If you ever find yourself on a college campus for a week, odds are at some point you will see some men and women dressed in a navy colored suit wearing a strange looking hat. These men and women are members of Air Force ROTC. They are training to commission as officers when they graduate from college. These men and women will fly planes with amazing power, lead other airmen in the fight against evil, and help make ungodly technological leaps among many other things. I decided I wanted to be one of these airmen 3 years ago midway through my freshmen year of college. I waited until the beginning of my sophomore year and joined as a freshmen cadet. I have loved the program and have no doubt it has developed me into a well rounded person and I also encourage everyone who feels even the slightest calling to serve to check it out.
All of this being said, it is not easy. If everyone could do it, we wouldn't have the strongest Air Force the world has ever seen. Typically speaking, the hardest part of the entire ROTC program is what is called Field Training. In a nut shell it is basic training for Air Force ROTC cadets. Every officer that has been produced through ROTC has gone through Field Training. There were many times while at Field Training I looked inward and thought about why I was there and why I was staying in such an intense training course. That being said, I learned a lot. A lot of the things I learned were meant as tools I would use in my Air Force career but since attending, I have found that these lessons apply to a normal life just as easily. Therefore, here are the 9 pieces of life advice I picked up at Field Training.
1. "Why would you sacrifice potential in your career for 5 minutes of comfortability?"
This was something told to us during a Q&A session. Basically, the guy was saying that there are going to be times in your life where you don't like what you are doing and you can quit right then and there and sacrifice your career, or you can endure through it and come out better on the other side.
2. There's always something worse.
Basically, no matter how bad you think you have it right now, there can always be something worse inflicted upon you should you quit. I had a general idea that if I quit in the moment, I would end facing a much larger and fiercer beast of problem.
3. Actually take a second to appreciate the little things.
When you are running around 24/7 and feel like the world is going to end, take a step back, take a deep breath, and enjoy that breath of fresh air. Most people go through the motions of things without actually enjoying what they're doing. When was the last time you took a shower and focused on how good the hot/cold water felt on your body?
4. Adapt and overcome.
We were taught a lot before we got there, but out of necessity, a lot of things also changed. It is important to realize in life that even the best laid plans can and will go awry. The key is to always remain fluid with the way you think and the way you expect things to go. It isn't enough to have an overarching back up plan. You want to have many little back up plans to all aspects of what could go wrong.
5. Perception is reality.
Intentions mean nothing in the real world. How many times have bad things happened even with the best intentions? There will be times when you go to do something, and someone will see you do it, and what you were actually doing in your mind will not be the story that everyone else hears. Always take a step back and ask yourself how something looks from the outside.
6. You waste more time than you realize.
There was a lot that needed to be taught in a very short amount of time so every thing was scheduled to the minute. You don't really need 20 minutes to shower. An hour for lunch is an ungodly amount of time. Always think if you aren't doing something, what else can you be doing. Sure there will be times where you have to do A before you can do B. However, that does not mean you have to do A before you can do things labeled C-Z.
7. "Excuses are tools of the incompetent, used to build monuments of nothingness, and those who specialize in them seldom go far."- Anonymous
The quote speaks for itself. It is something I constantly heard other people say and it really stuck with me.
8. Know your role.
You will not always be the person in charge. There will be times in life when you are the most qualified person there is but because of the situation, your role is to be there as a contributing part of the team. It is always important to be thinking about how you would do things differently and maybe you could do them better, and you can suggest those ideas. However, realize what your primary job is for that day and carry it out to the best of your ability.
9. "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." - Mike G. Tyson
In a nutshell, life will knock you off your feet even when you know what you're doing. It's how you react to that proverbial punch is the part that matters.
*These are my own opinions and in no way reflect or are associated with the opinions of AFROTC Cadets, AFROTC, or The United States Air Force
