Overcoming Adversity Building Character through Resilience

by Javed Mohammed javed_mohammed@hotmail.com

“Why” is a universal cry for help

Not really

Life is gonna throw setbacks, accidents, relationship fallouts and

other challenges at us.

What’s your outlook on life?

Prototypical Life Trajectories

Denial is an obstacle to positive change

Some people bounce back and others fall apart

10 unhelpful thinking habits

1. All or nothing thinking 2. Jumping to conclusions 3. Over-generalizing 4. Making a mountain out of a mole hill 5. Emotional reasoning 6. Should Statements 7. Taking things personally 8. Wishful thinking 9. Mental filter 10. Discounting the positive

How our thinking manages our emotions

Calm times Strong emotions

Feelings

Feelings

Thinking

Thinking

Catastrophizing

Catch the negative self-talk and substitute them with something

uplifting

Build a Resilience Reservoir

Acceptance

Support Group

Faith

Hope & Sense of Control

Purpose driven

Self reflecting

Commitment

Believe in possibilities

Important Lessons about Failure

• The grass isn’t greener on the other side. • Failure is often mandatory to lead to success • Look down, not up, your perspective will change where you stand • Life doesn’t run on cruise control, it is cycles of expansion and

contraction • Perfection belongs only to God • Think back to a time you were between a rock and a hard place,

how did you get out of it? • You can be a ball or a brick, the choice is yours • You are entitled to nothing, nada, zilch • Accept yourself. You are on this planet for a reason, find it, live it. • Commit and use the divine energy to move mountains

Resiliency means Keep bouncing back