I bought this book, A Promised Land by Barack Obama in Y20 but finished it in Y25. For books like this I enjoy the process of reading slowly, absorbing the emotions each word holds. It reminds me of a childhood book that I cherished so dearly “To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee, Harper”. The kind of books that brings you into a different world on quiet mornings or evenings.
I cannot remember what got me to buy this book but it captivated me within the 1st few chapters and I wrote about it in this blog post here –> Going through Hardships (Part 1). Eventually I got to the last page and the reading time is really well spent. I’m not into politics but I enjoy reading biographies to emerse myself into trodden paths and hard journeys by respectable leaders so I can learn and apply it into my daily tasks. It has proven to work numerous times (for me) where such learnings that I takeaway forms the character that I am today.
Why do I specially recommend this book? I feel that the stories buried within it holds deep advisory details of how we should encounter life and work challenges as it is. It is very well written from the start to end from the time he won as the 44th President until the moment he finished the job of capturing Bin Laden. It doesn’t matter if he was the best president or whether the policies creates the impact it promises, the stories holds true weight of what it means to stay grounded at the face of adversity and be committed as a team. He threw in a comical perspective over the naunces of life and even sentimental moments that I can relate to as parents. It’s really a book with real emotions over hard realities – which I often think that our daily problems seems so small admist the bigger problems the world is facing. It can be a tad bit dramatic like a movie scene but it’s well-represented especially when you know such incidents really exists.
I have captured some elegant and inspiring moments from the chapters in the book. When I read this phrases, it occurs to me that running a presidency is like managing an organisation and a team of people although there is a vast difference in pressures, systems and structures. The thought process and emotions can clearly be resonated and adopted – if we manage our circle of influence with the same mentality of running a nation, reflecting the same notions of being responsible towards others that might not know your inward intentions and contributions.
I opt to believe that when we keep working for the greater good on the things that we can control – the good purposes and intentions will always win in the long run. Hence I share the clippings that get me out of bed everyday.
- Keep Moving even when we cannot see any pathway
- Improvisation matters when situation changes
3. Self-Doubt happens to everyone even with all the facts and figures you can gather at your fingertips because there is always an area beyond your control. It’s ok, forgive yourself.
4. Focus is one of the hardest skill to accomplish and even if you do, you need to keep reminding yourself and everyone around you.
5. True appreciation can be felt through just words at the hardest of times. Rewards need not be monetary – that is how strong teams are built.
If you have time; do read the book even (if it takes years to finish :P), and here are some wittiness for you below that made me laugh out loud because, we are all humans after all with real emotions.
LOL!