Summary And Review Of “The Charge: Activating The 10 Human Drives That Make You Feel Alive” By Brendon Burchard

Introduction

The name of the book is The Charge: Activating the 10 Human Drives that make you feel alive. It is written by the bestselling author Brendon Burchard. He is world's leading high performance coach. The book was published on 15 May, 2012. This is a Self-Help book and has claimed to help many people to find the spark back into their lives. Charged Life In this ever changing world at times we ask ourselves whether we are living our life enthusiastically and energetically and whether you are engaging and constantly meeting people and talking to everyone and if you are having fun in life in general. According to the author there are many people who are living their without worrying about their basic needs and luxuriously, but they still find their life unfulfilling, unhappy and sad and they don't know how to get out of this situation. This book has a step by step strategic action plan that will help anyone to move into what the author calls as a Charged Life.The author explains that the charged life is the one doesn't ask what he is getting from the world rather is concerned about what one has to offer to the world. Quote from the book: Start telling more stories about what fascinates you in the world. Page 149, The Charge. Brendon makes a very convincing case that if you want to improve the quality of your life then you will have to activate the 10 drives that make all of us human. These drives are categorized into baseline drives and forward drives.

And according to the author, these drives help in shaping our future for the better. The Five Baseline Drives Brendon explains that to live an ideal life it is necessary to understand what levers to pull, so that you can consistently sustain higher levels of energy, engagement and enthusiasm. The base line principles influence the quality and energy of our lives. It will also help us be in touch with ourselves and others around us.

1. The Drive for Control: Exercising control over our outlook helps in interpreting events with an optimistic mindset. Engaging our brain in new activities eventually helps in having new experiences. This also assists in avoiding distractions and developing a sense of ownership.
2. The Drive for Competence: It's sometimes easy to feel lost altogether as a person's progress in life seems daunting. Hence its necessary for everyone to have a sense of pride in their achievements and acknowledge their own progress. Author also mentions the need to consistently strive to keep learning new skills.
3. The Drive for Congruence: Our self-image and how we behave is in agreement with that image in the real world. Hence according to the author it’s important to set our mood constant and have clear intentions.
4. The Drive for Caring: The capacity to care and be cared for is a human strength. The more empathetic we are to other it only helps us mature. Author also shines the importance of caring for your own self as well as others who are emotionally broken. Being present in the moment of interaction makes the relationship grow deeper.
5. The Drive for Connection: The friendships that we build and the more intimate relationships one has, the more happier the person becomes. Author also states that the quality of friendship determines the overall stability, growth and satisfaction in life.

The Five Forward Drives

According to the author practicing the forward helps in raising a person's ambition and take his human drive and motivation to another level. These drives are harder to adopt ad are more future oriented. Exercising these drives demands boldness and continuous efforts on a daily basis.

1. The Drive for Change: Many of us find it difficult to make changes in our daily lives and hence struggle. To make change there should be a continual desire for innovation and excitement. Author also points that this occurs due to lack of clarity and ambition. It is hence necessary to make real choices and have a defined and detailed vision.
2. The Drive for Challenge: Learning new skills and knowledge helps everyone in a long run. It is important to focus on the journey and not keep worrying about the destination. Setting realistic challenges may even include activities like mastering your diet, giving back to the society or networking with new people.
3. The Drive for Creative Expression: Author explains the importance of one to be in touch with their creative side. Creativity isn't a trail, it's a discipline. Neurologically, being more creative activates the right side of the brain more. Studying people and their behavior is characteristic of a creative personality.
4. The Drive for Contribution: Having a purpose in life and the drive for making a mark in the society keeps us charged. Giving yourself and others credit for what they have achieved is equally important. Contribution can be in various forms like volunteering for a good cause or being a mentor for kids or coworkers.
5. The Drive for Consciousness: Consciousness is the human ability to think and use our minds which when attained, can lead us have better understanding of life events. Hence one has to be more conscious of their thoughts, behavior and emotional and physical energies. Brendon states that if you can change your brain the you can change your life. Following the above 10 drives will help one reactivate different parts of the brain and help us lead a charged life. One of the quotes that I liked in the book as suggested by Viktor Frankl is that “man’s real search is for a meaningful existence”.

Conclusion

I would recommend this book to many of my friends and loved ones. No matter what stage of life someone is in, there is always something that one can improve on. This book can help people do that. However, everyone should read it with an open mind. Another interesting thing is that the book is filled with activators and charge points, they are techniques and bullet points respectively which help us activate various human drives.

The book is packed with specific strategies to help us achieve our goals. It takes intentional effort and practice to stay charged.