YOUR REAL LIFE

A guide offers a blueprint for how to face difficulties and make bigger, bolder decisions.

Adversities, life coach Andres points out at the beginning of his book, come in all shapes and sizes, often arrive at the worst times, and seldom appear alone. When people don’t respond productively to these hardships, it’s not only their careers and relationships that can suffer, but also their own inner peace. To prevent this, the author, a self-described “well-being activist,” has developed during his years of coaching clients a model of what he calls “authentic resilience.” He refers to this by the acronym “REAL,” with the letters standing for reality, energy, authenticity, and love. Andres describes the journey he took to becoming a wellness coach—attending Jesuit Marquette University in Wisconsin, living in Japan, coming out as gay, and working in human resources in New York City for over 20 years. He then elaborates on the elements of his REAL model, going into the details of social elements and brain chemistry and citing experts, from behaviorists to neuroscientists, in order to flesh out his core concept of authenticity, which he describes as more of a process than an individual trait. Throughout his account, Andres is an upbeat, enthusiastic proponent of acquainting his readers with “the Reality Curve,” the spectrum on which they can place their own responses to the hard knocks they encounter. In clear prose that consistently respects the audience’s intelligence, the author urges his readers to be “optimistic, open, and accepting” in handling setbacks—don’t run from them and don’t deceive yourself about them, but rather learn from them and let them change you for the better. It’s easy to see how applicable most of this advice would be in the business world, but readers will find it even more valuable for coping with everyday life.

An uplifting, useful, no-nonsense game plan for dealing with life’s obstacles.