Stay on Offense Climb Mountains

Attacking Adversity

Bookish Weapon Number Sixty-Seven

by Leave a Comment

“Hero On A Mission,” is one of the better books I have re-read recently again and it was just published this year. It is a book about purpose and story. Your and my story!

Did you know you were involved in a story? Has your story lost your interest? These are questions the author asks of us and he gives excellent advice.

Our Stories

On a page even before the introduction Miller states, “I don’t think any of us should trust fate to write the story of our lives. Fate is a terrible writer.

We are all in stories and they have characters in them just like all stories. There is the victim, the villain, the hero and the guide. Do you recognize any of these in your life?

Control

In self help books you can read a lot about how you should focus on what you can control and ignore the rest. So how much can you control? Miller makes the argument that “…a human being has a ridiculous amount of personal agency. A person’s reaction to a set of circumstances dramatically affects how their story plays out.”

He goes on and says, “The character who becomes the victim believes they are helpless and acts out of that belief. The character who becomes the hero accepts their agency and rises up against their circumstances.” How does this speak to your life?

Accomplish Something Important

Miller says that what we all need to do is “…throw yourself into a story in which you try to accomplish something important.”

He goes on to say, “If we don’t want something, face our challenges, and try hard things, our life stories don’t work either.” You can just “dream up” a story for yourself and live “like a hero on a mission.” Miller says you have to sit and think about everything you have overcome in your life to realize your strength.

Want Something

The author says we need to want something! He says many have killed their desire and any story needs to be about a character who wants something.

He says, “When you define specific destination for your life, your story will begin to take shape and you’ll become more interested in your own life.” “Discipline is a good bit easier to come by if you have narrative traction in your life.” So he asks, “What is the thing you just have to do?

What If

I loved this little exercise. He says to ask yourself, “What if?” Simple, right? What if I sold everything and moved to Portugal? What if I quit my job? He says “what if” leads to adventure.

He uses what if questions when he writes books and gets stuck, but he says, “Asking What if can drive incredible change in your life and give you a terrific reason to get out of bed in the morning.”

Narrative

Miller says “narrative traction” is “the feeling that our personal story is so interesting we can’t turn away.” You could even join an existing mission!

Questions to ask yourself once you start to build your life plan include: “What will you build? What story will you join? What could your life look like one year, five years, and ten years from now?

So that’s the first half of the book. The second half is how to set up a plan for your life. Get the book and read it! There is so much more to learn!

Bookish Weapon Number Sixty-Five

by Leave a Comment

Alex Lickerman, MD wrote this book in 2012, but it is even ore timely today. Who wouldn’t want a mind that could not be defeated?

It gives us some practical advice on how to help our minds deal with the things that threaten to overthrow them. What a great bookish weapon to have in your back pack!

Nichiren Buddhism Impact

Lickerman practices Nichiren Buddhism and a lot of the book draws on those beliefs. Individuals who practice this type of Buddhism chant. I knew some people in the past that chanted every day. Lickerman discusses his chanting practice and how it has helped him, but his approach to having an undefeated mind is filled with these beliefs.

An example is that Nichiren Buddhism believes that wisdom is the catalyst to inner strength and is obtained from experiencing adversity. Lickerman combined this philosophy with modern science to produce the book.

Chronic Pain

Although I believe many suffer far more pain than myself, recently I have developed what is termed idiopathic neuropathy and at night the pain in my foot wakes me up. So I was very interested in what Lickerman had to say about the subject.

He says, “…though we may be tempted to believe patients with chronic pain who choose to suffer it rather than kill themselves do so because they want to survive even at the cost of their happiness, the more likely explanation is that their personal degree of pain tolerance enables them to remain happy despite their discomfort.” Interesting!

Suffering

The author tells us that Nichiren Buddhism says “We don’t suffer because we face obstacles; we suffer because we face obstacles we don’t believe we can overcome.” I believe the is very true. You need to believe that obstacles make you stronger. My nightly pain is helps me be more compassionate with others suffering and I feel stronger because of it.

Lickerman sounds like he agrees with me when he says that “…victory over obstacles that confront us isn’t as much about liberating ourselves from adversity as it is about obtaining the greatest benefit possible as a result of having encountered it.” And he continues, “…a problem is solved when it no longer makes us suffer.”

Creating Value

Lickerman believes that “…creating value for others is the key to attaining happiness for ourselves.” He goes on to discuss how altruism causes happiness and that “…the more value we create for others, the more value we assign ourselves.”

It is all tied to your purpose in life. As the author says, “So maybe creating value for others doesn’t increase our long-term happiness because it enhances our self-esteem ,but because it enhances our sense of purpose.”

So Much More

Is that it? Just abide by the above and you will have an undefeated mind? No, that is just the first of many offered in this book. In fact the above just takes you to page 26 of a 248 page book.

Why does that mean? It means if you want to find out about how idolizing the “road not taken” can lead to suffering, you need to read the book. There is so much more!

Bookish Weapon Number Sixty-Four

by Leave a Comment

What do you think about Artificial Intelligence? Or, have you given it much thought at all? Well, Mo Gawdat has written “Scary Smart,” which is all about our little robot friends. He says they are getting smarter and will soon be at the level of the title of his book.

Have you watched any of the Boston Dynamics videos demonstrating their various robots and what they can do? You probably have and have been amazed like me.

Next Level

According to Gawdat, robots learn fast. As Mo says, “the smartest gamers in the world are no longer humans.” Wow! Isn’t that something! He gives some great examples and before you can digest that he says that, “the smartest communicators in the world today are no longer humans. The smartest are artificial intelligence machines.” What? That is really interesting. But then just before you turn your attention to what your five year old is doing, he says, “the smartest visual observers are o longer humans.The markets are artificial intelligence machines.”

“The sci-fi we imagined the past, has, somehow, created our present.” Robots and humans fight it out in the sci-fi movies like “Skynet.” Is that what our future will be like? Do humans “intentionally relinquish control?” Lots of possibilities.

Even Scarier

The first part of the excellent book will scare you. In fact, most of it will scare you. That is a good thing according to Mo. He wants you really scared. So he talks about how AI will outsmart humans and bad things will happen.

What bad things? Use your imagination. What if the bad guys teach an AI to control the stock market? What if they teach them to kill people? It goes on and on. And bad things will happen even if we get the right handle on everything.

What to Do?

Gawdat says we need to treat AI machines like they were children. We teach children how to be good and not bad. What is the best way to teach children that? By example. If AI learns that we value money and power above all else then that is what they will learn.

In the last part of the book Gawdat writes as if he were writing directly to the machines that, he says, are going to be reading his book. He tries to convince them that we mean no harm and we are trying to help them and be their moral examples. And we need to accept the machines as part of our life. Maybe someday you will have a new hiking partner!

There is so much more n this book. It will make you think about the future like nothing else. So get it and read it of course!

Bookish Weapon Number Sixty-Three

by Leave a Comment

Joel Osteen is the most positive Pastor on the planet. Casey Treat might be a close second, but Joel has him beat I think. Joel’s newest book, “You Are Stronger Than You Think,” does not disappoint.

This book is for people who are having some difficulty in life. They might be in debt or just got fired or divorced. It is also for ay one who, as the subtitle says, want “to go bigger, go bold, and go beyond what limits you.”

Invite God Into Your Problems

This book is is not just for Christians, but for those that might be interested in Christianity too. I mention that because the book is full of God talk. One of the first things Joel talks about is not just praying to God to take away your difficulty, but to “invite God into your difficulties.”

I thought that was particularly powerful, because people get stronger not when they have no challenges but when they get through them. If you invite God into them you have a better chance of overcoming whatever it is you are up against. As Joel says, “When you ask Him to come in, you’re saying, “God, don’t just change the situation, change me. Help me to not just go through this but to grow through it. Help me to learn, help me to develop greater confidence, increase my faith, and let my character come up higher.”

Don’t Let The Darkness Discourage You

Joel points out that God started everything in the dark and he quotes Genesis: “The evening and the morning were the first day.” He says that, “God chase to start the day in the dark on purpose.” “The dark means the sun is on the way up. The promise is about to come forth.”

He tells the story of Paul praising God at midnight in the prison and he says, “…just keep thanking Him that He’s making a way where you don’t see a way, then you’re going to come into these times where God will suddenly show out in your life. He’ll make things happen you couldn’t make happen.”

Nevertheless

This is a powerful word and one that thought made Joel’s book more inspiring. When things come against you Joel says to not stop with the facts. The doctor report is not good, but “nevertheless” good will heal me. My finances are a mess, but “nevertheless” God will Mae me a lender snd not a borrower. Joel says, When you add “nevertheless” that’s what allows God to do great things.”

Another example, “God, everything tells me it’s over; that it doesn’t make sense in the natural. I have been turned down again and again; nevertheless, at Your word I am going to try again. I’m going to keep believing.”

Testing

This may be my favorite part of the book. He titles the chapter “The Hot Winds of Testing.” Joel lints out that “God never said we wouldn’t have an evil day, a time of trouble. But he did promise that if you just send He will bring you out.”

And here is a great quote from the book, “You can’t judge God’s favor by the storms He kept you out of, but by the storms he brought you through.” And another! “ Without these hot winds of testing, without storms, without difficulties, our lives would be easier, but we wouldn’t develop properly.’ The is so true. Think about all the people you know who have never had any serious challenges in their lives. What happened to them when they were in the middle of a pandemic? They had no resources to cope.

As usual there is much more n the book so get it and read it!

Bookish Weapon Number Sixty-One

by Leave a Comment

“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.

Bookish Weapon Number Sixty

by Leave a Comment

Mel Robbins is so inspiring and “real.” Her latest book sure is a “bookish weapon” for you all. It is called “The High Five Habit.”

What makes the “High Five Habit,” so special? I’m going to break it down for you.

Simple But Powerful

What Mel wants us all to do when we get up in the morning is high five ourselves in the mirror. That is pretty simple. We all know how to high five someone. Mel acknowledges that it will feel a little strange at first ( I will attest to that). However, once you get rolling all is well.

As you are standing in front of the mirror, look yourself in the eyes, set an intention for the day and then say out loud several possible things depending on your situation. For example, maybe you are afraid of an upcoming speech you need to give and you say, “I’m afraid and I have got this,” or “You can handle this. I know you can.” So you get the idea. The book gives more examples. After only four days I noticed a difference in how I felt about myself. Mel says it is because our mind knows that a high five is a positive congratulation and you are giving it to yourself. It works on you! It changes how you see yourself.

Controlling Negative Self Talk

There are other books that discuss this in detail as well, but I really liked Mel’s approach. When a negative thought appears in your head you say, “I’m not thinking about that.” Then you replace that thought with something positive. You are checking your mental filter.

As Mel points out that, “It’s dead simple, but if you are an over thinker, a worrier, a catastrophizer, paralyzed by fears, or struggling with anxiety, this is a life changing. Keep interrupting those negative thoughts every time they pop up during the day. Then as I mentioned above, you replace the thought with something positive and Mel gives you a whole list of Matras to choose from or find your own. Here is a sample from her list: “I deserve to feel good today.” “I have my own back.” “This is teaching me something I need to know.”

Obstacles and Opportunity

This part of the book was a great reminder for me that obstacles can mean opportunity. Mel tells a story about a Uber driver she met with a dream and how she helped him. She points out that “…there are two kinds of people: People who see obstacles and people who see opportunity.” She points out that the “high five attitude is action oriented and sees opportunity.”

What are the practical steps? If you say to yourself, “Now is not the right time for my dreams,” Mel says to flip it to, “If I put in the work I can make it happen.” She advises us to set a deadline. Then write all this down! If you write it down it is a signal that it is important to you. Ok, you got it? Then get Mel’s book. There is a lot more in it!