I’ve been a little under the weather the last couple of weeks, which is no surprise considering it seems the actual Michigan weather has been under the weather lately!  Unfortunately, it has taken a toll on my motivation and my fitness routine.  Combined with the resurrection of some painful memories and events I have worked hard to leave behind, I’ve been tempted to deep-dive into a quagmire of self-pity.  I even considered throwing a party in its honor.  You guessed it…a pity party.  Then during a review and update of my recommended reading list here at Beyond Strength, I was reminded of a very important concept concerning bad days and keeping things in perspective.  Which leads me to this post; a simple review of the book Escape from the Box – The Wonder of Human Potential by Col. Edward L. Hubbard USAF (Retired).

In November 2009, I had the opportunity to be in the audience and eventually meet former Vietnam Prisoner of War (POW) Colonel Ed Hubbard after he spoke at a military conference I attended in Texas.  The majority of the content of his presentation followed information and experiences contained within his book Escape from the Box – The Wonder of Human Potential (1994).

Escape from the Box was an eye-opening and inspirational book that I found a quick, entertaining, inspirational, and captivating read.  Colonel Hubbard arranged his book in three parts: Human Potential, The Price of Success, and Let Me Try.  He sets the stage for where he will take the reader in the human potential section.  Not only does Colonel Hubbard detail the circumstances of being shot down and ultimately captured after, as he puts it, he “…very cleverly intercepted a couple of surface-to-air missiles…” with his airplane over North Vietnam (p. 29), but he also reveals important details about his attitude and character; personal traits that would help him survive as a POW, and other characteristics that he would ultimately need to address in order for him to endure the over six and a half years of his captivity.

Colonel Hubbard shares many experiences from captivity that he and other Prisoners of War came to use as opportunities for learning and survival.  He makes a point not to share many of the more graphic details of the types of things that he and other prisoners endured, but instead illustrates how he came to appreciate and rely on things like faith, pride, courage, hope, and even competition to sustain him throughout his imprisonment.  He does an excellent job of relating lessons he learned and attributes of his character he applied to his situation in a way that demonstrates that anyone has opportunity, should they so desire and commit, to make “incremental improvements” in their lives.

Considering the years that have passed since the first edition of this book was published, some of what Colonel Hubbard writes about is almost prophetic.  He painstakingly (and often satirically) points out how the military will be required to do more with less because of decreasing personnel and resources.  And while certainly not a unique concept, he speaks candidly and un-affectionately (my words) about the number of so-called leaders who constantly make excuses why something can’t be done, while standing in the way of those true leaders who are actually doing it.

Throughout the book, Colonel Hubbard stresses the importance of listening, accountability, adapting to our changing culture, the power of attitude and enthusiasm, and so much more.  I found this to be an excellent book on life and leadership, which also served to pique my interest in researching more POWs and other combat veterans of the time to learn about their experiences, and how I can apply their lessons learned to my own leadership development and self-improvement.

Early in his book, Colonel Hubbard actually sums up nicely one of my primary take-a-ways from this reading, and one that I now try hard to live out: “Now is the time to stop talking about whether we can do things.  Now is the time to start talking about ‘How soon can we start and how soon can we finish?’” and “How can we do the job with the resources already available?’” (p. 39).

It reminds me of a quote attributed to Theodore Roosevelt: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”  The longer we make excuses and simply talk about doing what should be or needs to be done, the longer it takes to get it done – if it ever does.

Colonel Hubbard’s book is already included on Beyond Strength’s recommended ‘reading list’ page, along with books by a number of other POWs and combat veterans.  And I add to the list regularly.  I highly recommend you put this book on your personal list of things to read.  In fact, I think I have an extra copy I will gladly send to the first person expressing interest, either by email or comment to this post.  Copies are also readily available for purchase online.

This great American knows more about bad days and perspective than most human beings will ever know.  Please take time to learn more about him and his story here:

http://www.edhubbardpow.com/

Hubbard, E. L. (1994).  Escape from the box: the wonder of human potential. West Chester, PA: Praxis International.