Catholic Review of: Perpetual Motivation

I must admit that I am not a fan of self-help books. In fact, in my negativity toward such material, I would have gone so far as to say that most books concerned with the topics of motivation, influence, power, and advancement are themselves motivated by greed and selfishness and are irreconcilable with my Catholic faith.

At least, this was my attitude until January 2006, when I was invited to attend a talk by Dave Durand. A good friend of mine had heard Durand speak before and assured me that I would not be wasting my time. The talk was entitled "Perpetual Motivation." To say the least, I went away impressed.

While Durand did not attempt to dazzle us with his credentials, I discovered with a little research that he is the founder and president of ProBalance, Inc., and an executive of Cutco Cutlery, for which he played an important role in transforming the $30-million domestic company into a $250-million international corporation. Durand is also a best-selling author, a U.S. patent holder, an accomplished martial artist, a nationally syndicated radio personality with Relevant Radio, a devout Catholic and supporter of faithful Catholic schools, and a husband and father of six. Having discovered this background and witnessed his enthusiasm for helping others, I decided that if anyone could break my stereotypical views concerning self-help books, Dave Durand would be the man.

In Perpetual Motivation, Durand starts by laying out the equation for success: Motivation = Balance + Influence + (Creativity + Humor) – Runaway Self-Esteem. This simple equation serves as an outline to the entire text. Furthermore, he introduces the title of legacy achiever, defined as one "who excels through outstanding personal motivation" and "leaves a great impression on others." One of the first two legacy achievers mentioned by Durand is none other than Bl. Teresa of Calcutta, further alleviating my preconceived opinions.

In the section on balance, Durand sets forth his six key balance points with the metaphor of a circus performer spinning dinner plates on long, slender sticks. The performer must be continually attentive to each plate in order to keep them all spinning. If he focuses on just one, inevitably a neglected plate will begin to wobble and ultimately fall. This collapse will most likely bring down the other plates as well. The metaphor gains depth when Durand identifies his six balance points: Family, Financial responsibility, Health, Social contribution, Education/vocation, and Faith.

The section on influence opens with a quote from Albert Einstein: "Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value." Stemming from this wisdom, Durand introduces the concept of integrity-based influence, a system of influence that is focused not on manipulation but rather on "getting, building, and maintaining motivation through healthy relationships." Nearly 20 pages in this section discuss the integrity-based influencing characteristics of legacy achievers. An understanding of these characteristics will greatly benefit those who desire to influence both themselves and others in a positive way.

Addressing the topics of creativity and humor, Durand talks about how creativity can provide opportunities in otherwise oppressive situations. Furthermore, creativity used successfully can boost self-confidence and sustain or increase motivation. He also discusses the five main stumbling blocks to creativity, as well as the most recent scientific findings concerning health and humor. Durand’s own sense of humor and humility is displayed in this section.

The last element of Durand’s equation for motivation is to avoid runaway self-esteem. In this section of his text, Durand exposes the concept of self-esteem in today’s pop culture as nothing more than "self-worship." "Healthy self-esteem," he states, "is the result of positive behaviors" for which the proper measuring stick is the health of one’s interior life, not one’s social status or the amount of one’s paycheck. Durand’s insight into self-esteem considers moral truth, natural law, traditional values, and the need to listen to one’s conscience. I cannot fully express how refreshing this section is in light of the MTV mind-set of our culture.

Overall, I consider this book to be a great personal investment and well worth the short amount of time it takes to read. Durand interlaces his teachings with examples of legacy achievers and with endearing stories of his own children and family life. It is written such that it could be skimmed rather quickly for main points, while at the same time each section contains enough depth and detail that an interested reader could sit down with a pen and paper and apply each principle systematically to his or her own life.

I bear witness to the fact that implementing Durand’s principles in one’s life can produce new and positive results. Furthermore, my personal encounters with Durand have convinced me that he practices what he preaches, that he is a man of great integrity, and that he desires to be a positive witness of the Catholic faith in an ever-increasing secular society. In fact, the only black spot I have found on Durand’s record is his unceasing love for the Green Bay Packers.

But as Durand himself states in Perpetual Motivation, "Nobody’s perfect!"

- Luke W. Crawford (from Lay Witness magazine. www.cuf.org)

You can purchase this title here.