Hello, Adversity Weekly Roundup #29 - August 19, 2023

Exciting changes are in store!

Chris Anselmo

Aug 19, 2023

Sunrise in between rocks. The rocks are surrounded by water, with coastline in the foreground. — Photo credit: Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash

Happy Saturday everyone!

Welcome to the 29th - and final - edition of the Hello, Adversity Weekly Roundup.

That’s right. This is the final edition, at least technically speaking. But it’s good news.

Starting next Saturday, this newsletter will be called The Resilience Response.

Why the change? For a while, I have wanted to standardize this Saturday newsletter with consistent categories and give it a new name. I also wanted to add new content that would make this newsletter more than a weekly links roundup.

Why the name? Everyone encounters adversity, but not everyone responds to it in the same way. Some handle it well; others don’t. (I’ve lived both extremes.) How we respond to adversity impacts our future. If we can respond with a resilient mindset, we will be in a better position to grow from our adversity and gain confidence in ourselves. This newsletter provides the tools and strategies to do just that.

Here’s what to expect in each edition of The Resilience Response:

One news story: A feature piece or news story that depicts resilience in action in the real world.
One first-person essay: A unique resilience perspective from an opinion writer, a fellow Substacker, a TED Talk or another source.
One resilience strategy: A practical step that you can implement today.
One influence from my life: Something that has impacted me on my resilience journey. This can be a book, a role model, a strategy, a tool, or something else.
One intention: A thought for you to consider in the week ahead.

I am so excited to get this launched!

Since this is the last Hello, Adversity Weekly Roundup, I thought I would share a few of my favorite links from the previous 28 weeks:

From Week 6: ‘Keep your eyes open – and leap into the future’: 100 centenarians’ 100 tips for a life well lived

This article cracks me up. The Guardian interviewed centenarians in the UK to get their perspective on what makes for a life well lived. There are so many nuggets of wisdom and hilarious responses in this piece.

Practical favorite: “Alex Pelican, 100: ‘Always keep your mind open to new ideas, read widely so you understand different points of view, and think about how things could be better.’”

Still makes me laugh: “Guy Warren, 101: ‘Keep an up-to-date and working b******* detector somewhere handy – you will need it many times.’”

From Week 9: Nothing Else Matters: How coaching became a form of medicine for Patrick Behan

St. John’s College High School basketball coach Patrick Behan led his team to the #2 seed in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tournament this past February. This would be an impressive accomplishment on its own until you learn that he is coaching his team while also living with ALS.

This short documentary highlights Behan’s journey as he attempts to coach the Cadets to a championship while contending with the realities of a rapidly-progressing disease.

The end of the video still gives me chills.

“There is a saying: A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.”

From Week 19: Rage rooms: Why recreational smashing could be good for your mental health

This was the week I learned about rage rooms. For a few bucks, you can destroy objects and let off steam in a controlled environment. Plates, printers, photos of your ex—all are fair game.

“Whenever we get gnomes, they go like hotcakes.”

From Week 24: Bitter Rivals. Beloved Friends. Survivors

This was a moving story about the rivalry and friendship of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova as they both faced their most formidable foe: cancer.

“Evert had an almost intuitive sense of when to check up on Navratilova. Just when she would be near despair, not trusting herself to drink from a glass with one quivering hand, the phone would buzz, and it would be Evert. ‘What stands out is the timing,’ Navratilova says. ‘It was always spot on. Like she knew I was at a low point. I don’t know how she knew, but she did. It was like some kind of cosmic connection. Because it was uncanny.’”

If you have a story you’d like me to include in a future newsletter, please email me at helloadversity@substack.com or leave a comment below.

Follow Hello, Adversity on Instagram!