The most important thing I did after retiring from the Air Force - Reflections after three years.

Hello, my friends! Today marks three years since I completed my thru hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. As I continue to coach and mentor friends and other military service members approaching their retirement, almost every one of them ask what the most important thing was I did immediately after retiring. Today is the perfect opportunity to dust off a post I made a couple years ago on the topic…

?The answer is simple. I took time off. Time off to disconnect. Time off to decompress. Time off to reflect. Time off to pursue a passion and do something big for myself. And time off to figure out what I wanted to do next without rushing into anything.

Admittedly, over my thirty-one years of service, I had allowed myself to slip in the area of self-care so I could pour more into others. My stress, anxiety, and fatigue were high. My sleep often suffered, and I sometimes found it difficult to stay focused. And I wasn't prioritizing diet and fitness as well as I should have. I talked a lot about self-care, but I was doing a poor job of taking care of myself, in all honesty.

?So, with the support of an incredible family and as a retirement gift to myself, I hiked the 2,653-mile Pacific Crest Trail, which runs from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada through California, Oregon, and Washington.

?My retirement ceremony was on the first of April. I turned 50 the following week and started my hike the week after.

?It took me 144 days to complete my journey, and I got everything I wanted and more out of the experience.

-?????? I was able to disconnect…seriously disconnect…not having cell reception for most of my time on the trail. I wasn't tied to a device and didn't have to check three different work email accounts. It was great to be away from the news and social media, too.

-?????? I was able to break away from my rank, position, and military identity and just be Jay. I struggled with that the last few years of my career, and as much as I loved what I was able to do for people in the positions I served in…it was great NOT to be called Chief.

-?????? I was able to do something extremely challenging (physically, mentally, and emotionally) for myself, and I enjoyed the satisfaction in that. The trail kicked my ass daily in one way or another, and the biggest rewards always came after the most difficult times.

-?????? I was able to risk failing at something big and own it. All of it. For the first time in as long as I could remember, my success wasn’t determined by the (great) people that I had been surrounded by and relied on throughout my career. I was alone most of the time, and every decision I made had to be sharp and timely. I had very little margin for error. Extreme weather conditions, limited water availability and resupply options, challenging terrain, remoteness, forest fires, and potential for injury were a few of the things that I had to work through frequently. It felt great to face that constant risk of failure and overcome it on my own.

-?????? I was able to fulfill a childhood dream and fuel my passion for the outdoors. I first learned about the Pacific Crest Trail when I was eaight and read an article about it in a National Geographic my grandmother had. The scale of the trail blew my mind as a kid, and the experience blew my mind as an adult when I made it a reality.

A few of my observations and things I gained form the experience:

-?????? It took about a month for the “noise” to quiet down, for my brain to slow down, and to really relax.

?-?????? I appreciated the simplicity of the experience after operating in such a complex environment for so many years. I carried everything I needed on my back…and I walked. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

-?????? I was able to let the thoughts about things I experienced throughout my career play out without interruption, some good, some bad. I realized there were a few things that I hadn’t achieved closure on, and I was able to come to terms with the things that I was holding onto that I had no control over. Letting go of those things took huge weights off my heart and mind.

-?????? It felt good to take time for myself after giving my time to others first for so many years. I thought that was greedy at first….but I got over that very quickly. It wasn’t greedy at all.

-?????? The time I had to myself during my journey allowed me to decide what I really want to do…and, more importantly, what I don’t want to do in the future. It also allowed me to re-establish (and tighten up) my boundaries, my priorities, and what I will commit to.

-?????? I gained a greater appreciation for things I sometimes take for granted. Time with my family and loved ones, most importantly.

So, my simple advice to anyone approaching retirement is to take the time you need to decompress, disconnect, and think. You earned it. And only you can determine how much that is.

That won’t require a walk from Mexico to Canada (even though that walk was pretty awesome)…but just insert what’s weighing on you and your passion(s) into the above scenario and make it happen!

All my best!

Jay

You can read about my journey in my book Five Million Steps - Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail after Three Decades of Service to Our Nation. Order your copy here! https://linktr.ee/jayfrance124

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