HLAA Presents Perseverance Success and You!

PERSEVERANCE, SUCCESS & YOU

Some people are more resilient than others and you can be too!

INTRODUCTION TO PERSEVERANCE

Perseverance is… achieving positive growth by overcoming adversity.

www.brianpatrickjensen.com

Perseverance Model

Bounce Back

Persist and Endure

Achieve Success

Be Better For It

INTRODUCTION TO PERSEVERANCE

www.brianpatrickjensen.com

unexpected unwanted unpleasant unsettling unlucky

unhappy unprepared uncharted unrelenting unimagined

INTRODUCTION TO PERSEVERANCE

INTRODUCTION TO PERSEVERANCE

Perseverance…is a process of choices and actions, not a personality trait.

INTRODUCTION TO PERSEVERANCE

APPLICATIONWrite out a brief description of the problem, crisis or challenge you now wish to overcome“I am profoundly HH in a hearing society and I feelisolated and alone. I am caught between twoworlds– hearing people and individuals who aredeaf or profoundly HH. I struggle to communicatewith both. I miss daughters’ laughter & It’s hard.”

5 THINGS RESILIENT PEOPLE DO

1. Believe growth is a choice2. Stare down hard reality3. Find a higher meaning4. Use own pain to heal others 5. Visualize the extraordinary

1.) BELIEVE GROWTH IS A CHOICE

No Control (External)

Influence

(External)

You

(Internal)

We do NOT control

the “External” world

All other people

Time and events

Economic pressures

Medical diagnoses

Weather and seasons

Harm and tragedy

Hitting the lottery

1.) BELIEVE GROWTH IS A CHOICE

No Control (External)

Influence

(External)

You

(Internal)

We DO control the

“Internal” self

Reactions to Externals

Decisions, beliefs & values

Plans (not outcomes!)

Self-awareness

Desire, passion & energy

Skills and learning

Behaviors and actions

1.) BELIEVE GROWTH IS A CHOICE

No Control (External)

Influence

(External)

You

(Internal)

We can “Influence”

the External world

It is ineffective to focus on

things you do not control

Focus on the External

DECREASES Influence

Focus on the Internal

INCREASES Influence

Personal Growth

Awareness

Desire Skill

Action

Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved

1.) BELIEVE GROWTH IS A CHOICE

1.) BELIEVE GROWTH IS A CHOICE

APPLICATION

Write two lists concerning your current challenge:

I do NOT Control• That my hearing is kaput• Social bias to Deaf / HH• People who don’t get it• Technology limits• Audience trance

I DO Control• How I communicate• How I help others • Asking for help• Learning HH gadgets• My stage presence

2.) STARE DOWN HARD REALITY

THE OPTIMISM TRAP

Resilient people keep things realWe are hard-wired unrealistic*Optimism: Denial in disguise

2.) STARE DOWN HARD REALITY

*People hugely underestimate chances of getting divorced, losing a job and being diagnosed ill while overestimating personal achievement, family fortune and life span.

-Time Magazine: The Science of Optimism

INVENTORY COLD HARD FACTS

I lost all hearing; it’s permanent

Career took a major hit

Miss my children’s voices

Get exponentially less information

I feel isolated; talk to less people

Interpreting visual cues is exhausting

Lip reading seems impossible

Yearn for sounds of music, nature, etc.

Depleting all my money

2.) STARE DOWN HARD REALITY

GRIEVE WITH PASSION

Holding back is unhealthy Sharing pain helps you & others Process toward healing

2.) STARE DOWN HARD REALITY

Sadness, anger and depression are sane reactions to great loss. Grieving is a healthy process with stages that should be experienced, not denied.

- Coping with Grief and Loss: HelpGuide.org

ASK FOR SPECIFIC HELP

Admit you need help (Acceptance)

Do not assume they know Show exactly what to do Never beg, apologize or demand Reinforce positive efforts

2.) STARE DOWN HARD REALITY

APPLICATIONInventory all the cold hard facts of your situation. Select 1 item and describe specifically how another person can help you with it.

“I can ask my daughters to text or email me aquick summary of their day, every day. Then Ican keep a running journal of communicationsbetween my kids and their Dad!”

2.) STARE DOWN HARD REALITY

3.) FIND A HIGHER MEANING

“Resilient people know that pain instructs and insist to find lessons through their plight. They are convicted toward a higher purpose in suffering. They simply believe that hurt means more.”

– Brian Patrick Jensen

3.) FIND A HIGHER MEANING

Found CSD via HLAA Nature is more vivid Insight into human behavior Better comprehension via captions Keener of others’ true feelings New friends who understand Inspired by others’ feedback Better at sharing my heart Closer to my children Higher vocation and aspirations Advocate for Deaf and HH w/ CSD

APPLICATIONWrite your own list of lessons learned or desirable outcomes that actually occurred as a result of your difficulty (e.g. how I found CSD!)

Caution: List only firm convictions, facts or actual events. This is not a wish list or ambiguous hope that something good will come. It must be real.

3.) FIND A HIGHER MEANING

4.) USE PAIN TO HEAL OTHERS

You are uniquely qualified

Pain instructs far more effectively than positives

Pain creates action; satisfaction breeds sloth

What are your most powerful “pain-connects?”

Rally together with those who “get it” to do something big!

“Mr. Jensen is effectively deaf.” Doylestown Hospital-ENT audiology report on 7/9/2010

4.) USE PAIN TO HEAL OTHERS

Memorized Sarah’s speech

Wrote daughters a poem

Started new blog

Contacted HLAA / ALDA

Implored “Real About Diversity” to HR groups

Joined CSD to help others facing similar challenges

Created this presentation!

APPLICATIONWrite a list of attributes that make you uniquely qualified to assist others who share your pain; then write second list of actions you can take to reach out to them.

Then do it!

4.) USE PAIN TO HEAL OTHERS

5.) VISUALIZE THE EXTRAORDINARY

See higher purpose to current struggles via a concrete vision: Visualization techniques (as in athletes)

Imagine specifically “Dreams Awake” Set concrete goals for future

5.) VISUALIZE THE EXTRAORDINARY

“The people cheer wildly. They are moved by my preaching; they are inspired. Cameras are popping, lights are whirling and the ovation is thunderous. The scene overwhelms me with pride and gratitude. I feel a warmth and love and connection with the crowd. It’s magical!”

– Dreams Awake blog post by Brian Patrick Jensen

APPLICATIONImagine a future of happiness and accomplishment beyond* your current struggles. Be very specific and write it down. Dream big!*Note: “Beyond” does not mean “without” if your current problem is permanent. I didn’t visualize to be cured of my deafness; rather to use my hearing loss to inspire others that they can overcome their struggles too.

5.) VISUALIZE THE EXTRAORDINARY

5 THINGS RESILIENT PEOPLE DO

1. Believe growth is a choice2. Stare down hard reality3. Find a higher meaning4. Use pain to heal others5. Visualize the extraordinary

BE INSPIRED EVERY DAY!

Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt and live like it’s heaven on Earth.

–Mark Twain