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A review by gwa2012
Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly
5.0
This is the first non-fiction book that I gave 5 stars.
It is entertaining, relevant, and timely.
As the title indicates, this book describes a sort of endurance that goes beyond physical fitness. I once joked that endurance is a leadership trait in the Marine Corps because all the Corps cares about is how fast you can run three miles. A wise major (now lieutenant colonel) sternly reminded me that endurance has many facets. He reminded me that endurance means—among other things—staying alert at the end of a patrol, enforcing safety measures in month 8 of a 12 month deployment, and taking on the burden of leadership—especially when inconvenient or under demanding circumstances—because that is an officer’s duty to his/her Marines. That lesson stuck with me, and this book reinforces that lesson.
In the book, the author tells his story of transforming from a failing student to a Navy test pilot and then astronaut. He flew multiple shuttle missions and executed long-term space flights on the ISS. Throughout the book, the author is candid about his personal mistakes and lessons learned through failure. It is refreshing to get a raw look at another person’s life—especially a person trying to make money by writing a book.
This story also has surprising application to my work as a litigator. The author explains that during a year-long mission in space, you have to conserve your energy—primarily through governing what upsets you. In litigation, it is easy to get worked up by every problem that crosses your desk. If you let your emotions run unchecked, then you will quickly burn out and miserably fail your mission—i.e. your Marines and clients. Energy conservation allows you to allocate your limited energy where necessary and ensures that you have enough bandwidth to give your family, and other obligations, sufficient attention.
Second, the author states that “sometimes better is the enemy of good enough.” This idea nests within energy conservation. Sometimes it’s better to launch that motion or assignment without spending hours editing and revising. You will not likely make the product that much better to justify the energy expenditure. Many times, good enough is just that, good enough.
Third, the author explains that not every problem is rocket science. Unless it is rocket science. If that’s the case, then talk to a rocket scientist. Once again—energy conservation. You will not the be the best at everything. Handle the issues that you can, and be humble enough to acknowledge that you need help. Once you invest enough time to become basically competent, then reach out to the expert to get you across the finish line. Humility is critical to success in any endeavor.
Read this book.
It is entertaining, relevant, and timely.
As the title indicates, this book describes a sort of endurance that goes beyond physical fitness. I once joked that endurance is a leadership trait in the Marine Corps because all the Corps cares about is how fast you can run three miles. A wise major (now lieutenant colonel) sternly reminded me that endurance has many facets. He reminded me that endurance means—among other things—staying alert at the end of a patrol, enforcing safety measures in month 8 of a 12 month deployment, and taking on the burden of leadership—especially when inconvenient or under demanding circumstances—because that is an officer’s duty to his/her Marines. That lesson stuck with me, and this book reinforces that lesson.
In the book, the author tells his story of transforming from a failing student to a Navy test pilot and then astronaut. He flew multiple shuttle missions and executed long-term space flights on the ISS. Throughout the book, the author is candid about his personal mistakes and lessons learned through failure. It is refreshing to get a raw look at another person’s life—especially a person trying to make money by writing a book.
This story also has surprising application to my work as a litigator. The author explains that during a year-long mission in space, you have to conserve your energy—primarily through governing what upsets you. In litigation, it is easy to get worked up by every problem that crosses your desk. If you let your emotions run unchecked, then you will quickly burn out and miserably fail your mission—i.e. your Marines and clients. Energy conservation allows you to allocate your limited energy where necessary and ensures that you have enough bandwidth to give your family, and other obligations, sufficient attention.
Second, the author states that “sometimes better is the enemy of good enough.” This idea nests within energy conservation. Sometimes it’s better to launch that motion or assignment without spending hours editing and revising. You will not likely make the product that much better to justify the energy expenditure. Many times, good enough is just that, good enough.
Third, the author explains that not every problem is rocket science. Unless it is rocket science. If that’s the case, then talk to a rocket scientist. Once again—energy conservation. You will not the be the best at everything. Handle the issues that you can, and be humble enough to acknowledge that you need help. Once you invest enough time to become basically competent, then reach out to the expert to get you across the finish line. Humility is critical to success in any endeavor.
Read this book.