In the Air Force and in life, we experience a lot of changes. Many of us fight to keep the old ways and reject the new ways. However, we all know the change is going to happen. Remember the lessons learned from the old ways and apply them to making the new way work.
There are many stories of people failing on their way to success. We champion these stories and admire those who overcome the adversity; however, when we fall, we somehow don’t connect the dots. When you are passed over for a promotion or when you fail to complete the mission, learn from it what you can and go again.
There are those who are humble and those about to be humbled. I have a twisted blood lust for know-it-alls. You know, when those you try to advise, but they know it all already. It makes me smile when they fall flat on their face. I know this is a terrible trait for me to possess and I have certainly been that know-it-all several times in my own life. Even when we think we know something, we need to listen to those willing to share with us because there may be something within that is helpful.
There are many versions of this idea out there. 28 days to create a habit, 14 days, etc. Bottom line is that if we are willing to make something a part of our routine for an extended period of time, it is likely to become a habit. Look at things you do everyday and decide if they are things you want to continue doing.
How many times have we fought or stalled waiting for some organizational policy to change? We complain, argue, throw temper tantrums, and more because we are not happy with the rules, the resources we are given or the location we are placed. I have never seen this as a successful strategy for myself or others. Instead, when I adjust to the change, I typically find the success I am looking for. And…if you adopt early enough you will get a leg up on your peers who are too busy complaining, arguing and throwing temper tantrums.
I am the youngest of five siblings. I learned very early on that I do not have to make the mistakes to learn from them. I can easily learn from the mistakes my siblings made. However, I also realized we all seem to learn from failing more than we do from succeeding. I am not sure why we have to experience pain or witness it in order to truly learn, but we do.
In the early days of Internet blogging and chat rooms, I wrote a lot of articles and held many debates on religion. This is when I learned you can’t change another person with a well thought out argument. You can even refute all their viewpoints; however, when it comes to most topics, our minds are already made up. There is nothing wrong with having a conversation about things we care about, but don’t expect to change others…only they can change themselves.
There is a saying that conflict reveals character. This is also true of authority. Watching how someone acts when they are in a leadership role says a lot about their character. I have seen people who burned down every bridge to get more for their team, I have seen those who beat their team into the ground so they look better and I have seen those who have led with humility and integrity. Reflect on how you act in positions of authority and you will see who you really are.
This has been my method of learning something new for as long as I can remember. I wonder if I learned this from studying Bruce Lee or somewhere else, but it is a very effective model. When learning something new, look at what is working and what will work for you. Get rid of the extra steps and then find a way to make it your own. You will create routines and systems that work for you.
