Sunday, December 10, 2006

Resiliency

I have started reading the book "The Resiliency Advantage" by Al Siebert, PhD. This book talks about how to master change, thrive under pressure, and bounce back from setbacks. It demonstrates that all of us can develop greater resiliency, the ability to adapt to life's changes and crises, is key to a healthy, effective and productive life.

Dr. Al Siebert suggests a unique five-level program for becoming more resilient:


  1. Optimize your health
  2. Skillfully problem solve
  3. Strengthen your three inner selfs (self-esteem, self-confidence and self-concept)
  4. Unleash your curiosity, the power of positive expectations, integrating your paradoxical abilities and allowing everything to work well
  5. Strengthening your talent for serendipity and mastering extreme resiliency challenges and our transformational breakthrough

10 comments:

fletchboy said...

Hmmm...I should've written *MY* book first! My list is a lot shorter and simpler. And I actually think it is more effective.

Here is my short list for living resiliently. You can send $29.95 after you've read the list. Think of it as "Try before you buy" for books. And think of the bookshelf space you are saving....not to mention how much quicker it is to read my book!

List:

1. Die daily. Give up your list of "rights" and accept your position as a servant of Christ and hence the servant of ALL. ("I am crucified with Christ, therefore I no longer live...")
2. Submit to God. Allow your plans to become subservient to God's plans. When my plans don't matter much, it is much easier to accept the times when I have to "flex" and allow something else to take priority.
3. Live in the power of the Spirit. You will have lots of energy for the things you really need to do if you don't try to work up your OWN energy to make things happen.

But wait! There's more! Not $49.95, not $39.95, but three "easy" payments of $9.99 each, over the course of the next three months!

Short List: (For those with busy schedules or ADHD)

1. Dead men and slaves have NO rights. Give up your belief in your rights, and life gets a lot easier.

That's it! "Flex-life" in two sentences. God's secret to living. Just send me a cheque! (Sorry for the sarcasm....couldn't help myself this morning...)

I really think that life is much easier than most authors want us to think. If life were simple, how could they sell "self-help" books in order to pay for their shrinks, law-suits, divorces and the loan on their red sports car? ;-)

Give up your rights. It will make life a lot more managable.

Greg

Ross said...

If you haven't done so already, I recommend reading Chicken Poop for the Soul, by David Fisher. There's a chapter in this book entitled, "The Secret of Happiness." If nothing else, it will change the way you think about self-help book authors.

Kitty Cheng said...

Hmmm Greg, if you write "YOUR" book, I'll certainly buy it as well! I encourage you to write it. It might become the second 'purpose driven life' ;)

Your list for living resiliently is certaily valid and insightful, if not more so than this book, but I think "YOURS" and Sibert's book are useful! (regardless of the cost LOL).

To respond to your list:
1. I think we can be servants of Christ, yet have our rights (God given rights - I know self denial is the key, but God has also given us certain rights. Eg: we are His adopted children) at the same time.

2. Submitting to God in all we do, including letting go and letting GOD help us become more resilient, is essential .

3. Living in the power of the Spirit is of course important in living resilently, although I believe we need to be proactive in making a difference as a result of walking in step with the Spirit, rather than just being passive. That doesn't mean we try to work up our energy to make things happen. Eg: Preachers do need to spend energy in preparing for the sermon, rather than just relying on the Spirit to give them the words as they preach...

Actually I don't think Dr. Al Siebert's book is contrarary to your idea of "Flex-life" or God's secret to living. In fact, there are some good biblical principles and verses that he quotes in the book.

I guess principles are universal, and God can use books like this one to speak to us, just as He can use 'secular movies' to speak to us.

Blessings,
Kitty

Kitty Cheng said...

Thanks for recommending the book. I've heard of it many times,but still haven't had a chance to read it. Guess i will need to put it on my ever increasing 'books-to-read' list hehe.

In the meantime, can you give me a quite review /summary of the book Ross?

Anonymous said...

sounds interesting. i like the sound of the first and the third ones. =)

Kitty Cheng said...

Yes me too Pia!

Michael said...

Take hold of Wisdom wherever it is to be had. Life is an art.
We certainly do have rights, implicit in the Freedom, given to us by our Beloved Christ.

-Bruce

Kitty Cheng said...

Hi Bruce, good to hear from you! I totally agree with you there! Life is really an art form isn't it? And we are blessed to have the rights through the Freedom that God has so graciously & freely given to us!

audrey` said...

Hmmm...

You love to read too =)

Will said...

“Unleash your curiosity” really resonates with me.

We talk all the time about being creative. In light of this phrase, though, creativity sounds more task oriented and for the purpose of getting the job done. But with this subtle twist, applying this phrase to our everyday stuff, it’s more like, “Keep your eyes, ears, and mind wide open to see what might happen through your sphere of influence” – whether that’s ministry, family, or otherwise… Just keep watching, asking questions, and responding to the relentlessly changing, constantly new things before you.