By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – On Saturday, Feb. 8, visitors of the Pelham Public Library got the chance to meet a local author with a passion for bringing the best out of people.

Kevin Washburn, the author of “Uprise: Building Resilience in Ourselves & Others,” shared practical strategies and insights both from his life experiences and his book at a free meet-and-greet from 1-2 p.m.

Washburn and his wife have lived in Pelham for the past 20 years. Along with writing, Washburn is a passionate runner, cyclist, educator and fitness coach.

The focus of “Uprise” is on Washburn’s findings that there is a gap between how people approach the concepts of mindset, grit and resilience.

“I would go (to conferences) and hear somebody talk about grit, hear somebody else talk about resilience and hear somebody else talk about mindset,” Washburn said. “And I just wondered why they weren’t talking to each other? To accomplish anything, you have to have all three.”

Washburn emphasized that a mindset of learning is key to life, considering that failure is an inevitable part of the human condition.

“To even begin trying to accomplish something, you have to have a learning mindset,” Washburn said. “Otherwise, you’re going to give up the very first time you try something because you’re always going to be not very good at it when you begin.”

Washburn then connected the concept of a learning mindset to grit and resilience.

“When you get going (in an endeavor), you’re going to need grit to push yourself through and complete the task that you’ve set out for that day in order to move you closer to your goal,” Washburn said. “And along the way, you’re going to experience challenges… how do you come back from that? The three are so closely related to one another and so embedded in the pursuit of some accomplishment that it just made sense to me to examine how in the world they interact.”

Washburn then delved into the research process for the book, emphasizing that he has a more antiquated approach to research.

“I love research first of all, but I’m pretty old-school,” Washburn said. “So for me, it’s not a Google spreadsheet or anything like that, it’s probably going to be index cards and sticky notes.”

Washburn found that his research was most informed by the stories and experiences he heard of people exemplifying resilience and grit.

“There was a story of this navy diver who had been submerged and was completely trapped in netting,” Washburn said. “If there’s ever a time to panic, that’s certainly it, but he used his training and… ended up surviving to tell the tale. We’re (humans) just so loaded with power, and I like that because the stories are what people tend to remember.”

Washburn believes that his passion for the content of his book comes from his love of seeing people develop, and believes that humility is one of the biggest challenges associated with developing resiliency and grit.

“I love seeing people grow,” Washburn said. “To me, there is nothing more thrilling than seeing somebody grow in some way. I think the biggest challenge that people, especially adults, have is the courage to be a beginner. We just had the January rush at the gym where I work out… you see people show up once or twice and then never again. Why is that?… Every time you start something, you are going to suck at it. You have to have the courage to let that phase need what it needs to be in order to progress.”

Washburn also added that a section of the book touches on the myth of being born gifted.

“The whole idea of natural-born talent is not true,” Washburn said. “It’s a myth that we tell ourselves… there’s always more to the story than the idea of natural-born talent.”

Washburn has already received positive feedback from the book, with many physical trainers and physical therapists recommending it to their clients. Rather than the book being a feel-good tale, Washburn wants it to be more practical in its use.

“I want people to be inspired (by the book), yes, but more than that I want people to be equipped,” Washburn said. “It’s an extension of my role as an educator. This is an attempt to help people who may never interact with me personally whose lives could be impacted by the concepts and strategies in the book.”

Washburn also emphasized the importance of the connection between physical fitness and mental resilience.

“Any kind of physical pursuit, at some point you’re going to experience challenge and failure, and will have to come back from something,” Washburn said. “If I’m putting myself into something where I’m going to experience challenges and setbacks, that is going to force me to find my way to resilience.”

He added that habit-forming in physical fitness and facing the tough questions of life is key to the physical and mental health of anyone who chooses to pursue exercise.

“In addition to all of the physical and psychological benefits that research has shown (on fitness), there is this learning of ‘How do I pick myself up?’ or ‘How do I keep going when it hurts?’ or ‘How do I find my way to go do what I need to do today when I’d rather just stay in bed?’” Washburn said. “Those (exercise) practices, if you make those choices repeatedly, they become habits.”

At the meet-and-greet, Washburn shared the need to give yourself grace and space to learn, viewing failure as feedback, explaining how to develop grit, how to formulate a good mantra and various important self-improvement topics.

Mary Campbell, the director of the Pelham Public Library, gave her perspective on how important events like this are to the Pelham community.

“Pelham is home to a lot of truly amazing and accomplished people,” Campbell said. “Events like this allow us to celebrate and be inspired by our neighbors.”

Washburn closed by touching on how being a Pelham resident for the past 20 years has influenced his perspective on resilience and personal growth.

“I’ve had the opportunity to do things here (in Pelham) that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do elsewhere,” Washburn said. “I’ve been a race director that’s developed a 5K for the Parks and Rec department to coach people on running their first 5K, and that is a lot of what actually motivated the book. I wanted to know best how to help the people I was working with and coaching with… How can I best help people following a setback? That was part of the initial motivation to begin researching mindset, grit and resilience.”

Washburn’s book is available now for purchase. To find out more about Washburn, visit his website at Kevindwashburn.com.