Book Review: Supersurvivors

Supersurvivors: The Surprising Link Between Suffering and Success

By Angelique Ringgold

Supersurvivors is the work of two psychologists exploring the idea that some people are able to transform their lives after facing severe hardship or adversity. These so-called Supersurvivors “…do more than bounce back. Sometimes they bounce forward.” According to Amazon’s review of the book. 

My Take

I really appreciate the position this book takes. It takes a lot more than just “positive thinking” to overcome a hardship. In fact, the authors of the book suggest that positive thinking can be harmful if it causes someone to ignore the situation around them. That was actually very refreshing to me because I have always thought of myself as a practical person, and not some Pollyanna. There’s a word that describes a person that can bounce back from hardship – resiliency. 

In fact, it was at my uncle’s 80th birthday party when I first heard someone use that word to describe me. My uncle is a very gregarious guy, and although he is 80+ years old by the calendar, he’s much sharper than most people I know.  Anyway, we were celebrating his 80th birthday at a lovely Italian restaurant and at the end of the meal, he went around to everyone at the table and one by one, said something that he liked and appreciated about each person. That’s when I heard it. That word. Resiliency. That’s the word he used to describe me. 

But in Supersurvivors, the authors go beyond mere resiliency and demonstrate many case studies of people who wound up coming back from an illness, injury, or trauma better than ever before. 

V.E.R.O.

It wasn’t until I sat down to write this blog post that I realized why this book resonated with me so much. It’s because of a formula that Tim and I came up with during one of the most challenging times of our life together. The birth, life, and death of our daughter Bella. For those of you that don’t know, Bella was born with a rare genetic disorder called Epidermolysis Bullosa. Imagine having a newborn baby with skin that doesn’t work properly? Meaning, the slightest touch or rub would cause blisters or shear the skin right off! We had to become wound care experts immediately. She needed daily bandage changes. Which were painful for Bella and emotionally draining for us. 

It was as a result of this massive life challenge that Tim came up with V.E.R.O. a Four-Step Formula for Overcoming Adversity.

Vision + Events + Response = Outcome

The basic gist of it is that it is our reaction to events that determines the outcome, not the events themselves. When events don’t match the vision we have, we experience a gap that is difficult to reconcile.

If you’d like to learn more about V.E.R.O. Tim did a webinar on the topic that you can access HERE. 

Add This to Your Reading List

I realize a lot of folks are going through REALLY tough times right now. COVID has impacted everyone in some way. But the impact has not been equal. Some are fortunate enough to be able to work from home and keep a steady income. Others have had to shutter their businesses and are sick with worry trying to figure out how to make ends meet. There are of course, those who have been infected with the virus and are just literally trying to survive. 

If you are wondering how you’ll survive this crisis….or the next one…or the next one….Supersurvivors is a good read to provide some perspective.