Stress for Success: Jim Loehr's Program for Transforming Stress into Energy at Work

I have a list of about 20 books that are required reading for my sons; this book made the list. Here's why:

He makes a very good point in the book that everyone needs to hear: though I don't have any particular disrespect for professional ball players, the idea that their work involves great amounts of stres is a little far fetched to me. You strike out in the world series and next week you can open a car dealership if you haven't snorted your salary in cocaine. You make the wrong mistake in the ER (as nurse, technician, book keeper, or telephone operator...not just as physician) and somebody dies; you don't get to go open a car dealership the next week.

In spite of this fact, the model he used and the lessons he learned coaching professional skaters and ball players to a better performance works very well for nurses, and salesmen, and stay-at-home fathers and mothers, and policeman, fireman, and whatever it is you do.

I worked for 12 years in the ER and this book helped me reach the point where I could move through a very busy day and stay calm and focused with energy in reserve when I left the hospital.

I also recommend the book to my patients (now, I practice endocrinology and bariatrics). Nothing keeps you moving towards your goals better than keeping yourself honest with yourself about what you're actually doing (For example: good research shows that people greatly underestimate the amount they eat and overestimate the amount of exercise they do). I've used an adaptation of his record keeping system to help my patients drop the pounds and continue to use the record system myself even though I don't do ER medicine any more.