p.2,4 Highly resilient people are flexible, adapt to new circumstances quickly, and thrive in constant
change. Most importantly, they expect to bounce back and feel confident that they will. They have a knack for creating
good luck out of circumstances that many others see as bad luck... Resiliency means being able to bounce back from life developments
that may feel totally overwhelming at first... resilient people... expect to rebuild their disrupted lives in a new
way that works for them, and the struggle to overcome adversity develops new strengths in them.
p.6,10 Resiliency is an essential skill in every job sector... especially during times
of turmoil... Your intention to develop resiliency methods that work for you is what determines your success or failure.
p.12 Resiliency lets you align quickly to new circumstances and steer the swirling energies to reach
good outcomes. A reliable strength at this level is the talent for serendipity - the ability to convert accidents
and misfortune into lucky accidents and good fortune.
p.13,14 This program [described in this book] shows how to use knowledge from the new science of
resiliency psychology to learn the art of resiliency. It shows how to benefit from aligning your mind, attitudes, and actions
with the reality that our world is a vibrant, dynamic place of unceasing change.
A significant benefit... is that you master the process of nonstop change... The art of resiliency
gives you a powerful advantage in today's world.
p.33 As you become more and more resilient, you effectively handle disruptive change, adversities, and major
setbacks faster and easier.
p.62-63 Creative solutions cannot be found using logical, analytical problem solving. Creative problem
solving starts with feeling that an unusual, new solution is possible. Then you ask yourself many questions
to free your imagination from the restrictions of normal thinking and assumptions... It takes uncensored questions to break
out of the invisible walls of socially approved thinking to let your imagination soar free... A key component in creative
thinking is an ability to make connections between remote ideas.
p.63 Think of a situation where rational problem solving hasn't worked... The following suggestions show
how to engage in problem solving that requires a creative solution:
- Let yourself become preoccupied with wanting to understand all the details about what is happening.
Saturate your mind with information. Be a curious observer.
- Be playful in imagining various things you might do...
- Ask yourself lots of questions to explore the rich trove of possible solutions your mind can access. You
might ask: What would be a different way of looking at this? ...
- ...Get a pad of paper and start listing many possible solutions... draw a web of how the
various ideas relate to each other...
- Take breaks and leave your mind alone...
- Creative problem solving can be helped by relaxing and listening to music that has a pleasant effect on you
p.65 Closed-minded thinking is incompatible with creativity. One cannot be creative if
facts, details, and information have never been absorbed in the first place. Closed-minded certainty suppresses curiosity.
p.65 You foster creativity by being a naive, curious observer. You foster creativity
by being like a curious child, filled with wonder about the world, not limited by opinions or judgment.
To strengthen your ability to find creative solutions to problems, let yourself be curious, playful, open-minded,
and awed in the way that you were as a child.
In fact, a child might see a solution that adults cannot.
p.67 The ability to invent a clever solution to a problem comes from wanting to find a good solution,
thinking independently, and stepping outside the boundaries of old perceptions, assumptions, and habitual ways of thinking.
p.68 If you argue with reality, you add to your difficulties. It's a fact of life that
we become enmeshed in what we choose to fight against.
p.68 All three kinds of problem solving - analytical, creative, and practical - may be combined when looking
for ways to gain a competitive advantage in the business world.
p.69 When you follow the steps for effective problem solving, you not only solve problems better than most
people, you develop self-confidence about your resiliency and sustain better health.
p.69 Problem solving can also be applied to the future. Is there a problem that you think might occur? Something
that might happen, but may not? When you are skilled at problem solving, you can be ready with solutions for problems
that might occur.
p.93 Curiosity is essential to resiliency. Why? For a simple reason: if you are
going to interact effectively with new situations, your brain must quickly acquire an accurate understanding of what is happening
in your environment. Resiliency is increased when you quickly comprehend the unexpected new reality; it is decreased
in people who don't comprehend the new reality... People who have the best chance of handling new situations well
are usually those with the best comprehension of what is occurring in the world around them.
p.102 How to achieve high-level resiliency is not a mystery. The most resilient people are like
children who never grew up. A curious, playful spirit contributes directly to resiliency, because playfulness
and asking questions let you learn your way out of difficult circumstances.
p.116 Many circumstances can be shaped in ways that you can influence. Future events are rarely firmly fixed
in place. Resilient people know that unfolding events are not totally predetermined. The world is more plastic;
it is more malleable and shapable than most people think. That is why people with... coping skills have an amazing
ability to get good outcomes in situations that have other people thinking that there's no way they can survive and prevail...
The starting point for resiliency often begins with asking questions such as, "How can I cope with this?"
p.130-131 Having a variety of responses is crucial when handling unpredictable, chaotic, or changing
conditions. Successful people in every profession know that it is better to have many possible responses
than to be limited to a few... Adaptation is the key to survival in all of nature... A behavior
that cannot be consciously stopped or reversed is not under control... Many inner potentials can emerge when you allow yourself
to respond to a situation, or to view it in any way that you choose.
p.168 When you become highly resilient, you have an advantage. You can turn a disruptive
event or adversity into a desirable development. When you're hit by an unexpected crisis... you go from being upset
to coping, to thriving, to serendipity with amazing speed.
p.197 highly resilient people are present in situations with many potential behaviors available
for quick use. What they will do, feel, or say does not exist until they are engaged in a situation. What they will do cannot
be predicted in advance.
