Thoughts That Feed the Resilient Mind: Affirmations, Thoughts to Stay Resilient

By Dr. Robin R. Laysears-Smith

Thoughts that Feed the Resilient Mind offers inspirational, challenging affirmations and provoking ideas to nurture the resilient mind. These thoughts provide enhancement to self-empowerment, spiritual awareness, and alternative ways of thinking and responding to life. The words in this work can help you maintain resiliency through adverse, traumatic, and difficult times. It may inspire you to respond with positive actions, uplift you, encourage you, and transcend your thoughts to feed the resilient mind.

This is a guide for anyone wanting to stay resilient through unwanted events, such as loss of a job, a loved one, or a troubled relationship, or having trouble staying resilient when things do not go as planned.

One may ask, "How often does one have to practice resiliency in order to count resiliency as an attribute to their character?"Resilience is necessary to grow through recovery and life's challenges and uncomfortable situations. It is imperative that we respond and not react. Responding takes effort and application of spiritual principles such as love, forgiveness, and trust. Reacting usually results in needing forgiveness for inappropriate responses. We are responsible for our own healing, learning, and growth.

Editorial Reviews:

"Dr. Robin R. Laysears-Smith expertly guides you through a spiritual and inspirational roadmap for life in her small but powerful book Thoughts That Feed The Resilient Mind.

She covers everything from self-esteem to forgiveness to family and work relationships to a person's relationship to God by utilizing her own beliefs and words as well as the stories and quotes of others.

It is quick and easy read that gives one a lot to ponder. Reading it will help you to positively build your own road to resilience. It should be an important part of any library having to do with self growth. "

Dr. Beatrice S. Lazaroff, Psychologist

"The fundamentals presented in this book are the key to success. Dr. Robin Laysears-Smith is a master of them. Read her book, but most importantly, use it!"

Milton Brown, Ed.M, Retired School Principal

"We all questioned, either to ourselves or to others, why do I feel that something bad always happens to me. Some people go through this time quickly, almost as if it was a short trip. They are back, thinking positively, embracing their future, their spirituality, their family, friends and careers stronger than ever. Yet others take an extended vacation in their feelings of despair and negativity. The key to the return trip is resiliency. Dr. Laysears-Smith shares with us how you can develop a resilient mind and outlook on your situation. By using positive affirmations, stories that inspire and teach, and methods that develop resilient thinking, the reader can take control of a situation and begin to frame their life in a more positive manner.

Knowing Robin as I do, she embodies the qualities that she describes so vividly in her book. She is infectious in her laughter, caring for others, and has a deep mission for others to be successful. When she told me she was writing this book on the resilient mind, I knew that this was her destiny in her lifes work."

Thomas S. Jakubczyk, Ed.M., Retired District Administrator.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Nov 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781452581422

Dr. Robin R. Laysears-Smith

Dr. Robin R. Laysears-Smith has more than twenty years of experience in education. She has served on the cabinet of three Superintendents of Schools. A few of her successes include raising student achievement, staff accountability and climate and culture of many schools through a myriad of effective programming and training. Dr. Laysears-Smith obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Cheyney University, Masters of Education and Doctorate of Education degrees from Temple University. She was honored with the Outstanding Dissertation in Education from Phi Beta Kappa. Her experiences in education are diverse from urban to rural communities. Dr. Laysears-Smith has written and received many grants for at-risk youth and innovative learning concepts. She has been recognized by Pennsylvania Department of Education for her work with at-risk programs. Dr. Laysears- Smith has served on national, state and local advisory boards and currently serves on national and local nonprofit advisory boards. She mentors doctoral students and serves as External Examiner of dissertations and continues to inspire leaders in education and social services. Hence, student success is at the core of her belief system. Dr. Laysears-Smith is the Founder of Women Empowering Themselves (WET) and CEO and Founder of High Stakes Education Services (HSESƑ. She continues to serve many nonprofit and profit organizations to advance their academic and social initiatives. She has a passion to communicate to a vast variety of people from schools to prisons, churches to profit organizations. Dr. Robin R. Laysears-Smith provides memorable, informative, academic, motivational lectures and presentations. Her aim is to educate and empower people. She resides in Southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband of 19 years and their teenage son.

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Robin R. Laysears-Smith.

Cover and Interior Images by: Christopher Mann

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

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Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN: 978-1-4525-8141-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-8143-9 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-8142-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013915840

Balboa Press rev. date: 11/13/2013

Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Preface

Introduction: The Resilient Mind

Let’s begin with…

Chapter 1: Resilient Attributes

Spiritual Awareness

Purpose

Valuing Time

Life’s Lessons

Perseverance

Forgiveness

Healthy Relationships

Inspired Leadership

Tranquility

Chapter 2: Passages to Resiliency

Chapter 3: Journaling

Personal Journal Entries

Establishing a Family Journal

Sample Family Journal Entries

Resilient Descriptors

Bibliography

About the Author

Acknowledgments

This work is dedicated to the vast network of healing links that has empowered my life with unconditional love, tender care, and constant prayer.

I want to first thank my husband, Aubrey Smith, for his unbiased critiques, philosophical insights and patience, which were all instrumental to the re-evaluation of my work. To my mother, Joyce Laysears, my son, Zabree, my mentor, Elder Grace D. Cooke-Waters and my friend, Dr. Bradley Brown for their unconditional love and encouragement. I also want to thank my friends Jamailah Carroll, Sandy Short, and Maria Barber for putting up with my endless requests for them to listen to my thoughts throughout the writing of this book.

Thank you, Arlene Chappelle, Thomas Jakubczyk, and Milton Brown for their editorial inputs.

A special thank you to Dr. Lew Smith for his graciousness and wisdom in the writing of the Foreword and to many others whose thoughts and beliefs contributed to the writing this book.

Foreword

Robin Laysears-Smith’s manuscript, Thoughts that Feed the Resilient Mind arrived the same day my wife and I decided to see the newly released film, My 12 Years as a Slave. Little did I know there would be strong connections between Robin’s book and the film, which has been called the finest ever made about the African American slave experience.

The film tells the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black living in Saratoga Springs, NY in 1841. He is married with two children, well respected in the white and black communities. And, he is an accomplished violinist, the root of his undoing. Solomon is persuaded by two new acquaintances to join them in performing in Washington DC. He agrees and in the celebration that follows he is filled with wine. Solomon wakes up in chains and is told that he has a new name and he is a slave. He has been kidnapped and will be taken to Georgia and treated as if he was a runaway. At first, Solomon is in a state of disbelief. That quickly changes.

All the horrors of slavery unfold on the massive movie theater screen. Families are torn apart with a hysterical mother screaming with no end about the two children taken from her. Slaves swing by nooses, suffering a slow and painful death as bodies continued to twitch after the last breath of air is taken by the slaves. As the overseer made clear, They are my property and I will do with them what I please.

This was a four-finger film for me, meaning there were scenes, when I covered my eyes, allowing only one finger’s space to let me see what was happening. In a particularly emotional scene Solomon is ordered to whip a slave girl or else all the slaves would be shot. Solomon whips the girl, with tears in his eyes.

The inevitable questions, how were these slaves able to survive? In what ways were they resilient? In the film we see some of the survival strategies. Say what they (the white masters and overseers) want to hear and nothing more. Yes sir, no sir, what do you want done, sir? If possible look away when someone is beaten or killed. Carry a belief in God, pray and sing.

Strength, impossible to describe, kept the survivors alive. Solomon told the others that he would not flee into despair. There were many times he could have given up, He didn’t. Solomon was resilient. But what does it mean to be resilient?

Robin Layears-Smith has written an inspirational book that can help us understand the need for and value of resiliency. There is no narrative that calls for the