Lessons Learned from the book "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

I have just gotten back to reading books and after a marathon of Tom Clancy novels (from "Teeth of the Tiger" to "Command Authority"), I decided to go with something inspirational.  

I have read Laura Hillenbrand's "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" and found myself moved to write a blog about the lessons learned from a champion race horse.  So I guess it is no wonder that I'm now writing about another non-fiction from Ms. Hillenbrand, this time about the life story of Olympic long distance runner Louie Zamperini entitled "Unbroken:  A World War II Story of Survival, Resiliance, and Redemption".

While Louie Zamperini's rise to fame as an athlete is a true inspiration in itself, his survival from a plane crash at sea as a bombardier for the US Air Force 372nd Bombardment Squadron and 370th Bombardment Group during World War II and his subsequent survival under brutal conditions as a POW at the hands of the Japanese (I have also seen the movie UNBROKEN and found it tame in comparison to the detailed abuse that he endured in the book.) is a reminder that we may not see a physical God, He is always with us in times of need. 

What we call LUCK or COINCIDENCE is God at work anonymously.  Imagine being seating ducks on a floating raft as a Japanese plane strafes you in two passes---the raft is riddled with bullet holes--- and yet no one is hit by a single bullet;  or, have an albatross land on your raft in the middle of the ocean when you were dying of hunger; or, when the rain pours as you are dying of thirst.  God always answers our call for help.  The response may not be as what we desire but He will not abandon us.  

Living life is not meant to be a walk in the park.  Challenges will always come our way.  Each one of us have our own problems to go up against and overcome.  Like in the making of a durable sword, the higher the temperature that it is forged in, the stronger the steel become.  God is our blacksmith and he gives us challenges to strengthen us as we go through life.  

This is the reason why whenever I pray I also thank God for all the challenges that come my way.  May it be professional (like a problematic project and all the difficult people that come with it), personal, or financial---going through all these experiences makes me a better and wiser person.  That is my conviction.

After the war, Louis Zamperini became somewhat of a celebrity.  Unfortunately, he suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and with no real support group during that time, he succumbed to alcolohism and depression.  I believe that the reason for this was that Louis forgot a promise he made to God as he prayed for help during his 47 days adrift in the Pacific Ocean.  He said that if God saved him, he will devote his life in His service. Louis' plight with PTSD was God reminding him of that promise.  With civilization already far beyond the time of Moses, God can no longer afford to burn bushes to communicate.

Everything happens for a reason. It can be a nudge from God or a rude awakening.  We just need to open our hearts and our mind to understand what God wants us to do and where to go.

Books: NOTHING TO FEAR (Lessons in Leadership from FDR) by Alan Axelrod

After reading humor books by RJ Ledesma and Ramon Bautista, it's time to shift to some serious material to occupy my lull times (which is usually when I'm in the bathroom dumping away or in waiting lines).  

I got this book (hardbound) from a thrift shop and I must say that at Php 50 this is a steal!  I'm already halfway through and I find it very insightful and inspiring.  This is currently the source of most of my Quote of the Day at work and my Facebook wall posts. 

The author, Alan Axelrod, goes through Franklin Delano Roosevelt's many speeches and Fireside Chats and dissected how FDR steered America through the Prohibition, the economic depression, and the Second World War with the power of his words and punctuated by his actions.  FDR, unlike his contemporary leaders Hitler, Mussolini, and Hirohito, was no tyrant.  He got what wanted from the American people by inspiring action---a trait of a true leader.

FDR made no promises.  Instead, he made contracts with his constituents in the premise that in order to achieve something, work must be done.  After laying down the TRUE state of the nation, he laid down that tasks at hand and the role of the people in helping the government achieve their goal towards nations building.  He empowered his constituents to create their destiny by contributing their share of the work that must be done.  

Must read book for leaders in any capacity!