Clout by Jenni Catron Book Review (Book Sneeze)

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I read Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence, in exchange for honest review from Book Look Bloggers, formerly BookSneeze. . The book was written by Jenni Catron and published by Thomas Nelson.



When I first saw the title, I thought of the website, Klout, which measures your social influence. The book, Clout, measures your God-given influence.  In the introduction, Cantron said:

"Clout is the influence that God has given you and to no one else. You are specifically designed to impact the world in a way that no one else can. Discovering your clout is an essential part of unleashing your purpose."

Catron also said everyone has their own range of influence. Some people are here to influence the world, while others may just influence a small group of friends. She also said our clout has to be developed. Undeveloped clout or misdirected clout can cause mayhem.

The first part of the book focuses on the Clout Killers, while the second half focuses on the Clout Cultivators. One of the clout killers included:

• Fear: (one of my biggest ones). Catron discussed 3 levels of fear, which I deal with daily. You can fear the regular, legitimate fears, such as fear of aging.  You can have internal fears such as fear of rejection or public speaking. Finally, you 8can fear not being enough and you simply can't handle it (whatever it is) anymore. 

On a smaller note, I feared running out of diapers, wipes, and pull-ups because this meant I had to borrow money from people, which I hate doing. So, I started buying more each month so I won't run out and I don't have to ask people for money.  I fear not being able to handle my kids, especially my oldest. He is getting bigger and stronger and I fear I may not can control him, once he gets older. I fear failing. I hate to fail, especially at something I feel passionate about. Fear can have us turning back, like Lot's wife, turning into a pillar of salt, frozen into place. 

Other Clout Killers include:

• Insecurity (fear of not measuring up to other people). Comparison can make you feel inferior or superior to others (p. 21). Comparison can also lead to other sins, such as pride, greed, selfishness, envy, jealousy, and insecurity (p. 21).
• Relinquishing Control (another big one of mine)
• Pride

For me, I struggle with finding what my purpose is. The book does have discovery steps or questions/ideas  for reflection at the end of each chapter. For example, one of the questions in Chapter 2 is "for one day, write down every time you are tempted to compare yourself to others. Keep a detailed journal of the people who you compare yourself too and why?

On the other hand, some of the Clout Cultivators are:

• Discovering your identity
• Determining your passion
• Defining your mission
• Developing your confidence

Some of the tips to cultivate your clout include:

• Don't compare yourself to others. Don't be impressed with yourself (p. 116).
• Use your mistakes to help others not make the same ones. Use the mistakes to improve your future (p. 116)
• Re-arrange lives to hear from God (136)
• Be willing to confront issues, which hold you back (125)

The book is available on Amazon in hardback and kindle editions. The book is prime-eligible.