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Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience Empowering you to create your
Publication Date: April 17, 2012
Unexpected trials will always be a part of life … a lost set of keys, the stress of a botched work assignment, or the heartache of a full-blown health or relationship crisis. If we can accept that it is unrealistic to deny or run away from life's inevitable challenges, we're left with the only question that really matters, how we will choose to view adversity … obstacle or opportunity.
Try to imagine for a moment what it could mean to the quality of your life, if you were able to redefine your view of adversity - from the perspective of an unfortunate victim, to that of an empowered individual, confident in your ability create your own life experience? This is the power of resilience, the characteristics that help us deal with sudden and unexpected obstacles, as well as those we anticipate and cannot avoid.
The good news is studies show that we all have at least some natural resilience characteristics, however - much like unused muscle - if we don't exercise and strengthen these skills, eventually they become weak and far less resistant.
You don't need to be facing a major change or obstacles in your life to decide you want to become stronger and more confident. When we make the choice to not be defined by adversity, to look at all experiences as stepping stones for growth and greater long-term resilience, we are able to approach life on a whole new level, and in the process realign ourselves with what is really important in our lives.
Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience will help you identify the areas that need attention, and show you the way to cultivate greater resilience in life than you ever thought possible
Unexpected trials will always be a part of life … a lost set of keys, the stress of a botched work assignment, or the heartache of a full-blown health or relationship crisis. If we can accept that it is unrealistic to deny or run away from life's inevitable challenges, we're left with the only question that really matters, how we will choose to view adversity … obstacle or opportunity.
Try to imagine for a moment what it could mean to the quality of your life, if you were able to redefine your view of adversity - from the perspective of an unfortunate victim, to that of an empowered individual, confident in your ability create your own life experience? This is the power of resilience, the characteristics that help us deal with sudden and unexpected obstacles, as well as those we anticipate and cannot avoid.
The good news is studies show that we all have at least some natural resilience characteristics, however - much like unused muscle - if we don't exercise and strengthen these skills, eventually they become weak and far less resistant.
You don't need to be facing a major change or obstacles in your life to decide you want to become stronger and more confident. When we make the choice to not be defined by adversity, to look at all experiences as stepping stones for growth and greater long-term resilience, we are able to approach life on a whole new level, and in the process realign ourselves with what is really important in our lives.
Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience will help you identify the areas that need attention, and show you the way to cultivate greater resilience in life than you ever thought possible
127 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2012
15 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Marquita Herald
14 books15 followersMarquita Herald is a resilient living specialist, author, creator of the Resilient Living Collection and website. She is a Maui girl, Introvert and lover of wine, road trips, peanut butter cookies and a dog named Lucy.
Marquita makes her home in Maui Hawaii and when she's not working on a new book, sharing inspiring stories with audiences; working on her blog or locked in a battle of wills with her dog Lucy, she is painting or curled up with a good mystery and glass of her favorite wine.
Marquita makes her home in Maui Hawaii and when she's not working on a new book, sharing inspiring stories with audiences; working on her blog or locked in a battle of wills with her dog Lucy, she is painting or curled up with a good mystery and glass of her favorite wine.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 12, 2014
[This is the correct cover, but when I agreed to do a review of this book, I was actually told the title was Stepping Stones to Emotional Resilience: A Guide to Embracing Your Inner Strength. According to Goodreads and BookLikes, it is called Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience: Empowering You to Create Your Own Life Experience *shrugs*]
There are self-help books I read and then set aside, ones that tell me nothing new and are quickly forgotten; there are ones I learn from, ones that I jot down a few passages from and make me think; then there are ones that light a fire inside of me, begin a journey, lead me down a path of learning and change. This book is one of the latter and you can tell this by all the highlighting I've done inside. It speaks of things I've heard before, but the way it is written, the way the information is provided and the exercises are enlightening and got my mind going before I was even done reading the first chapter. This book is full of empowering quotes and includes stories of people who followed this journey.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
There are self-help books I read and then set aside, ones that tell me nothing new and are quickly forgotten; there are ones I learn from, ones that I jot down a few passages from and make me think; then there are ones that light a fire inside of me, begin a journey, lead me down a path of learning and change. This book is one of the latter and you can tell this by all the highlighting I've done inside. It speaks of things I've heard before, but the way it is written, the way the information is provided and the exercises are enlightening and got my mind going before I was even done reading the first chapter. This book is full of empowering quotes and includes stories of people who followed this journey.
Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
October 1, 2012
“When you fight or resist the circumstances of your life, you create a state of fear and upset that almost always makes your situation worse….Letting go is the inner action that removes the resisting which in turn releases the fear and upset….With the fear gone, you become calm, creative and able to discover solutions that you could never have seen before.” –page 32, Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience
This self-help book by Marquita Herald is chock-full of similar words of wisdom that will inspire you to evaluate how you can help yourself navigate the turbulent waters that life tends to throw our way. This book is well laid out, backed by scientific studies and peppered with helpful personal stories.
Each section starts with a statement like the quote above, follows with supportive information, gives simple steps to help the reader implement the concept, and then ends with a concise summary of the information presented. I really liked how this allows for many ways that readers can assimilate the information. You can do a straight-through read, or skip around topics, choosing those that resonate with where you are at that moment.
Overall, I found this well thought out book to be very beneficial and straightforward with plenty of material to “chew” on. I expect to go back to it again and again, finding new insights each time, depending on where I am in my own personal growth.
A highly recommended read--not just for those who find themselves currently down and out, but for anyone who wants to learn new skills for rolling through life with a little more ease and comfort.
This self-help book by Marquita Herald is chock-full of similar words of wisdom that will inspire you to evaluate how you can help yourself navigate the turbulent waters that life tends to throw our way. This book is well laid out, backed by scientific studies and peppered with helpful personal stories.
Each section starts with a statement like the quote above, follows with supportive information, gives simple steps to help the reader implement the concept, and then ends with a concise summary of the information presented. I really liked how this allows for many ways that readers can assimilate the information. You can do a straight-through read, or skip around topics, choosing those that resonate with where you are at that moment.
Overall, I found this well thought out book to be very beneficial and straightforward with plenty of material to “chew” on. I expect to go back to it again and again, finding new insights each time, depending on where I am in my own personal growth.
A highly recommended read--not just for those who find themselves currently down and out, but for anyone who wants to learn new skills for rolling through life with a little more ease and comfort.
July 10, 2012
Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience delivers. There are many texts which approach the idea of resilience but most only grasp the concept and dance around the practice. Most people who pick up a self help book understand the concept of an idea completely. What we all really want is a guide to tell us what we have to do to improve our lives.
Stepping Stones actually does this.
Think of Stepping Stones as a walkthrough, or a checklist of things we all need to do to bolster ourselves and protect ourselves with our own resilience. This is a guide explaining exactly what sort of things can be done in our lives now, that will improve our ability to deal with difficult situations and roadblocks that fall in our path.
This guide does not dance around resilience and overload your mind with medical mumbo jumbo. This is a practical guide that is perfectly easy to pick up and read in a few hours. You can stop along the way and reflect on the chapters and begin to implement the steps in your own life. Even if you're already pretty resilient, reading this book can give you new ideas and insight into the process of being able to rise from any adversity.
This book teaches us that adverse situations are not to be feared, but accepted as challenges to overcome. We do not have to give up or run away, we can face any situation and conquer it if we have the proper skills. Stepping Stones cites exactly what these skills are and how to build them.
Unlike many self help books, this one acknowledges the fact that the family does not have to be part of your personal support network, and also acknowledges the fact that online communities can be a part of this fortified web as well. Everyone has a different sort of personal support network and it does not have to look a certain way.
The importance of solitude and of introspection are discussed and explained. Many people confuse solitude with loneliness and introspection with doubt but this book will explain otherwise. Overall it is easy to read and understand, requiring no dictionary or linguistic scholar. My favorite discussion, however, is when Marquita explains the difference between realistic optimism and unrealistic optimism. Many people think optimism is plastering a fake smile on your face and saying happy words even when you aren't in a good mood. But there is a difference between healthy, positive realistic optimism-- where you acknowledge risks and plot grand strategies in order to overcome adversity, and unrealistic optimism-- expecting everything to go okay as long as you smile and really BELIEVE it will go fine. The line is drawn between the true and false optimisms and even for this explanation alone, the book is worth it.
Closing up the novel perfectly, the end chapters are filled with inspirational stories of resilience and inspirational quotes. It is a good ending for a self help book and sort of ties it all together. So I give Stepping Stones to Greater Resistance: Self-Development Strategies to Thrive Through Adversity five stars because it does exactly what it sets out to do, and does it in an easy-to-understand, warm and complete way.
Stepping Stones actually does this.
Think of Stepping Stones as a walkthrough, or a checklist of things we all need to do to bolster ourselves and protect ourselves with our own resilience. This is a guide explaining exactly what sort of things can be done in our lives now, that will improve our ability to deal with difficult situations and roadblocks that fall in our path.
This guide does not dance around resilience and overload your mind with medical mumbo jumbo. This is a practical guide that is perfectly easy to pick up and read in a few hours. You can stop along the way and reflect on the chapters and begin to implement the steps in your own life. Even if you're already pretty resilient, reading this book can give you new ideas and insight into the process of being able to rise from any adversity.
This book teaches us that adverse situations are not to be feared, but accepted as challenges to overcome. We do not have to give up or run away, we can face any situation and conquer it if we have the proper skills. Stepping Stones cites exactly what these skills are and how to build them.
Unlike many self help books, this one acknowledges the fact that the family does not have to be part of your personal support network, and also acknowledges the fact that online communities can be a part of this fortified web as well. Everyone has a different sort of personal support network and it does not have to look a certain way.
The importance of solitude and of introspection are discussed and explained. Many people confuse solitude with loneliness and introspection with doubt but this book will explain otherwise. Overall it is easy to read and understand, requiring no dictionary or linguistic scholar. My favorite discussion, however, is when Marquita explains the difference between realistic optimism and unrealistic optimism. Many people think optimism is plastering a fake smile on your face and saying happy words even when you aren't in a good mood. But there is a difference between healthy, positive realistic optimism-- where you acknowledge risks and plot grand strategies in order to overcome adversity, and unrealistic optimism-- expecting everything to go okay as long as you smile and really BELIEVE it will go fine. The line is drawn between the true and false optimisms and even for this explanation alone, the book is worth it.
Closing up the novel perfectly, the end chapters are filled with inspirational stories of resilience and inspirational quotes. It is a good ending for a self help book and sort of ties it all together. So I give Stepping Stones to Greater Resistance: Self-Development Strategies to Thrive Through Adversity five stars because it does exactly what it sets out to do, and does it in an easy-to-understand, warm and complete way.
May 23, 2014
I began to read this book because I have long recognised the need to make some changes to my life. Most people would if they were honest and if it were as simple as taking a pill, this world would be a far happier place.
Unfortunately, I have found that it's not that simple or easy to do, so I needed a little guidance. Was this resilience something I was lacking?
Basically, I think I am quite resilient. I've had to be as my life has been far from kind. But resilient or not, I was never completely happy or content most of the time, just soldiered on as most of us do.
As I read 'Stepping Stones to Emotional Resilience' I discovered the question, 'How well do you really know yourself?' And 'Do you, or have you ever, had a glimmer of your life's purpose?'
The answer to both questions was no. Some of us have been searching for years and not found either one. Maybe we actually think we are not destined to be ecstatically happy.
I have never been one to take the path of least resistance for the sake of peace and quiet. Not all the time anyway, and I have often thought that this was the cause of much of the strife that seemed to follow me around for years.
It would seem that lack of confidence is what ails me, maybe I have the wrong kind of bravery.
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, or the most intelligent. It is the one that is most adaptable to change." Charles Darwin.
I would have thought that I was one of the most adaptable beings on this planet, so what was my problem?
The more of Stepping Stones to Emotional Resilience that I read, it really did seem to be describing me, the 'before' picture if you like. Marquita Herald seemed to be talking to me personally, as if she knew me very well. I also discovered that she knew most of my secret thoughts and excuses too.
This book not only helped me to see what changes I needed to make in my life, but those I could make. Reading it gave me the confidence and determination to actually want to do them.
So if your life is less than perfect, this book could make all the difference in the world to yours...
April 30, 2013
A decade ago I knew two men, both about the same age and both employed in sales for something like fifteen years with the same employer. They were competent and felt secure in their jobs. One day the company run into difficulty and they were retrenched. One of the two was very angry for several weeks, then he successfully started his own business. The other one, previously a very outgoing man, my neighbour actually, fell into a deep state of depression and died less than twelve months later of cancer. These two men handled adversity in very different ways.
As I was reading Marquita Herald’s book “Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience”, I often thought of my previous neighbour and wished I had had this book when he was struggling with trying to come to terms with his retrenchment. The book of course wouldn’t have fixed miraculously all his problems, but perhaps it could have motivated him at least to seek help instead of sitting often all day long in his kitchen staring at the same newspaper page.
If he only could have read the chapter about Amazing Journeys in “Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience”, I’m certain it would have made him think differently about his life. After all, he only lost his job, but Christa Brelsford lost her leg, Cha Sa-soon failed her driver’s test 959 times, another person in the book was diagnosed with a painful medical condition. These people and many others, including Jerry Seinfeld, experienced adversity, often much more severe than my neighbour and they all overcame their miseries and challenges and moved on to happy and successful lives.
“Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience” can help people who find themselves in the doldrums to change and rediscover their lives.
As I was reading Marquita Herald’s book “Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience”, I often thought of my previous neighbour and wished I had had this book when he was struggling with trying to come to terms with his retrenchment. The book of course wouldn’t have fixed miraculously all his problems, but perhaps it could have motivated him at least to seek help instead of sitting often all day long in his kitchen staring at the same newspaper page.
If he only could have read the chapter about Amazing Journeys in “Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience”, I’m certain it would have made him think differently about his life. After all, he only lost his job, but Christa Brelsford lost her leg, Cha Sa-soon failed her driver’s test 959 times, another person in the book was diagnosed with a painful medical condition. These people and many others, including Jerry Seinfeld, experienced adversity, often much more severe than my neighbour and they all overcame their miseries and challenges and moved on to happy and successful lives.
“Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience” can help people who find themselves in the doldrums to change and rediscover their lives.
November 1, 2012
A genuine and heart felt `self help' book written from the perspective of someone who has had real life experience in dealing with adversity. `Stepping Stones to Greater Resilience' not only provides easy to follow advice with how to develop yourself as a person, but also provides real life inspirational examples of extraordinary situations in which the power of resilience has allowed others to overcome life's adversities. Marquita Herald stresses the importance of having a purpose in life and striving to meet goals you perceive to be unobtainable. It is this direction and purpose that helps you overcome periods of pain and grief and develops the attributes that will allow you to lead a more successful and inspired life.
The book really struck a chord with my own personal experiences of dealing with adversity. I think the potential benefits of following the advice, i.e. developing a greater resilience, are immense. As such I would highly recommend this book to anyone, because as Marquita states:
"No matter how hard we try to sidestep them, challenges and disappointments are inevitable in life...so rather than focusing your energy on how to avoid adversity in life, the question then becomes how to develop the skills that will avoid you getting sidetracked and how to use these experiences to your advantage".
The book really struck a chord with my own personal experiences of dealing with adversity. I think the potential benefits of following the advice, i.e. developing a greater resilience, are immense. As such I would highly recommend this book to anyone, because as Marquita states:
"No matter how hard we try to sidestep them, challenges and disappointments are inevitable in life...so rather than focusing your energy on how to avoid adversity in life, the question then becomes how to develop the skills that will avoid you getting sidetracked and how to use these experiences to your advantage".
May 1, 2014
This second edition defines emotional resilience as "that empowering capacity that enables you to effectively recover from life's inevitable challenges. It is the key to strengthening self-esteem and confidence, minimizing the effects of stress and enhancing relationships." The author endeavors to provide tools to meet that test.
At times the book is an effort to read, as the situations people are dealing with can be serious. But if you struggle through the hard sections you will find among the stories bits of wisdom you can employ in your own life when you confront your own trials. The book provides ideas and encouragement to call upon -- ideas to confront your old behavior patterns as you react to stressful situations and meet the circumstances with a more positive mindset.
The book isn't for everyone. I encourage you to read the preview available on Amazon. By the end of the preview you will have a sense if this book is for you.
At times the book is an effort to read, as the situations people are dealing with can be serious. But if you struggle through the hard sections you will find among the stories bits of wisdom you can employ in your own life when you confront your own trials. The book provides ideas and encouragement to call upon -- ideas to confront your old behavior patterns as you react to stressful situations and meet the circumstances with a more positive mindset.
The book isn't for everyone. I encourage you to read the preview available on Amazon. By the end of the preview you will have a sense if this book is for you.
October 8, 2012
Inspired by personal tragedy, "Resilience" has meaning for all. Unlike other books, that may wander in the vagaries of self-empowerment and self-motivation, I found "Resilience" to be not only practical, but applicable to literally every day of life. Drawing on the findings and realizations of countless events, studies, and anecdotes, you will realize that even the darkest moments of living can provide a springboard for success. Finding purpose outside one's self is a pervasive theme, and one that any of us can personalize, as we chase our dreams and conquer our demons. An uplifting and easy read, with some especially poignant quotes. Well done!
September 6, 2016
Avoiding adversity and difficult challenges in any human lifetime is nearly impossible, but properly perceiving adversity and learning to grow through it is the goal. Author Marquita Herald postulates that the key is to develop "emotional resilience." The dictionary definition is that resilience is the ability to recover from illness or adversity, change or misfortune. Ms. Herald believes we each are born with some degree of of emotional resilience; and we each can train ourselves to develop and improve that capacity. She presents principles and practical applications through the examples of others. This book will be an advantageous took, both for reading and for reference.
October 5, 2012
I was very inspired by this book. I have a "Type A" personality and I like things to go smoothly, so I often have a hard time dealing with adversity. This book offers many great suggestions on how to be more resilient in the face of challenges. I particularly enjoyed reading the motivating quotes and the stories of people who have overcome great difficulties in their lives.
November 22, 2016
I didn't learn anything new reading this book. I found it very repetitive.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews