SWDesertHomes in Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, Vail & More!: Surviving your Serengeti - What's Your Endurance Level?

I just finished reading the wonderful advance copy of  Surviving your Serengeti, written by Stefan Swanepoel   

I was invited by Active Rain to preview Stefan's book, take the quiz about myself, and share a post about the first two chapters.

Reading?  I'm in!

Knowledge?  I'm hooked!

Personal growth?  SOLD!

Could reading this book contribute to my potential in business, networking, and personal goals?  It was worth a two-chapter preview to find out!

The section that jumped out to me, personally, spoke about endurance.  It went on to say that, "while staying the course in and of itself is obviously not a guarantee for success, it is the number one skill that will see you through to the end.”

And, if we cannot find endurance within ourselves to face the challenges of life, the author shares: "you need a spouse, close friend, or office colleague who can give you encouragement and motivation on a regular basis. Enduring together is much easier. Remember, the wildebeest doesn’t run alone.”

It's a great reminder.  Life, we're not in it alone!

The end of chapter two discussed the main trait of the wildebeest (ENDURANCE)in comparison to our own lives. 

• How do we as individuals face and handle endurance?
  
• What are our coping (survival) skills?
• How do we hone this skill? (Endurance)
• And lastly, importantly, how do we maximize our ENDURANCE skill?

Words like flexibility, patience, perspective - Stefan reminds us that a return to our basic foundational skills can be the difference between survival or extinction.

I am excited to read about the many animal traits that follow in this book. According to the "personality trait" test, out of 4100 participants: 27% are crocodile, 24% giraffe, 16% elephant, 9% cheetah, 8% lion, 7% wildebeest, 8% mongoose

I'm a giraffe, and the results tell me that the giraffe represents "grace", and an ability to rise above the negative events of time.  Initially, I didn't think I was all that grace-ful, but then I thought back to the recent Tucson shooting that shocked the US and staggered us with its press releases.  My first reaction was, "Well, there's no point in blogging about Tucson anymore.  Who in the heck is going to want to live here."  And then, the next morning, upon further reflection, I wrote about how this Tucson tragedy did not define us, We are more.  We can make a positive out of this senseless, violent assault on our way of life. And we have.  And we are.

Maybe Tucson is a giraffe, too.

Here's a quick synopsis of the rules:

Once you download and read the first two chapters, and take the quiz, Active Rain asks that you write a blog post about the first two chapters or the quiz.

"A few minor guidelines from Active Rain:

• Each post (one per member) will be given 2500 points.
• We ask that you provide a link back to the quiz and this post, so other members can take the quiz and participate in the challenge.
• The day the book launches, March 1st, Stefan will be picking his favorite posts and those posts will be included in a special ActiveRain Daily Drop newsletter
• After you write your post, please include a link back to your post in the comment section of this post.
• Posts must be submitted by Friday, February 25th at Midnight Eastern Time in order to qualify for the 2500 points.
• Share your post with us on Facebook on the ActiveRain fan page and the Surviving Your Serengeti fan page. This part is optional, but you can earn an extra 1000 points for sharing on Facebook. If you do share on Facebook. Please include the fact you did that in the comment section when you leave your link so we can get your points awarded."