The Renewal of Personal Energy

Linda Perry is a senior policy analyst at the Ontario Ministry of
Colleges and Universities.

This is a highly literate, academic self-help book on renewal—whether
personal, professional, or institutional. In the “pop-psych” genre,
it is several steps beyond. It is not pitched for supermarket
readership. It is written for a more rarefied audience of the
initiated—students and graduate students (many of whom participated in
the research), preferably with a slight educational slant. It can also
be used to advantage as a resource for groups undergoing organizational
renewal.

The author combines a body of theory with practical strategies for
application in a reader-friendly style. A vital aspect is the emphasis
on social learning, on the synergy of shared renewal, and on the
benefits of sharing as co-creation. Hunt uses many examples of actual
people to demonstrate how this process influences real people in real
situations.

The only carping criticism is the size of the text and density of the
typeface. The page size is attractive and convenient, but the small
print makes underlining or highlighting problematic.

The book not only outlines the conceptual approach to renewal, but also
provides a five-step process for transforming energy into action. The
acronym for this process is CREATE—concern, reflect, action plan,
trial, experience. Implement this process, and it becomes
reiterative—“RECREATE” is more the approach, as experience is
applied to an ongoing journey of continuous renewal.