Resilience: Hard-won Wisdom for Living a Better Life

Front Cover
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015 - Psychology - 301 pages
A masterpiece of warrior wisdom that shows how to overcome obstacles with positive action. The best-selling author, Navy SEAL, and humanitarian Eric Greitens offers a self-help book unlike any other.

Two years ago, Eric Greitens unexpectedly heard from a former SEAL comrade, a brother-in-arms he hadn't seen in a decade. Zach Walker had been one of the toughest of the tough. But ever since he returned home from war to his young family in a small logging town, he'd been struggling. Without a sense of purpose, plagued by PTSD, and masking his pain with heavy drinking, he needed help. Zach and Eric started writing and talking nearly every day, and Eric set down his thoughts on what it takes to build resilience in our lives.

Eric's letters--drawing on both his own experience and wisdom from ancient and modern thinkers--are now gathered and edited into a timeless handbook. They explain how we can build purpose, confront the pain in our lives, practice compassion, develop our vocations, find a mentor, create happiness, follow a role model, think about the story of our lives, and much more.

Resilience grapples with real hardship. The lessons are deep, yet practical, and the advice leads to clear solutions. This is a profoundly hopeful book: We all face pain, difficulty, and doubt. But with resilience, we can lead vital, flourishing lives.

 

Contents

Your Frontline
1
Why Resilience?
8
What Is Resilience?
19
Beginning
32
Happiness
49
Models
66
Identity
79
Habits
95
Reflection
192
Friends
208
Mentors
220
Teams
238
Leadership
244
Freedom
252
Story
260
Death
269

Responsibility
106
Vocation
115
Philosophy
129
Practice
147
Pain
157
Mastering Pain
168
Sabbath
274
Back Matter
279
Back Flap
303
Back Cover
304
Spine
305
Copyright

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About the author (2015)

ERIC GREITENS was born and raised in Missouri. After earning a Ph.D. as a Rhodes Scholar and serving as a humanitarian volunteer overseas, Eric joined the Navy SEALs. A boxing champion and a decorated combat veteran, he is the founder of the nonprofit The Mission Continues and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Heart and the Fist.

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