“Overcome,” was outstanding! I wished I had written it. Jason Redman certainly has the credentials. A former Navy Seal, shot up in the Mideast, who eventually overcomes all of that to teach all of us how to get over, under and around adversity.
Maybe it is the military mindset, but these folks have an uncanny ability to come up with terms for every situation. In this book “getting off the X” is one of my favorite. The other is “Are you ready.” Then it just gets better.
Getting Off The X
In Redmand’s world the X is where you are when you are ambushed. It can be in war or life. Divorce, bankruptcy, losing a loved one, or job loss. When those things happen it is you job to get yourself off that X as soon as possible. There is a small group of people that overcome. “Instead of being defined by their loss, they choose to define themselves by the challenges they’ve learned to overcome.” This is a choice!
He says, that to get off the X, you have to REACT.
Recognize your reality
Evaluate your position
Asses possible exit rutes
Choose a direction and communicate it
Take action
Abandon Panic
This is a chapter that must have been written for me, because it is my weakness or at least one of them. Redmand says, ‘When something catastrophic happens, the moment the pressure of panic begins to tighten, stop and take a deep breath. Get oxygen to your rapidly misfiring brain. Actively resist the voice telling you to run or react.”
He continues and says, “You can learn to manage panic if you rely on preparation, calm and positivity.
Are You Ready?
Redmand says, “The average human being will endure at least five major life changes over their lifetime.” So the question is, “Are you ready?” Are you prepared? You say how can I be prepared when I don’t know what is coming my way? You need Redmand’s Pentagon.
The Pentagon consists of five legs: Emotional, Mental, Spiritual, Social and Physical. If all of those are strong then you will be prepared of the next ambush. If one or more is not so strong, you need to work on it.
Purpose and Mission
Redmond spends a good del of time on mission and purpose. He talks about how we need to allow the purpose to change as we change. As yourself, “What do I stand for and what am I passionate about. Those answers will help yo clarify your purpose.
Once you have the purpose and mission you set your course. A course consists of goals that are “realistic, attainable, measurable, and adaptable.” You have probably seen most of those before in writings about goals, but the one that is somewhat unique is being adaptable. That comes from the Navy Seals Semper Gumby theme. Adaptability rules!
As usual, there is so much more in the book so read it or listen to it.
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