Teach Me, Don’t Do It for Me

Stoic Quote of the Week

In this way, you must understand how laughable it is to say, 'Tell me what to do!' What advice could I possibly give? No, a far better request is, 'Train my mind to adapt to any circumstance.'. . ."

-Epictetus

What I learned this week:

How many times have you bought a book, gone to a conference or seminar, or called someone hoping they had the answer to what you were trying to do? I know I have done that, just like everyone else. I'm looking for a shortcut either to fix the drainage problem behind my garage or how do get more people into one of my coaching programs. So, I read another book; I watch seminars; I talk with my coach; I call a friend. All good activities and actions which provide me with a list of 'how to's' and solutions. They are all great solutions, but they aren't the right solution for me, nor are they the wrong solution, just not right. I have this discussion with every service member transitioning out of the service. I'm not going to give you a plan. I'm going to provide you with some exercises and ask deep, thought-provoking questions. Their job is to build their own plan. If I were to give them a plan, it would be my plan; it'd be a damn good one, of course, ??, but not the right one for them. This holds true for everything we want to do in life. You can't take someone else's plan and execute it step by step and expect it to work. What you should do is take that plan, that advice, and those notes from the seminar and create your own plan. You build it; you own it. It is yours through and through and built for you because it is your life. Whether it is fixing a flooding problem in the garage or a plan to grow your business, it must be your plan, developed for you by you.

Planning thought of the week:

Ownership of the plan is a key piece to the success of the plan. First off, the leader can't develop a plan in isolation and expect the team to rah-rah the plan and execute it. The team won't have any buy-in to the plan. The simplest way to get buy-in from your team on a plan is to include them in the development of the plan. Always include your team in the plan's development.

Business idea I heard about or thought of:

One of the stumbling blocks of a gun range is the noise and space it takes to make one. What if you could create a virtual one, not paintball or Dart Wars?? A real venue that is virtual that, I use my real firearm. I'm talking about using my everyday carry Sig, my Remington shotgun, my Savage hunting rifle, etc. One of the things that we all love to do when we go to the range is shoot our guns. I won't be carrying a plastic pistol or rifle around with me. We want that familiarization with our own guns. Sure, the simulated guns help refine the techniques and habits, but it isn't the same as shooting my Sig, my Savage, and my AR. I don't want goggles. I want to look down the site of my pistol or the scope of my rifle and squeeze the trigger. The tech exists. The hurdle is universal adapters for pistols and rifles. Then the video set up. I could practice my 700 yds shooting a bull elk without firing a round with my rifle. Are any takers out there? I know of a couple of places that would be a great fit to build it.

Veteran opportunity of the week:

If you don't care for yourself, no one else will. Don't let the VA be the end-all for your care if you don't like what you hear. If you don't get a viable solution. You have to stand up and demand more. Hundreds of nonprofits will help you out, whether it is a disability claim or just wanting care for a pain or a problem you have. But you must do it. You must stand up for yourself. Don't accept mediocre support for your health. You deserve more.

Someone I met this week:

I finally got the opportunity to meet my friend Julie Ducharme in person this week, and what a great opportunity that was! Julie is not a veteran, but she is a huge advocate for women veterans. I can't even list the number of organizations she supports because there are so many. She is passionate about helping women veterans. That's why she began using the platform She Talks to help women veterans share their stories. Last weekend she was co-host of the event Women Gone Wild & She Talks Red Carpet Extravaganza. What an awesome event. When you have the opportunity to meet Dr. Julie in person, I know you will be as impressed as I am with her.

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