Churchill

I finished reading the book Churchhill by Paul Johnson last week. It's a good book - short, well written and informative. I was certainly aware of Churchill but I didn't know as much about the man as I felt I should. The book is a good starting point if you want to know about the very interesting life of Winston Churchill and in my case, it will probably be the endpoint as well. It satisfied my curiosity, so now I'll move on to whatever strikes my fancy next. However, the author sums up the book with five lessons to be learned from Churchill's life:

1. Always aim high. He conquered his aversion to math and mastered English history. He played polo to win the top award in the world. He won the Noble Prize for literature. He became the Prime Minister of England.

2. There is no substitute for hard work. He worked hard at everything to the best of his ability: Parliament, administration, geopolitics and geostrategy, writing books, painting, creating an idyllic house and garden, seeing things and if possible doing things for himself.

3. Churchill never allowed mistakes, disaster - personal or national - accidents, illnesses, unpopularity, and criticism to get him down. He had courage, the most important of all virtues, and its companion, fortitude.

4. Churchill wasted an extraordinary small amount of his time and emotional energy on the meannesses of life: recrimination, shifting the blame onto others, malice, revenge seeking, dirty tricks, spreading rumors, harboring grudges, waging vendettas. Having fought hard, he washed his hands and went on to the next contest.

5. The absence of hatred left plenty of room for joy in Churchill's life. Joy was a frequent visitor to Churchill's psyche, banishing boredom, despair, discomfort, and pain. He liked to share his joy and give joy.

Pretty good advice from one of the greatest leaders of all time. And for the record, he was a pretty good bricklayer, as well.