The Life and Times of a Survivor: And Lessons For Us All
Andrew Alan Bogner
Author Bio
Born in New York City, the author is an experienced technology Project Manager, with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Master’s in business. He enjoys the outdoors, many sports, lifelong learning, writing, computers, movies, theatre, travel, good food, interesting people and humor of all sorts.
Description
First things first. Please enunciate clearly when you describe the purpose of this book to others. Otherwise, a book written to help overcome ADVERSITY, is mistakenly heard as how to better overcome DIVERSITY. Sheesh.
That said, what you can learn from this book is powerful and can transform your life for the better.
As far as I can tell, nobody on this planet lives their life without encountering adversity of some type and at some time. If that statement somehow doesn’t apply to you, then I’d like to read YOUR book.
But, assuming you are facing, or expect to face adversity, dealing with it can be difficult and open you up to many options, forcing you to make choices. My contention is that the better you’re prepared to handle adversity, the better you’re likely to come through it. So, I’ve provided a series of tools that worked for me and may also assist you in preparing to better deal with adversity.
They may serve as a reference you can choose from over time, or teach you something about learning from your own past to help.
There are many tools we can use to deal with adversity which already exist. . Automobile insurance reimburses you if your car is stolen/damaged. Vaccines prevent various illnesses and auxiliary sluice gates prevent a dam from bursting or overflowng. These are all wonderful things, but deal with a known peril or perils . But what if we encounter an uncovered or unexpected type of adversity? In addition, we also don’t know when or possibly how to be vigilant. For example, how can we possibly prepare ourselves to deal with our best friend losing his parents after they’re shot during a bank robbery?
I’m a simple guy and have no way to predict the future, so there has to be another way to prepare for adversity. But, why go to the trouble of looking for some tool or framework to help in the first place? Because we can possibly be overwhelmed by an unexpected problem. Not only may the original issue remain unresolved, but it might drive you into a rut as you struggle to deal with it. An example would be having social drinking become more of an issue while confronted with your friend’s parents’ killing.
So, if we can’t predict the future and know about specific tragic events ahead of time, what can be done? How do we better prepare to make choices, learn and move on?
LIFETIME REFERENCE BOOK: I can’t say I’ve gone to Hell and back more than anyone. But I do have a lot of experience successfully dealing with many, many of life’s issues (ex: family deaths, chronic illness, divorce,loss of children, unemployment, crime, financial loss, employment discrimination). Enough experience to know that there’s more than one way to cope. So, I’ve drawn on my coping skills and written a guide you can use for a lifetime. The tools are adaptable to your personality and comfort level. because I’ve provided 4 models you can use: Process, anecdotal, inspirational and humorous.
I’ll leave the great reviews on the review page for you to see, but will paste one in below:
Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Andrew has shared his story like an old friend. His writing style is comfortable and genuine, yet sharp and funny. He openly shares his life’s journey: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and gives us personal insight in developing and maintaining a glass is half full mentality. Most amazingly, he defines what it takes to fill up that other half of empty space. Andrew is a humble teacher of gratitude, for you cannot be grateful and depressed at the same time, no matter what life throws your way. Wonderful read, leaves you thinking…
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Book excerpt
CHAPTER 1 – CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR CHOICE OF PARENTS
LL3 – Some things are within our control and others never will be. It’s critical to figure out which is which, but, in the matter of birth, who you get for parents is a complete and total wild card. It’s most likely the defining event in most people’s lives, and it boils down to the luck of the draw. Fortunately for me, my brother (Jeremy) and sister (Karen), we hit it big in the parental sweepstakes. Mine were Ellen and Alan. They had come from poor to middle class origins in Brooklyn and the Bronx and worked themselves into upper middle class circumstances.
On the day I was born, friends of my parents sent a telegram to me, ostensibly, congratulating me on my choice of parents. Just goes to show how well they knew my folks. I feel quite fortunate that fate provided the parents I had because I think what I learned from them was invaluable and in some cases, perhaps even saved my life in the years to come.
I was born in New York City and raised in that area into adulthood, so my perspective is that of a Northeasterner. In addition, I was born in the mid 50’s, so I’m also a baby boomer. Last, but not least, I’m partially Jewish and partially Catholic (by birth and culture, but not practice). Taking stock of myself and in context with the feedback I’ve received over the years, what follows are my recollections, impressions of my life, and lessons learned. The book will span my formative years and continue to the present.
My father was a significant influence, but not necessarily primary. Dad was a serious math whiz, but with a sense of humor that could undress someone instantly, using a combination of quick wit and good taste (at least most of the time). He also made a substantial living as a Statistician, was intelligent, organized and principled. He used to tell me that if I was going to do something, to ‘…do it the right way, or not at all’. He used to use the example of the New York Yankees, a team he always admired, to demonstrate his point. For example, the other big League teams, while having some extremely good, even superior players, didn’t make the most of them. The Yankees seemed to win more championships than the rest of the teams other combined, or, so it seemed. Looking at life through this lens, it became obvious to me that doing things the right way did not happen just by wishing for it. Tangible steps and hard work needed to be done in order to get where you wanted to go. This didn’t guarantee that you would necessarily out-distance everyone, but you should do quite well. I grew up embracing these qualities and development of LL4 & LL5- a sense of humor and always trying my best are qualities that have served me extremely well over the years.
Author Website
http://www.outskirtspress.com/survivor/