Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Perfect vacation and The Survivors Club

I love to read but don't have nearly enough time. If I could select a great vacation, one of them would be to lock myself in a plush hotel room with a stack of good books for a week. Room service would visit 3 times a day with delicious food that always included a dessert. My room would be stocked with popcorn and orange juice and starbucks coffee for in-between. I'd stay in my bathrobe for the entire week. My room would have a jacuzzi tub too so I could alternate between reading in bed and reading in the warm tub.

One of the books I would have loved to read during my fantasy vacation would have been "The Survivors Club" by Ben Sherwood. What a really good book. It's loaded with interesting stories about people who have survived very harsh circumstances and how they feel that good things emerge from the worst experiences. Also, he talks to many authorities on the subject and shares their data in an easy to understand format.

For instance he talks about DNA Resilience alleles and how some people has long ones (very good...but only 32% of us) or short ones (17%....you might be in trouble) or one of each...most people...51% of us. His writing styles makes this kind of technical information easy to grasp and fun to understand.

Like on page 271 on the Resilience Prescription: Optimism, identify a resilient role model, develop a moral compass, practice altruism, develop acceptance and flexibility, face your fears & learn to control negative emotions, build coping skills, establish a support network, stay physically fit and laugh as much as you can.

Or....page 315...."More than any other psychological strength, adaptability determines who gets into the Survivors Club."....moving with the flow of life instead of against it.

I'd recommend this book to anyone. And, if I get to take my fantasy vacation, I'll let you know all about it when I return.