The Gift of Adversity: The Unexpected Benefits of Life's Difficulties, Setbacks, and Imperfections
Best-selling author and psychiatrist Rosenthal begins this inspirational book with a quotation from Shakespeare’s As You Like It: Sweet are the uses of adversity. It is his belief, expressed over and over again here, that one cannot navigate life successfully without experiencing and overcoming adversity. The trick, he insists, is to find something of value in the experience. In this way, he maintains, we can become stronger people if we learn from our mistakes and misfortunes. He divides adversity into three broad categories: the adversity that comes from bad luck; the adversity we bring about ourselves; and the adversity that we seek out, whether taking a calculated risk on something or setting off on an adventure. Rosenthal also offers methods and techniques to overcome adversity, including practicing meditation, developing healthy habits, and talking and writing about traumatic experiences, from the Holocaust to lesser evils (scams, grudges, the loss of dreams). Each chapter concludes with a reflection: Life is precious but precarious: treat it with the care and respect it deserves. Plenty of food for thought. --June Sawyers