Jim Francek 4/11/13

Jim Francek, who was a former priest, has worked in the areas of mental health and substance abuse. As part of that effort he has developed resilience workshops for people going through crises in their lives. As defined by Jim, resiliency is the ability to accept and engage life’s challenges on life’s own terms…. With renewed energy, focus and direction in the face of considerable challenges. Life’s challenges include a whole spectrum of issues as serious as the death of a loved one, health issues, your children’s success, and financial problems, to more mundane but just as critical issues such as dealing with retirement, the economy, the impact of new technology, and others. He described a model for resiliency which included aspects such as the changes you need to make to accommodate unplanned future events, what resources you can call upon, how you develop the power to deal with these events and how you maintain the agility to do it again and again. Jim then went on to define the characteristics of resiliency. They included:

  • Responding to the changes coming and taking action to prepare for them.
  • Reconnecting with your internal experiences and strengths from previous critical experiences. Also reconnecting with your support groups.
  • Reframe what is really occurring. Question your attitudes, assumptions and beliefs.
  • Rebuild: Work on attitudes, abilities, and relationships that allow you to focus on positive steps to deal with the issues. Try to prevent fear from immobilizing you. Avoid words like “should and must”
  • Finally rebound, or the ability to have agility to change one’s feelings and actions in an enhancing way.

He finished his talk describing his current project called ‘Eldership for the Earth’. It is a framework that motivates us to be connected and concerned about the earth and all its inhabitants. It deals with how connecting with the earth and nature enriches your life and brings you resilience and healing. He invited anyone interested to participate in this project.

Thank you Brian for another interesting speaker.