A Military Veteran Is Privileged

“There is nobody as privileged as a soldier out of uniform.”

If a military veteran plans his/her transition well, then there is truly no one as privileged as him or her. Firstly, rarely does a person get the opportunity to live two lives in one. Most people join a particular industry or function in the corporate, and retire from it. Whereas, military veterans, after having lived a life full of adventure, get the opportunity - on transitioning to the civilian world - to reinvent themselves as career professionals. And this time - unlike when they took up their first jobs - they enter their new world with a lot of knowledge, experience and foresight. Now, they already know what they want from life! Further, this change becomes an enjoyable adventure, provided they ensure just these two conditions before they transition to the civilian world:

• Clarity
• Timely Preparation

Soldiers will usually not have everything that they need for their second lives, as they start working on their transition. But if they have clarity, then they know what they must get and what they must do to get it. With timely preparation they also ensure that they actually get it.

Sadly, however, the following corollary also holds true:

“There can be nobody as disoriented and confused as an unprepared soldier stepping out of uniform.”

That is a future all soldiers must avoid - and happilyy, that is most easy to avoid, with clarity and preparation.

The steps, therefore, that a soldier must traverse - in very general terms - to realize his/her second life dream, include:

• The Soldier’s Dream,Vision and Motivation: Where do you want to go and why? These are the things that inspire you to act, and you must know them well.?
• The Soldier’s Current Reality and Gap: This is the gap that you must bridge vis a vis what the civilian world demands of you. For this, you need the advice - ideally of another ex-soldier - who is already in the civilian world, and successful in it.
• Strategic Options: What strategies could a soldier consider to bridge this gap?
• Challenges and Goals: What are the challenges to be overcome along your chosen strategy?
• Soldier’s Plan: What specific steps must you take to reach each one of your post-uniform goals - professional and personal?
• Steps, Methods and Resources: What are the nitty gritties of each step along the plan? These are the Activities and Resources that go into executing your plan? What methods make the whole process enjoyable, and therefore easy.

The key step - amongst the above - is of course enjoying your transition journey. That too is possible only and only if you are clear and are well prepared. And counter-intuitively:

“Whenever we enjoy the journey, the destination is always ours!”

(The above excerpt is adapted from the book, Soldier 2.0: 19 Steps to a Soldier’s Dream Second Life - a book that provides a fail-proof plan to military veterans and spouses, to succeed in their second, post-military civilian lives. )?

About the Author:

Colonel Sunil Prem (Retired) founded three successful companies after transitioning to the civilian world. Two of these were funded by the Indian Government. For over a decade, he has been guiding veterans and spouses to build wonderful second lives. “Ex-soldiers”, he says, “are the most ethical, egalitarian and highly trained operational force in the world. They can transform the world through their unique values and skills, even as they build amazing second lives for themselves.”

The book is all about a soldier’s transition to the civilian world - the steps that you need to take to get a job, start a business or franchise, become self-employed or a passive earner, to understand money and manage your finances, to become financially free, and 100s of other related methods, skills and tips - Soldier 2.0: 19 Steps to a Soldier’s Dream Second Life. The book is available to Indian readers at Amazon.in and to international audiences at Amazon.com.

Watch Sunil Prem’s Josh Talk

Hear Sunil Prem talking to Gen Yash Mor at “Mor Talks”

Watch Sunil’s Discussing Entrepreneurship with Gaurav Bhagat at SBYND

Read his articles and find out more about him at:

Sunilprem.com

Sunil Prem LinkedIn

Know more about Sunil’s business passions and innovations, through these videos:

Navyuginfo.com: Seeking Custom Software Development?

BriskOlive.com: A 25,000+ ex-Soldiers’ Gig for Large-Scale Projects, Surveys, Audits..

BriskOlive.com: Recruitment & Temp Staffing across India?

Counter-Terrorism and Counter-IED Solutions

Tactical Engagement Trainers for Defence & Security Forces