1. PERSEVERANCE, SUCCESS & YOU
Some people are more resilient
than others and you can be too!

2. INTRODUCTION TO PERSEVERANCE
Perseverance is…
achieving positive
growth by overcoming
adversity.

3. www.brianpatrickjensen.com
Perseverance Model
Bounce Back
Persist and Endure
Achieve Success
Be Better For It
INTRODUCTION TO PERSEVERANCE

4. www.brianpatrickjensen.com
 unexpected
 unwanted
 unpleasant
 unsettling
 unlucky
 unhappy
 unprepared
 uncharted
 unrelenting
 unimagined
INTRODUCTION TO PERSEVERANCE

5. INTRODUCTION TO PERSEVERANCE
Perseverance…
is a process of choices
and actions, not a
personality trait.

6. INTRODUCTION TO PERSEVERANCE
APPLICATION
Write 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 feel
isolated and alone. I am caught between two
worlds– hearing people and individuals who are
deaf or profoundly HH. I struggle to communicate
with both. I miss daughters’ laughter & It’s hard.”

7. 5 THINGS RESILIENT PEOPLE DO
1. Believe growth is a choice
2. Stare down hard reality
3. Find a higher meaning
4. Use own pain to heal others
5. Visualize the extraordinary

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. Personal
Growth
Awareness
Desire Skill
Action
Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved
1.) BELIEVE GROWTH IS A CHOICE

12. 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

13. 2.) STARE DOWN HARD REALITY

14. THE OPTIMISM TRAP
Resilient people keep things real
We 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. APPLICATION
Inventory 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 a
quick summary of their day, every day. Then I
can keep a running journal of communications
between my kids and their Dad!”
2.) STARE DOWN HARD REALITY

19. 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

20. 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

21. APPLICATION
Write 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

22. 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

23. 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!

24. APPLICATION
Write 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. APPLICATION
Imagine 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

28. 5 THINGS RESILIENT PEOPLE DO
1. Believe growth is a choice
2. Stare down hard reality
3. Find a higher meaning
4. Use pain to heal others
5. Visualize the extraordinary

29. 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