We all seem to know what stress is. But stress itself is not the real problem - we are.

Many people define it as "the demands of life" - but these demands of life are actually stressors, not the stress response itself. Stress is the effect we allow these demands to have on us physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Acute stress affects something called our autonomic nervous system. Our heart rate increases, pupils dilate, blood rushes toward large muscles and away from the fingers and toes. Muscles can tighten and adrenaline and cortisol are released into your blood stream. These reactions are all part of the "fight-or-flight" response.

This response was handy for cave men thousands of years ago. Even today it comes in handy in combat and sports. We need our bodies to prepare us to fight or run. But the fight-or-flight response is not helpful when driving to work, or when we are threatened in a challenging conversation at work. Yet, our bodies still respond that way. There's nobody to physically fight and nowhere to run. We're just left with our heart racing, perspiration, and a feeling of anxiety.

So how can how we breath change this?

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If I asked your direct reports about the quality of your meetings, what would they say?

A lot of managers struggle with leading effective, powerful meetings. And a lot of people, including managers, hate meetings full stop. Why? They rarely see the benefit of the time and energy spent. How often do you think your direct reports see a substantial connection between meetings and actions?

If your people are getting frustrated because they perceive an imbalance between the amount of energy spent in meetings, and the value of the results, there are two simple things you can do to change this:

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This ground breaking book examines the way we tell stories about ourselves to ourselves - and, most important, the way we can change those stories to transform our business and personal lives.

Your story is your life. As human beings, we continually tell ourselves stories - of success or failure; of power or victimhood; stories that endure for an hour, or a day, or an entire lifetime.

We have stories about our work, our families and relationships, our health; about what we want and what we're capable of achieving. Yet, while our stories profoundly affect how others see us and we see ourselves, too few of us even recognize that we're telling stories, or what they are, or that we can change them - and, in turn, transform our very destinies.

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