No Atheist in the Foxhole!
You may have heard this terse saying, as it is a widely-held truth by many in the military. There is no doubt adversity raises your spiritual awareness and trust in a higher power. Many survive the military experience through strong faith, mental toughness, physical fitness or servant leadership. You brought some of these attributes with you to the military. Others were implanted by the service. Regardless, you own these attributes now.
Further, the military has shaped you through ingrained, service specific, core values. Civilians hear the words Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage all the time. To you, they are much more than words. Each core value represents a tremendous personal quality. These values were entrenched during your initial training and endure to this day. Further, your security clearance exemplifies your desire for a high quality, reliable and trustworthy lifestyle. You live these values every day, in everything you do, for the rest of your life.
Establishing Your Personal Battle Rhythm
Using these attributes and values, you have established a personal battle rhythm. You wake, you work out, you eat right. You focus on the mission, your family, your subordinates and you use introspection to reflect upon your day’s activities and your spiritual life. Bottom line, you may not do them in this order, but you get the job done and you have a personal method and rhythm.
Another Widely-Held Aphorism for You
On numerous occasions, you have heard, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” You may be saying; how does this relate to the section above? Interestingly, when many military members leave service and transition into a different career, some of the phenomenal attributes you possess get pushed to the wayside. Why do some veterans do this?
It is extremely important to establish and maintain your battle rhythm, utilizing those steadfast attributes you learned in the military during your transition and job hunt. Continue to do your morning physical fitness routine, stay in shape, maintain your spiritual life, continue your professional development, stay engaged in family activities and focus on your job hunt.
These activities seem simple enough. However, there are so many distractions that take you away from your core attributes as you leave the service. There are many potholes you can fall into. You may quickly find yourself struggling to find your way in a strange new job market.
If you have left any of these attributes behind, return to the basics. Apply what is ingrained in your military persona. Whatever schedule you have, whatever OPTEMPO you’re moving at, continue to maintain and develop the phenomenal habits ingrained during your military service.
Keep your military core values
Your core values are essential to your success. Employers find these core values highly desirable when looking for candidates to fill positions. Therefore, these attributes make you highly marketable to employers. You own them, so use them to your advantage.
Years from now, you will reflect on these values and realize they not only sustained you, but also propelled you through life. Hold fast to the deep-rooted core values from you your military service. They will not let you down.