Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy

by Sheryl Sandberg & Adam Grant

If you are facing a difficult transition this book has so much to offer! Sheryl Sandberg warmly and
openly shares her personal journey of losing her husband David. In “Option B” Sheryl demonstrates how
she used so many tools and approaches of positive psychology to build her resiliency, and that of her
kids, during that heartbreaking period.

As you know I base my coaching on Positive Psychology; I believe in its strength and effectiveness to
help create a happier life. Sheryl Sandburg’s lessons, with the help of Adam Grant, are many, including
giving herself permission to be happy again. I cried, I learned, and I was reminded that building
resiliency is a lifelong practice.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

By Mark Manson

Given one of the chapters is entitled “You are not Special” you might think this an odd recommendation
from a life coach. Not to mention he also poo poo’s self-help books, life coaches and uninterrupted
happiness. As the title suggests the “f bomb” is everywhere too, so if you are offended by that this may
not be an ideal choice for you.

SO WHY DO I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK? It puts effort and problems in perspective allowing us
to free up our lives to enjoy and focus on what really matters. He comes at this topic from a different
perspective but his destination is the same… decide what’s worth worrying about in your life and stop
giving a “fuck” about all the other, and mostly smaller, “shit”. He is real to address that life requires
resiliency and grit. Life is not always happy nor is that reasonable to expect, no matter how much we
may wish it were. Our lives are laden with problems. The key is to pick problems worth having.
He strings the book along with humor, made up characters, and personal experiences. This book is a
best seller for a reason. It’s great.

Mindset: the new psychology of success

By Carol S. Dweck, Phd.

Carol Dweck and her team through decades of work have proven a simple idea; a growth mindset is
more empowering in succeeding whether in school, business, sports or any area of life. So what is a
growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset? Growth motivates by creating a mindset that says we are always
learning and able to improve. Fixed mindset says we are either good at something or we are not which
creates a harder line around success and failure. When you have a growth mindset failure is not a
problem, it’s part of the learning process and to be expected, even encouraged as it supports trying or
learning something new.

In my 40’s I wanted to learn how to be happier so I enrolled in Certificate in Positive Psychology with Tal
Ben Shahar. My fixed mindset, at the time, made enrolling intimidating. I was sure everyone else taking
the course would be a professional psychologist, therapist, or social worker and I was a real estate
developer. A growth mindset, of which I now have, says if you want to learn more about something
that’s great, go explore, admit you don’t know something and grow. It takes the fear of failure away. It
eliminates our ego from keeping us from admitting we don’t already have it all figured out. It opened
the door for me to better my life and in doing so discover my calling; to become a positive psychology
life coach.

This book is a must read for parents and educators.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES