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How to Survive: Lessons for Everyday Life from the Extreme World
What is the connection between crawling through a jungle and your ‘to do’ list? What can ejecting out of a stealth bomber teach you about the importance of thinking the worst? What can surviving in extreme situations teach us about surviving everyday life?
John Hudson, Chief Survival Instructor to the British Military, knows what it takes to survive. Combining first-hand experience with 20 years of studying the choices people have made under the most extreme pressure, How to Survive is a lifetime’s worth of wisdom about how to apply the principles of survival to everyday life.
The cornerstone of military survival (surviving anything) is understanding the relationship between effort, hope and goals – a mindset that can be transposed anytime, anywhere. In How to Survive you will learn how this template for survival can be applied to any situation in your everyday life.
Through gripping first-hand accounts of near disaster and survival stories from across the extreme world you will learn that by following these principles you can develop the mindset that will allow you to make better decisions under pressure, which are as equally applicable to first dates and presentations as to climbing Everest and getting lost at sea.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 25, 2019
167 people are currently reading
364 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 6, 2022
Цитаты:
«Reading is one of the best ways to reduce stress. It was found to be 68 per cent better at reducing stress levels than listening to music, 300 per cent better than going for a walk and 700 per cent more than playing video games.»
«It’s the sort of thing you could do too, like simply having a back-up snack bar deep in your laptop bag for the emergency scenario of missing lunch when you’re on the way to an important meeting. People tend to think that the body and the mind are separate. I think it’s mad that people go to a meeting or event that could change their lives feeling hungry or thirsty. We are chemical creatures and I don’t care how well you’ve prepared a presentation or your answers to likely questions, if you’ve not given your brain the fuel it needs, you’ve not given yourself the best chance of success.»
«When I work with mixed groups of civilians and military, you can tell who’s military straight away. Anyone who’s been in the services wants to equip themselves with as much information about what we’re going to do as possible. We’re going into which forest? How big is it? How far away? What do we know about what’s in it? What will we be carrying? Most civilians would be halfway over the fence by the time you’d finished saying ‘forest’. This is because a key part of any military plan is trying to minimize the ‘risk to life’ in the event of things heading south. Preparation isn’t an optional extra, it’s the most important foundation of everything that follows. By narrowing the window of the unknown, you increase your chances of success.»
«What the researchers discovered is that if you hold a pencil in your mouth crossways (ever seen a dog with a stick that looks sad?) it forces your facial muscles into the position they’d be in if you were smiling. That’s enough to make the feedback kick in and your brain get sent a message that says ‘happy’. If you’re at a desk and you need to use this cheat, people will just assume your pen’s in your mouth while you type between notes; very industrious of you.»
«I think about the current fashion for the term ‘mindfulness’, for stopping and noticing, for paying attention to what your body and mind is telling you. I know how some of the survival instructors would react if I told them that we’re basically practising mindfulness every day. I probably couldn’t print that reaction, but I still think it’s true. A lot of what we do when we’re out and about could be labelled as mindfulness; we’re paying a lot of attention to now, to what’s around us and the many senses that our environment is firing».
«Go at Iban pace when you tackle large projects: by progressing at a steady rate that minimizes but never completely removes stress, I know that I’ll get to the finish line without having wasted any effort; like I would if I inadvertently followed a bad route because I rushed things.»
«Reading is one of the best ways to reduce stress. It was found to be 68 per cent better at reducing stress levels than listening to music, 300 per cent better than going for a walk and 700 per cent more than playing video games.»
«It’s the sort of thing you could do too, like simply having a back-up snack bar deep in your laptop bag for the emergency scenario of missing lunch when you’re on the way to an important meeting. People tend to think that the body and the mind are separate. I think it’s mad that people go to a meeting or event that could change their lives feeling hungry or thirsty. We are chemical creatures and I don’t care how well you’ve prepared a presentation or your answers to likely questions, if you’ve not given your brain the fuel it needs, you’ve not given yourself the best chance of success.»
«When I work with mixed groups of civilians and military, you can tell who’s military straight away. Anyone who’s been in the services wants to equip themselves with as much information about what we’re going to do as possible. We’re going into which forest? How big is it? How far away? What do we know about what’s in it? What will we be carrying? Most civilians would be halfway over the fence by the time you’d finished saying ‘forest’. This is because a key part of any military plan is trying to minimize the ‘risk to life’ in the event of things heading south. Preparation isn’t an optional extra, it’s the most important foundation of everything that follows. By narrowing the window of the unknown, you increase your chances of success.»
«What the researchers discovered is that if you hold a pencil in your mouth crossways (ever seen a dog with a stick that looks sad?) it forces your facial muscles into the position they’d be in if you were smiling. That’s enough to make the feedback kick in and your brain get sent a message that says ‘happy’. If you’re at a desk and you need to use this cheat, people will just assume your pen’s in your mouth while you type between notes; very industrious of you.»
«I think about the current fashion for the term ‘mindfulness’, for stopping and noticing, for paying attention to what your body and mind is telling you. I know how some of the survival instructors would react if I told them that we’re basically practising mindfulness every day. I probably couldn’t print that reaction, but I still think it’s true. A lot of what we do when we’re out and about could be labelled as mindfulness; we’re paying a lot of attention to now, to what’s around us and the many senses that our environment is firing».
«Go at Iban pace when you tackle large projects: by progressing at a steady rate that minimizes but never completely removes stress, I know that I’ll get to the finish line without having wasted any effort; like I would if I inadvertently followed a bad route because I rushed things.»
December 7, 2020
I really wish this was out before Christmas because I would happily wrap 3 of these copies for my family. With the world in its current state How to Survive provides readers old and young with some direction and guidance on how to survive through the shit life throws at you and thrive.
October 9, 2023
Enjoyable and relatable read framing preparedness and response planning in everyday life against the backdrop of extreme feats of survival.
Hudson uses real life disasters to illustrate the importance of pre-planning and effort in successfully navigating the more typical stressors we experience like work and leadership challenges.
Hudson uses real life disasters to illustrate the importance of pre-planning and effort in successfully navigating the more typical stressors we experience like work and leadership challenges.
June 18, 2021
How to Survive isn't your typical survival book. While it's got some things that you would find in your "Dummies Guide To Survival" kinds of books like how to build a fire or how to build an igloo it's less of a how-to book and more of a book on how survival psychology works and why you need to do certain things to not just survive being marooned on a deserted island but also to make it through the stresses of everyday life.
Written by RAF survival instructor (and the British Dude on "Dude, You're Screwed" which aired on Discovery way back when), John Hudson breaks down why you need to train yourself to react. How to handle panic attacks. How to handle things like, oh say, a global pandemic that locks down your city/state. It's a book on psychology but a practical book that's filled with anecdotes featuring people who survived but also those who didn't and it analyzes what they did right and what they did wrong and how you can apply that to your standard life.
The book is laid out in a logical manner, centering around anecdotes and stories from history as a framing device and learning module. I found it easy to follow, and I also appreciated the bullet points at the end that were essentially a TL:DR for the chapter. It reminded me in some ways of a textbook, which makes sense considering what the author does for a living.
It's a book that as I read I could see a lot of value it. It answers a core question: Why. Why study survival? Why prepare for the worst case scenario? Why carry a few small supplies, just in case. Why do things in a certain order. Etc. I've already recommended it to a few people who I've seen not be able to handle something unexpected or panic in several situations. Or those who I've seen get overwhelmed by life and trying to figure out how to triage things.
Additionally as an editor, I also would recommend this book for people who are interested in writing characters dealing with a survival situation. Knowing how an everyday person vs. a trained person reacts can be invaluable in creating believable scenarios and characterizations. This extends beyond the action/adventure genre but also into sci-fi, fantasy, YA, paranormal, urban fantasy, and even Romantic Suspense.
I fully enjoyed this book
And so because of that I give this:
Five Stars
Written by RAF survival instructor (and the British Dude on "Dude, You're Screwed" which aired on Discovery way back when), John Hudson breaks down why you need to train yourself to react. How to handle panic attacks. How to handle things like, oh say, a global pandemic that locks down your city/state. It's a book on psychology but a practical book that's filled with anecdotes featuring people who survived but also those who didn't and it analyzes what they did right and what they did wrong and how you can apply that to your standard life.
The book is laid out in a logical manner, centering around anecdotes and stories from history as a framing device and learning module. I found it easy to follow, and I also appreciated the bullet points at the end that were essentially a TL:DR for the chapter. It reminded me in some ways of a textbook, which makes sense considering what the author does for a living.
It's a book that as I read I could see a lot of value it. It answers a core question: Why. Why study survival? Why prepare for the worst case scenario? Why carry a few small supplies, just in case. Why do things in a certain order. Etc. I've already recommended it to a few people who I've seen not be able to handle something unexpected or panic in several situations. Or those who I've seen get overwhelmed by life and trying to figure out how to triage things.
Additionally as an editor, I also would recommend this book for people who are interested in writing characters dealing with a survival situation. Knowing how an everyday person vs. a trained person reacts can be invaluable in creating believable scenarios and characterizations. This extends beyond the action/adventure genre but also into sci-fi, fantasy, YA, paranormal, urban fantasy, and even Romantic Suspense.
I fully enjoyed this book
And so because of that I give this:
Five Stars
July 17, 2019
It is clear that the author is very knowledgeable with regards to extreme survival and he emits a great passion for the subject in his book.
This well written and researched book gives a good insight into the psychology behind how people find the ability to survive, even if some of them are everyday folk with no training. There are some amazing (often less heard of) stories of survival where lessons are drawn and crossed over into how we are able to manage ourselves more efficiently, and be able to improve our own resilience in this modern age.
The author cleverly summarises the key points at the end of each chapter which can be quickly referenced as you read on. I found this book gives a good plan how to become more resilient in our everyday lives, and perhaps more so for the unfortunate few who may have to look after themselves in a real time survival situation.
Highly recommended and a breath of fresh air from some of the ‘survival expert’ books with no substance that are out there.
Look forward to more from this author.
This well written and researched book gives a good insight into the psychology behind how people find the ability to survive, even if some of them are everyday folk with no training. There are some amazing (often less heard of) stories of survival where lessons are drawn and crossed over into how we are able to manage ourselves more efficiently, and be able to improve our own resilience in this modern age.
The author cleverly summarises the key points at the end of each chapter which can be quickly referenced as you read on. I found this book gives a good plan how to become more resilient in our everyday lives, and perhaps more so for the unfortunate few who may have to look after themselves in a real time survival situation.
Highly recommended and a breath of fresh air from some of the ‘survival expert’ books with no substance that are out there.
Look forward to more from this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2022
Really helpful and really readable
June 19, 2023
This should be called, "How to Survive: Self-Reliance in Benign Circumstances." The author's advice seems to be mostly targeted to the audience of average, sedentary office workers like myself with no real apparent threats to my existence. Even still, I got something out of this. The sporadic anecdotes about survival feats and failures were compelling.
September 29, 2020
Lance Sijan was a pilot in the Air force. When his plane was shot down in 1967 in Laos. He had suffered a fractured skull, a mangled right hand, and a compound fracture of the left leg. He was without food, with very little water, and no survival kit; nevertheless, he evaded enemy forces. Sijan was only able to move by sliding on his buttocks and back along the rocky limestone ridge and later along the jungle floor, he did this for 46 days.
What can promote someone to go on for this long in absolute agony - Hope.
What can promote survival of 3 men in remote Arnhem Land in 1942 to survive 26 days to get to civilization out the back of Australia after their plane crashed - Each other.
This absolutely magnificent book written by John Hudson, who is the UK Chief Survival Instructor was written with background true stories of hope, interspersed with practical knowledge, a brief summary at the end of each chapter and personal experience in the harshest conditions in the world.
Buy this book. Read it cover to cover and have conversations with your friends, family and co-workers about the amazing words written inside.
What can promote someone to go on for this long in absolute agony - Hope.
What can promote survival of 3 men in remote Arnhem Land in 1942 to survive 26 days to get to civilization out the back of Australia after their plane crashed - Each other.
This absolutely magnificent book written by John Hudson, who is the UK Chief Survival Instructor was written with background true stories of hope, interspersed with practical knowledge, a brief summary at the end of each chapter and personal experience in the harshest conditions in the world.
Buy this book. Read it cover to cover and have conversations with your friends, family and co-workers about the amazing words written inside.
November 2, 2019
This is not just a Bear Grylls-style 'How to...' book that advocates eating grubs and turning some twigs into a rocket launcher (although there are some eye-opening tips and tricks), Oh No.
It's a lot more than that. HOW TO SURVIVE incorporates first hand accounts of those who have dealt with extreme situations, their mind sets and how they overcame the perils of the situations that they found themselves in. Those who remained calm and thought practically when they got lost at sea or up the world's tallest mountain, for example.
Not only that but saged advice and anecdotes from the author, who just happens to be the Chief Survival Instructor to the British Military. Which means that he is basically MacGyver. It's a great read. Wise, cerebral, clever and intriguing.
It's a lot more than that. HOW TO SURVIVE incorporates first hand accounts of those who have dealt with extreme situations, their mind sets and how they overcame the perils of the situations that they found themselves in. Those who remained calm and thought practically when they got lost at sea or up the world's tallest mountain, for example.
Not only that but saged advice and anecdotes from the author, who just happens to be the Chief Survival Instructor to the British Military. Which means that he is basically MacGyver. It's a great read. Wise, cerebral, clever and intriguing.
August 19, 2021
A lot of people love this. I can't say I learned many useful things apart from a few random tidbits of information here and there. There was a lot of fluffing about, a lot of storytelling, not so many practical tips as the book promised despite the author's efforts to compare a jungle to an office environment and no we're not all plagued by email reading.
August 30, 2019
Entertaining and useful read. A book to keep and reread.
June 17, 2022
Really interesting. This was narrated by the author which I quite liked.
February 14, 2021
This is not your usual survival guide. It is not a deep dive into details of shelter-building and fire-making. This guide addresses the most important issue, the psychology of survival. Who survives and why.
The author uses anecdotes about people who survived in various situations to demonstrate the concepts. Some made it and some did not. The cases provide real-world examples of what works in survival situations. Some of the stories are harrowing! I can’t even imagine some of the circumstances, but people survived!
I liked that this is a book that goes beyond just the physical survival skills. The attitude of the survivalist is just as important as mastery of the skills. If you don't have the proper attitude, you're likely not to be able to perform the skills or survive very well. You might make fatal mistakes, or make errors in judgement that could be costly. I think this guide should be essential reading for anyone who has any sort of conflicts in life, which includes us all! The tips the author gives apply to normal, daily life just as well as they apply to survival situations. It’s just plain good advice.
I highly recommend this book to anyone.
The author uses anecdotes about people who survived in various situations to demonstrate the concepts. Some made it and some did not. The cases provide real-world examples of what works in survival situations. Some of the stories are harrowing! I can’t even imagine some of the circumstances, but people survived!
I liked that this is a book that goes beyond just the physical survival skills. The attitude of the survivalist is just as important as mastery of the skills. If you don't have the proper attitude, you're likely not to be able to perform the skills or survive very well. You might make fatal mistakes, or make errors in judgement that could be costly. I think this guide should be essential reading for anyone who has any sort of conflicts in life, which includes us all! The tips the author gives apply to normal, daily life just as well as they apply to survival situations. It’s just plain good advice.
I highly recommend this book to anyone.
April 4, 2021
A fantastic, beautifully-written book, bringing an all-encompassing range of ideas together under one philosophy ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I didn't anticipate how much I could learn from a single book, on all aspects of life, but here it is! All broken down into small segments, with every chapter (and sub-chapter) almost seamlessly (and
brilliantly) blending into another, based on a similar idea to the previous. One second you are immersed in the jungle, hearing the heroic survival of a person within history, and the next second you find yourself contemplating about the theories and principles (John talks eloquently about) and how you, personally, may have used such principles already within a previous, personal life situation; or how a new idea could help both a current situation, or any future events.
This book was so interesting for me personally, that I found myself rewinding it constantly (listening by eBook) just so I could 'fully' take note of what was being said — as I honestly didn't want to miss a single word, or piece of advice.
Brilliant! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I didn't anticipate how much I could learn from a single book, on all aspects of life, but here it is! All broken down into small segments, with every chapter (and sub-chapter) almost seamlessly (and
brilliantly) blending into another, based on a similar idea to the previous. One second you are immersed in the jungle, hearing the heroic survival of a person within history, and the next second you find yourself contemplating about the theories and principles (John talks eloquently about) and how you, personally, may have used such principles already within a previous, personal life situation; or how a new idea could help both a current situation, or any future events.
This book was so interesting for me personally, that I found myself rewinding it constantly (listening by eBook) just so I could 'fully' take note of what was being said — as I honestly didn't want to miss a single word, or piece of advice.
Brilliant! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
October 6, 2021
How to Survive: Lessons for Everyday Life from the Extreme World by John Hudson who is UK’s chief military survival inspector relays real world experience to explain what we can learn from them and apply it in our real life.
The book/manual has a a lot of points which you would have heard before, but a few insights that I found valuable are as follows:
1. Survival doesn’t mean only in jungles, the real life in cities need work too.
2. Don’t be too hard on yourself- The best are the ones who didn’t get it at first
3. Disruption is a choice, while consistency is comfort. I don’t have to tell you what drives growth
4. Your potential is defined by your will and being practical about what your body can handle in that situation. Don’t try to be a HERO for others!
5. E-readers or audiobooks can give you the same level of learning as a paperback.
#bookreview
The book/manual has a a lot of points which you would have heard before, but a few insights that I found valuable are as follows:
1. Survival doesn’t mean only in jungles, the real life in cities need work too.
2. Don’t be too hard on yourself- The best are the ones who didn’t get it at first
3. Disruption is a choice, while consistency is comfort. I don’t have to tell you what drives growth
4. Your potential is defined by your will and being practical about what your body can handle in that situation. Don’t try to be a HERO for others!
5. E-readers or audiobooks can give you the same level of learning as a paperback.
#bookreview
August 17, 2020
Book finished, 4*/5* as most survival books i have read there are numerous examples of people surviving in certain situations, this is no different. A lot of good examples or historical survival moments ie in May 1942 3 Royal Australian Airforce servicemen were sent to MEDEVAC a soldier from an abandoned outpost in Arnhem land. They encountered numerous issues, flight comms, and landing fault. Which then led to the servicemen having to survive themselves. Twenty-six days the survived in the wild, and rescued by a missionary.
June 21, 2022
Would have a 4.
Appendix focused on COVID took away from the entire book, using health "experts" as references. Unfortunately it dates the entire book and looking at data coming out now on the downsides of all the "expert" guidance hurts this book, as their guidance was in many ways anti-survival mentality, with isolation, lack of personal health care (gyms, social groups, etc.), masks, mental deterioration, blind obedience with lack of critical thinking, etc.
Appendix focused on COVID took away from the entire book, using health "experts" as references. Unfortunately it dates the entire book and looking at data coming out now on the downsides of all the "expert" guidance hurts this book, as their guidance was in many ways anti-survival mentality, with isolation, lack of personal health care (gyms, social groups, etc.), masks, mental deterioration, blind obedience with lack of critical thinking, etc.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2024
it was nice, not my favorite because it felt very macho-esque. it had a lot of nice advice though, about things like how people need sleep and fuel to function, making plans and practicing them are a good way to foresee problems, etc. had a lot of good advice like hope-plan-results square, and the protection, signal, food + water, whatever else
December 21, 2024
This book was okay. I’m sure a lot of people that read it loved it. I however, didn’t 🤪. It was a lot of storytelling, a lot of fluff, and honestly I don’t even know if I learned anything from this book. I’m just thankful I didn’t buy this book and it’s a Libby borrow ☺️.
Overall, I don’t recommend this one. If you do read it, you entered that world at your own risk!
Overall, I don’t recommend this one. If you do read it, you entered that world at your own risk!
October 21, 2021
Excellent read. This book fills the gap within any survival library. By far the most informative read on the proper mindset composed of relevant stories to illuminate important lessons. Well referenced and cited.
January 30, 2022
O carte excelenta si foarte usor de citit. Imi place ca are si multe povesti adevarate ce te ajuta sa retii mai usor ce e bine si ce nu in situatii de supravietuire. In plus, multe din aceste tehnici sunt corelate si cu situatii din viata reala de la birou sau din trafic, de exemplu.
May 27, 2022
Pleasantly surprised by the book. Not a huge fan of one or two of his sources for pop psych, but he cherry picks the best that those writers included. A delightful narration from the author. It's definitely introductory—like one of several books you'd be assigned for a 101 class.
September 1, 2021
Great guide with a lot of interesting stories. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to apply this to my daily life, but I'm going to try.
Read
January 9, 2022Lectii de supravietuire in conditii extreme
March 6, 2022
A very informative and enjoyable read
August 13, 2022
Not bad by any means, but if you've done even a little reading on survival situations before, there won't really be anything new here.
January 23, 2024
3.5 with the second half of the book being more appealing than the first IMO. Would recommend overall
May 5, 2024
Really good book about the psychology of survival, and how that psychology is applicable to effective and efficient non-survival scenarios.
October 7, 2024
2.5
secret sauce is having a plan
secret sauce is having a plan
December 20, 2024
Enjoyed the style and substance of this book. Title is misleading, could be “extreme and ordinary circumstances” instead of “extreme circumstances“.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews