Want to start becoming great? Here's what I learned from Jessica Lynch

Picture: Danny Pettry and Jessica Lynch at Empire Books (Huntington, West Virginia) on Aug. 20, 2009.

Jessica Lynch has had a strong impact on my life. Jessica has always known what she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to be a teacher. She cares about children. She didn’t have the money to go to college, so she joined the military to get the money. She knew what she wanted and she found a way to get it. Of course, the army informed her and her family that the United States could go to war at anytime. However, this was before 9/11 had occurred. In general, people in America felt fairly safe.

Jessica served in the army as a supply clerk when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. Unfortunately, her convoy made a wrong turn and went into enemy territory. They were attacked. Jessica was injured in the attack and fell unconscious. She had awoken at an Iraqi hospital as a captive.

Jessica was the first female Prisoner of War (POW) to be rescued. The U.S. Marines and a Joint Special Operations Task, and Army Rangers worked together to raid the hospital to save Jessica Lynch and recover bodies of several victims of the war. Jessica had an honorable discharge from the army.



Today, she is completing her undergraduate degree in teaching from West Virginia University (Morgantown, West Virginia). She is pursuing her goal in life to become a teacher.
Earl Nightingale in his audio recording, The Strangest Secret in the World said:





"A success is the school teacher who is teaching because that's what he or she wants to do."





Why I personally feel Jessica is successful:


Jessica served our country. She was a solider and she was injured. She inspires me to be a better recreational therapist. I don’t serve the country as a solider. I do my best serve the children (victims of abuse) who I provide services to. Jessica’s story makes me feel like I should be going the extra mile.

• Jessica is goal-oriented. She could have easily given up on life due to the injuries. She could have dwelled in self-pity, complained, and quit. She didn’t. She always knew she wanted to be a teacher so that she could help children. She is currently working on her undergraduate degree in teaching at West Virginia Univesrity (WVU) in Morgantown, WV.

• Jessica is honest. Media, the army, and a television show made Jessica out to be a girl-Rambo. Her real story had been exaggerated by others. Jessica tells the real story in the book, I’m a Solider, Too, written by Rick Bragg. She tells the real, truthful story, always.

• Jessica is a do-gooder. She has developed a charity called Jessi’s pals, which raises funds to provide stuffed animals for children in the hospital. She wants to encourage these children to not give up hope and to get better. I admire her charity as a recreational therapist for a children’s unit at a hospital.

Study Successful People

I’ve been studying and reading books by and about people who have achieved success in life over the last decade. Here is one tip for becoming great and successful. Study people who’ve achieved success. I had read a research article once that explained that you could feel happier by reading about stories of people who are happy. These results were amazing. I took this study and transformed it. I think you could become successful and great in life by studying and reading about people who are successful in life. Perhaps you should try it.

Click Here to Get a Copy of Jessica's Book
Click Here to Get a Copy of Danny's Book

References
Bragg, R. (2003). I'm a Solider, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story
Nightingale, E. (1956). The Strangest Secret in the World. [Audio Recording.]
Pettry, D. (2009). Discover hidden Secret Wisdom: A Recreational Therapist's System on How to Become Great at Anything!
Wikipedia. (2009). Jessica Lynch. Retrieved Aug. 20, 2009.