Resiliency Reader - Winter 2016

Resiliency Reader eNewsletter Masthead

Welcome to the Winter 2016 edition of the Resiliency Reader eNewsletter brought to you by the Al Siebert Resiliency Center.

We hope you will find the information and articles below useful in your quest to become more resilient. Please join in the conversation either at our online forum, or by submitting your article, review, upcoming event or other resiliency-related resources to us for possible publication. We welcome your submissions!

Table of Contents

Molly's Corner:

One of the most powerful steps toward developing your personal resiliency is to choose to not be a victim. Our featured guest author this issue, Habibo Haji, shares part of her life story that hinged upon her decision to make that choice. I also review her book, Conquering the Odds: Journey of a Shepherd Girl, which is an illuminating view into the struggles faced by African refugees.

In addition to Habibo's story, our lead facilitator, Glen Fahs, provides an article on Coaching for Resiliency, which give those with a desire to help others some guidelines on being an effective resiliency coach.

If you have any further desire to develop your own resiliency skills and strategies — to master change, thrive under pressure and bounce back from setbacks — we have many opportunities available to you. The ASRC offers several training programs that can be tailored to you or to your organization.

We look forward to helping you resile!

~ Molly Siebert, Director, Al Siebert Resiliency Center
"My life sings of connections with life, spirit and you!"

From Nomad to a Nurse
~ by Habibo Haji, RN

What is resilience? Think you're a prisoner of a troubled childhood? Think you are emotionally crippled with the memory of war, starvation, beating and rape? Is it possible to bounce back from adversity and go on to live a healthy, happy and fulfilled life? Resilient people do not let adversity define them. They embrace resilience by moving towards a goal beyond themselves, transcending pain and grief by perceiving challenges as ephemeral. Sometimes it is easier to be or play the victim; I had to choose ... READ MORE

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Coaching for Resiliency
~ by Glen Fahs

Resiliency is a very personal decision: Will we react as a victim or as a strategist? Will we give up or battle back and see the value in setbacks?

That decision — made in little ways daily, in big ways when crisis looms — can be empowering. Asking "Why is it good that this happened?" reframes negative turns into opportunities. Opportunities for creative shifts, for learning, for digging deeper into our individual and shared potential.

But relying on our individual strengths is limiting. We are stronger when our relationships are stronger, when we get help. If we break a leg, a health care professional can set it better than we can. If we exercise, a trainer will help us make better use of our efforts and motivate us to reach higher levels. So it is a sign of confidence and strength to... READ MORE


Conquering the Odds: Journey of a Shepherd Girl cover

Book Review: Conquering the Odds: Journey of a Shepherd Girl

by Habibo Haji
Review provided by Molly Siebert

This book surprised me. Not only is it a book about one person's survival and accomplishments but it is vividly descriptive of the author's thoughts and the life she saw and experienced in each phase of her journey to better herself. I like how Habibo narrates her story. You truly get a sense of the African life and culture, and life in her refugee camps. Also, I am impressed by how she developed problem-solving skills at such an early age. It is heartwarming to read about a such a young girl conquering the odds at each phase of her life with the adaptable skills of resiliency.

The description of the family dynamics and way of local life and survival is delivered quite simply and visually. You sense the African culture mingled with the wariness of hour-by-hour survival in her early childhood. The skills and instincts her mother and grandmother imparted to her, she believes, are key to her survival and her determination to better herself. This is what she tries to... READ MORE
View book information on Amazon

Resiliency Quote of the Quarter:

No Choice Choice graphic arrows

" When you have to make a choice
    and don't make it,
    that in itself is a choice. "

~ William James
(1842-1910), American Psychologist, Professor, Author

Research Question of the Quarter:

"What about you? When have you consciously chosen NOT to be a victim?"

Tell us about it.

book cover

Worthwhile Read:

So, Who Do You Think You Are? Face Your Wounds, Heal Them and Change Your Life

Continuing with our theme of choosing not to be a victim, David Pendlum is another bright example. Dave was born with a cleft palate and cleft lip and received little medical care until his mid-teens. As a result, he spent many years adopting a victim complex. At the age of 30, he finally listened to a friend who convinced him he was living in the past. He took the conversation as a wake-up call and began to develop a process to face his wounds, heal them and take control of his life. In this book, he presents techniques for taking personal responsibility, overcoming self-sabotage and reclaiming the balance necessary to lead a happier, healthier life. Read a brief version of David's story in his own words in his article "Overcoming Victimitis."
Softcover, 139 pages, ISBN: 978-0967294216, ©2000 Greenleaf Book Group
View on Amazon.com

Upcoming Events:

The Real Money Story Interview Series - Hosted by Michelle Atlas

Our own Certified Resiliency Trainer Michelle Atlas also helps coach women entrepreneurs with overcoming their obstacles to creating soul-fulfilling wealth. Join with Michelle as she hosts a FREE web-based interview series, "The Real Money Story" that taps into the experience of over a dozen successful women and shares ther individual journeys.

ASRC contact information
The Resiliency Reader is published by the Al Siebert Resiliency Center.
You may contact us at PO Box 505, Portland, OR 97207-0505 USA, or 503-289-3295 x2
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