The Power of More

A renowned motivational speaker and Olympic champion shares strategies for realizing your ambitions.

The Power of More shows readers how to accomplish their goals, big or small. Whether you are a novice runner who wants to run a 10k race, a sales rep who wants to increase market share, or an elite athlete trying to conquer the world stage, you can achieve your ambition by believing in the importance of doing a little bit more.

With humour and insight, three-time Olympic champion Marnie McBean discusses the importance of breaking big goals down into manageable bits of "more." For example, when she decided to run to the top of the CN Tower in Toronto for a fundraising event, she focused not on running all 1,776 steps but on running up one step and then one more. The Power of More is about concentrating not on the more you can get but the more that you can do. Even when you think you're done, you aren't—chances are you have a bit more to give.

McBean discusses the importance of setting goals, the role of communication and teamwork, and the need for motivation, commitment, and accountability. Finally, while she encourages people to strive for perfection, she punctures the myth that we should expect to be perfect and stresses that both confidence and success are the result of preparation.

Marnie McBean holds three gold medals and a bronze medal from Olympic rowing competitions and is Canada's most successful Summer Olympic athlete. She is now a specialist in athlete preparation and mentoring with the Canadian Olympic Committee. She has a degree in Honors Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario as well as three honorary doctorates. She is a member of Canada's Sport Hall of Fame and an ambassador for Right to Play and Plan Canada's "Because I am a Girl" initiative. She lives in Toronto.

Steve Nash, OC, OBC is a Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2001, Nash founded the Steve Nash Foundation, which aims to foster health in kids by funding projects that provide services to children affected by poverty, illness, abuse, or neglect, and create opportunity for education, play, and empowerment. It's efforts focus in both Phoenix, Arizona and Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2007, Nash received the Order of Canada in honour of his philanthropic efforts.

" . . . many memorable insights that stand out . . . The Power of More is much more than a motivational story about a great athlete. It is an opportunity for all of us to look inside ourselves, decide what we want to achieve, big or small, and plot a path to get there. We may not aspire to be Olympic gold medalists; but that doesn't preclude us becoming champions in our own lives." -Investment Executive

"A truly entertaining and inspiring read. I loved it." -Hayley Wickenheiser

"If anyone is entitled to be writing about achieving goals, it would be a three-time Olympic rowing champion with three gold and one bronze medal. In The Power of More, Marnie McBean translates her infectious energy into a book that is the equivalent of verbal Red Bull . . . Need a hand to hold? A big nudge? A cheerleading squad? Listen to McBean. Four Olympic medals are proof that her plan and idealistic thinking works." -Jules Torti, Vancouver Sun

"Marnie combines the lessons and parallels of the rowing world in such a way that makes it easy to apply them to any other challenge. It's obvious why she is both a world-class athlete and great athlete mentor and a businessperson all in one. I'm jealous." -Matthew Pinsent

"Marnie's insight has changed the way I approach training, competition, and life. She has been a difference maker to me, and I consider her a part of our gold medal success." -Tessa Virtue

"McBean's book is crammed with such nuggets - unique, often off-the-wall anecdotes and life lessons." -Neil Davidson, Canadian Press