What life lesson did you draw from "Man Mission" and how do you see it impacting your life?

[mariana90]

"The most important thing is to have courage and to just f*#%ing do what you want. After that, my friends, everything else will be okay."

This is the easiest thing to understand but the hardest thing to do. Confronting that fear of taking a leap of faith and believing everything will be OK is something few people are equipped to do. Hopefully books like these will inspire the rest of us
The world would definitely be a happier place.

[Laura Lee]

"The most important thing is to have courage and to just f*#%ing do what you want. After that, my friends, everything else will be okay."

This is the easiest thing to understand but the hardest thing to do. Confronting that fear of taking a leap of faith and believing everything will be OK is something few people are equipped to do. Hopefully books like these will inspire the rest of us
The world would definitely be a happier place.

Agreed! I'm at a crossroads in my own life where taking that leap is a bit scary. But, oh, the rewards that can be had if we can just find the courage to leap!

[ReyvrexQuestor Reyes]

In Man Mission, Eytan Uliel skillfully interweaves the men's journeys with the life lessons he, as narrator, learns along the way. What is your favorite life lesson from the book and why?

My favorite is the observations of life shared by Peter, the German catamaran captain on Man Mission VIII, the trip to Thailand. On page 177 he tells the men: "I know what I do is strange and exotic to you . . . But that's my job . . . After a while, whatever you do in life becomes normal. I chose this life, and so this is normal for me. You have a different life, and so that is normal for you. We are all made of our experiences. The good thing is that anytime we want, we can change those experiences and change our life . . . If you choose a different life it will be strange at first, but in time almost anything can become normal."

Then he adds the challenge: "The most important thing is to have courage and to just f*#%ing do what you want. After that, my friends, everything else will be okay."

I really like Peter's perspective. Fear can be paralyzing. It can keep us back from pursuing our dreams. But if we will find the courage to pursue those dreams, even the most out-of-the-normal-rut experiences can become our new normal. I like that attitude and want to apply that to my own life.

What about you? What is your take-away from the book?

It could not be denied that we always cling to the circumstances we liked best. We take the job of our liking, although compromising for the second best if nothing else is available. In other words we tend to keep best in our own turf, not straying outside of our comfort zone. We do things our own way, succeed or fail, win or lose.

[Laura Lee]

It could not be denied that we always cling to the circumstances we liked best. We take the job of our liking, although compromising for the second best if nothing else is available. In other words we tend to keep best in our own turf, not straying outside of our comfort zone. We do things our own way, succeed or fail, win or lose.

Hmmm. That's an insightful response. We do tend to stay in our comfort zones, don't we? Unfortunately, often to our own detriment. Thanks for sharing! I appreciate hearing various points-of-view.

[Paige Alvarado]

A big takeaway for me what Rachel and the protagonist's relationship. Their communication was not there and it ended horribly for them. It really made me think about how I treat my husband on a day-to-day basis. In my mind, I'm home with the babies all day, I've worked my butt off! Why should he get to come home from work and lay on the couch while I prepare dinner and clean up?
Reading through the thoughts of the protagonist helped me to remember just how stressful work life can be. He is stressed. I see it in his face. And he provides for all of us. He needs someone to care for him, too, and tell him it's okay to cry (although I'm sure he wouldn't if I told him that, haha). Instead of taking him for granted, I am going to continue taking care of him as he does every day for me and our babies.

[Laura Lee]

A big takeaway for me what Rachel and the protagonist's relationship. Their communication was not there and it ended horribly for them. It really made me think about how I treat my husband on a day-to-day basis. In my mind, I'm home with the babies all day, I've worked my butt off! Why should he get to come home from work and lay on the couch while I prepare dinner and clean up?
Reading through the thoughts of the protagonist helped me to remember just how stressful work life can be. He is stressed. I see it in his face. And he provides for all of us. He needs someone to care for him, too, and tell him it's okay to cry (although I'm sure he wouldn't if I told him that, haha). Instead of taking him for granted, I am going to continue taking care of him as he does every day for me and our babies.

That's beautiful. Thank you for sharing! Yes, when we take the time to step into each other's shoes, we really begin to appreciate the other person more, don't we?

[LiannaPrudz]

I love how you explained the scene. As for me, the impacted my life most is the trip in New Zealand where even though the writer got went through pain again and again, he never gave up. This inspires me to never give up in real life situations no matter how tedious the task needed to overcome is.

[Laura Lee]

I love how you explained the scene. As for me, the impacted my life most is the trip in New Zealand where even though the writer got went through pain again and again, he never gave up. This inspires me to never give up in real life situations no matter how tedious the task needed to overcome is.

Excellent point. That was inspiring, wasn't it? There are so many things in life that can seem overwhelming, but we need to stick at it and we'll overcome, too. Thank you for sharing!

[Falconcrest]

I really enjoyed the authors views on family and divorce. It made me realize how important family is and though sometimes it can be emotionally testing. When your in a marriage it is important to make time for each other and to avoid growing apart. This book also made me realize how devastating divorce is to children and how it emotionally disturbs them.

[iknwuzoh]

Change is constant in the world. You are free to choose the kind of life you wanna live, that's fine, but the life you live will be accounted for, so you have to check out what you are doing. Inspirational books can help us by motivation. Spending time with your loved ones is beautiful.

[Laura Lee]

I really enjoyed the authors views on family and divorce. It made me realize how important family is and though sometimes it can be emotionally testing. When your in a marriage it is important to make time for each other and to avoid growing apart. This book also made me realize how devastating divorce is to children and how it emotionally disturbs them.

This is true. Sometimes, divorce is the lesser of two evils, but it has to be pretty bad in the home before that is the case. I, too, thought it was really sad when he came to the realization that (in a sense) he'd lost his kids. They were still his biologically, but he wasn't there for all the little things that make up life anymore. That would devastate me if it were my kids. Thanks for sharing!

[Laura Lee]

Change is constant in the world. You are free to choose the kind of life you wanna live, that's fine, but the life you live will be accounted for, so you have to check out what you are doing. Inspirational books can help us by motivation. Spending time with your loved ones is beautiful.

This is true. And the men were very proactive, weren't they, in making the man missions happen. They didn't just let the years meander by. They wanted those experiences in their lives, so they made it happen. Thanks for sharing!

[djr6090]

I don't know if this is a lesson per se, but the part that struck me most is when Sam found out his dad died. "And that means I’ll never be the child again. Just like that, poof-I’m the grownup now.”

My mom is going through treatment for stage IV cancer, and I know it's only a matter of time before I will lose her. It's really hard to think about what it will be like when your parent is gone forever. Reading this really helped me be more empathetic to my friends who have already lost their parents, and gave me insight into what I will be experiencing at some point too.

So sorry to hear about your mother. I too, found Sam's loss to be impactful. But I feel the biggest lesson in the story was to cherish those you love. The storyteller changes his perspective from seeing his family as a burden, to finding quality time with his children. Did anyone notice that the children were not even given names in the book?

[Paige Alvarado]

A big takeaway for me what Rachel and the protagonist's relationship. Their communication was not there and it ended horribly for them. It really made me think about how I treat my husband on a day-to-day basis. In my mind, I'm home with the babies all day, I've worked my butt off! Why should he get to come home from work and lay on the couch while I prepare dinner and clean up?
Reading through the thoughts of the protagonist helped me to remember just how stressful work life can be. He is stressed. I see it in his face. And he provides for all of us. He needs someone to care for him, too, and tell him it's okay to cry (although I'm sure he wouldn't if I told him that, haha). Instead of taking him for granted, I am going to continue taking care of him as he does every day for me and our babies.

That's beautiful. Thank you for sharing! Yes, when we take the time to step into each other's shoes, we really begin to appreciate the other person more, don't we?

Definitely!

[DorcasToo]

I think my biggest life lesson is friendships are to be treasured. I have three friends I have had since campus days but nowadays we don't meet as much. I am going to rekindle this, visits, calls and definitely trips. Being there for each other in the toughest of times and the happiest ones. That's what am taking with me.