In his book, Bryan Anderson demonstrates how one can overcome career ending and life threatening situations by holding on to hope through courage and determination. Anderson, a United States Army sergeant, found himself a triple amputee after a bomb attack while on mission in Iraq. He woke up to the rude shock a week later in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. At that moment many people would see their situation as if it is the end of the world and that one would never find another purposeful path in life. However, this was not the case for Anderson. He always believed that he would retrace the purpose of his life and fought on in what would take over a year of recovery and rehabilitation. For that reason, his courage, hope, and determination paid off as illustrated by the beacon of hope in his book No Turning Back .
Anderson recalls his journey from a severely wounded sergeant, to becoming alive again, aware of his situation, and fulfilled to have given his all. From such a horrid situation, it is evident that Anderson (2012, 24) learnt to persevere and remain focused on his journey back to the purpose of life. He also understood that his life would never be the same again in terms of physicality. Anderson was gymnast and he had to come into terms with the idea that he would never follow that path in life again. What is more, he learnt that his field activities in the military career had to be forgotten in light of the fact that he did not have the same physical shape he had prior to the bomb attack.
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It is evident that Anderson accepted his current status and chose to use it for the benefit of himself and others. It is through these lessons that Anderson implemented a paradigm shift in his life. For example, after realizing that he would never continue being a gymnast, he chose to learn snowboarding, rock-climbing, and wakeboarding (Anderson, 2012, 167). The paradigm shift in his life is evident at how he managed to learn these sporting activities quickly. Despite the fact that he was using prosthetic arms, Anderson excelled in these activities. Again, this is a perfect reminder of how courage, determination, and hope can inspire people to do even things that seem undoable.
Another form of paradigm shift illustrated through Anderson’s experiences is his decision to move on in life out of the US Army. Most people would not find something else to do if their careers are brought to a sudden halt but Anderson looked for alternatives that suited his abilities. After realizing that his field military career activities had come to an end, he decided to help other disabled veterans. He is the national spokesperson for Quantum Rehab, a division of USA Cares and the Pride Mobility Products Corp (Anderson, 2012, 206). These achievements reflect a paradigm shift that came in light of unexpected misfortunes in life.
In his capacity, Anderson represents a beacon of hope for other veterans who may have experienced similar circumstances. He had to change his mentality first so that he could change the mentality of other people who were low in hope and physically disabled. On the other hand, Anderson goes on to inspire everyone who needs to make a paradigm shift in life due to certain occurrences that may not allow one to hold on the usual way of life. The book No Turning Back is a testimony to the changes that one can make in their life and rip rewards no matter how hard they might have fallen in the past.
References
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Anderson, B., & Mack, D. (2012). No turning back: One man's inspiring true story of courage, determination, and hope . New York: Penguin Group.
