As a new week begins, I would like to have you sit and reflect on what has transpired over the past few days, weeks and months. As you do that, think about the goals you have planned for yourself. Where do you stand with those goals? Have you given up, threw in the towel, or just walked away from that project, relationship, workout, money making venture, or whatever you started out doing? Have you run out of steam? This is a common fault that we all have and not until we find that extra motivation, or someone, to push us then those barriers that slowed us... will eventually stop us. Let's consider those commercials where the service members are returning to their families from a deployment? What would happen if they gave up because of some of the stressors they are faced with? How do you think that service member felt on the day they had to leave their loved one in order to protect our freedoms?
All military members that have served after the draft, made a conscious decision to affix their signature on that dotted line, raise their right hand and take the oath to serve this country during peace and war time. According to Robert Longley of ThoughtCo., he stated, "about 75 percent of America's 17- to 24- year old's were ineligible for military service due to lack of education, obesity, and other physical problems, or criminal history." Now you might ask, what does that have to do with goal setting and coming up short?
These young American's all had different reasons for joining, such as, family tradition, free education, life and work experience, early retirement, or just plain old "American Pride". Whatever their reasoning, they decided that they would embrace the challenge and look beyond the barriers that they will be presented with such as missed birthdays, anniversaries, births, deaths, first day of schools, graduations, and the list goes on. As minor as these things may seem on the surface, missing these events can cause strain on a relationship which can ultimately lead to divorce, suicide, and even behavioral problems in children. All of those barriers mentioned above can, will, and have become stressful situations that every service member must deal with, and as it piles up over the years, it becomes more difficult to keep the focus of your reasons for first joining. When you start having a limited scope of the work, pain, or tasks that lie ahead for you to accomplish your goals, you have hindered your own vision.
Your focus should be farther down the track and seeing what is awaiting you at the end of the tunnel. Although this was about the life of a military member, the same takeaways can be applied to everyone. By planning, communicating, asking for help, reconnecting, and remembering that barriers are just that and not the end all, be all, you will be able to adjust and continue to preserve. Take a few minutes to honestly consider where you are when it comes to the goals you have set for yourself and what barriers stand in your way that need to be knocked down in order for you to change your gaze. #SPEAK2MYHEART
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