjoyed the practical nature of this book and it was easy to read and understand. I believe that this approach and style promotes ease in trying to apply this method as it is not an overwhelming process. In the chapter where she explains the brain and science behind 10-10-10, she quotes Fyodor Dostoevsky:

"It is not the brain that matters, but that which guides it--the character, the heart, the generosity, the new ideas."


I used the 10-10-10 approach with my husband when we were having to make a recent major decision. It allowed us to look closely at the short term and long term possibilities and opened up a dialogue where we shared feelings, concerns and possibilities on both sides. We haven't resolved this issue completely yet but it helped us to move closer to a final decision. I look forward to using this as a tool in my own life and I encourage you to explore this as well. I think that this will be a great tool for moms to apply to their own lives, share with your children and use in your families.


10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea will be available for purchase today, April 14th. You can find out more information about the book, view an an Author video and even listen to an Audio Excerpt with the author Suzy Welch at her 10-10-10 website here.



Thank you to Mothertalk for choosing me to participate in this book blog tour.

11 comments:

  1. You know this is a really good idea. I am so bad for reacting automatically. I don't stop to think about what I'm saying or doing. On some things though I will step back and think about it more and it helps a great deal. I think this idea of 10-10-10 is great. If you look at what a situation will be 10 months or years from now, odds are you'd make a different decision than you would have if you'd acted on impulse.

    REally great review Bonnie. It's given me something to think about for sure.

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  2. This sounds like a book I could use. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

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  3. Great review Bonnie - my husband and I could really use this book! We seem to get caught up in the little things when trying to make a decision and often miss thinking about the long-term impact or the short-term impact depending on what we are focusin on.

    :) Wendi

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  4. This sounds like a great way to look at decision making, and a definite improvement on the pro-con list. I'll be keeping this in mind.

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  5. This sounds like a great approach. I can't think of many times that I've thought of the consequences 10 years in the future. Honestly, I don't usually make it past the 10 minutes!

    Thanks for the great review!

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  6. I completely agree that taking 10 minutes or more to think about a decision is the best option, especially when you are emotional.

    I love when authors take real live situations and apply their methods and principles to show how effective they are.

    Great review, Bonnie. Thanks for sharing this title with us.

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  7. Bonnie, I've given you an award. Come pick it up at my blog!

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  8. Thought I'd come back and comment on your review. This looks like a very worthwhile read. I think the thoughtful approach to decisions would be such a great concept to teach from early childhood on. Alas, my kids are all in their 20s. Great review, Bonnie!

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  9. I like the thinking behind this concept. Another great plus for this book is that she uses actual problems and shows how it applies to our every day lives. I would grab this off the shelf at the library if I saw it and I'm totally going to recommend it to my friend Tracy!!

    Great Review Bonnie!!

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  10. When it comes to big decisions, I am pretty good about weighing all the options but smaller, day-to-day decisions are my problem. I get overwhelmed sometimes and just end up tuning important stuff out or making impulse decisions.

    Sounds like this would be a good book for that.

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  11. Sounds like an interesting book, and I especially like how the concept doesn't eliminate faith. Thanks for letting us know how you have been able to apply the concept to your own life; that's helpful to know.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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