The Spartan Way: Eat Better. Train Better. Think Better. Be Better.

by Joe De Sena

Werner and Smith identified three key elements that buffered the kids against life’s cruel blows. The first was an internal one: The kids were nice. Even as babies they were friendly and good-natured. They were good at figuring things out on their own. As they grew, these traits developed into helpfulness and confidence. The second factor: These kids forged a strong bond with at least one functioning family member. This could be a parent or someone from their extended family like a grandparent. The psychologists said that the resilient children seemed good at recruiting surrogate parents. That was true of Karim Jaude. When his father died, Karim turned to his uncles. The third protective factor that made a difference was community support, usually a coach or favorite teacher. What’s interesting is that when these kids became successful adults, they continued to seek out community mentors when they needed help.