Published July 2013 by HarperCollins Publishers
Source: our copy courtesy of the publisher and TLC Book Tours in exchange for this review
We've been watching Bear Grylls in our house for years (and by "we" I mean The Big Guy and the boys) so when this book came up on a tour, I knew it would be one The Big Guy would enjoy reading. Thanks, BG, for sharing your thoughts on this one!
Publisher's Summary:
Life in the outdoors teaches us invaluable lessons. Encountering the wild forces us to plan and execute goals, face danger, push our "limits," and sharpen our instincts. But our most important adventures don't always happen in nature's extremes. Living a purpose-driven, meaningful life can often be an even greater challenge. . . . In A Survival Guide for Life, Bear Grylls, globally renowned adventurer and television host, shares the hard-earned wisdom he's gained in the harshest environments on earth, from the summit of Mt. Everest to the boot camps of the British Special Forces: What are the most important skills to learn if you really want to achieve your maximum potential? How do you keep going when all the odds are stacked against you? How can you motivate a team to follow you in spite of apparent risks? Filled with exclusive, never-before-told tales from Bear's globe-trekking expeditions, A Survival Guide for Life teaches every reader—no matter your age or experience—that we're all capable of living life more boldly, of achieving our most daring dreams, and of having more fun along the way. Here's to your own great adventure!
My Thoughts:
I have liked Bear from the time his show first came to in America some years ago. He shows us how to survive in the wild from extreme cold in the Arctic, rugged mountains and in remote swamps. In this book he applies the character traits and skills he has learned from these expeditions on his show, his ascent of Everest and his UK Special Forces work and pulls in wisdom from various people from Winston Churchill to his parents.
This book is a quick read and you could plow through in one night, but I believe it is best enjoyed in 20-30 minute segments to soak in the wisdom. While each of the 75 segments are short they are each very diverse from each other and I felt the need to take some time to enjoy them in small quantities.
The titles of these chapters or segments are things like "Have a Dream, Never Give Up, Pack Light, Failure Isn't Failure, Storms Make You Stronger, Scouting Principals to Live By, Two Ears One Mouth, Don't Dwell on Mistakes, Crisis = Danger + Opportunity" and many others.
The title of the book pretty well sums up what it is all about "A Survival Guide for Life - How to achieve your goals, thrive in adversity and grow in character" I really plan to use this is a reference to read periodically as a pick me up or to just remind myself to push myself a little harder. My boys having been in Boy Scouts growing up so I plan to encourage them to give it a read.
Even though Bear is an expert in survival and special forces, he brings forth concepts, stories and guidance that are useful for anyone whether young, old, male, female, CEO or entry level employee.
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