Mooseocracy

Grow Where You Are Planted “Grow where you are planted” is the best advice anyone can receive. Most people understand this concept right way, but when our careers go in a direction that is not anticipated or planned it can create self‐doubt behind whether or not we are “growing.” Understandably, we feel anxiety when we are thrown in into positions that we did not request or anticipate, but the good news is that there is no set path or template to success. We define our own success and ultimately everything hinges on our performance. To put things into perspective, Gen. Holmes mentioned in Leadership as a Domain Podcast #9 , he thought the military was trying to signal to him that his career was over when he was selected as a Training Squadron Commander because typically high performing fighter pilots are assigned a flying squadron for command. But, this was not the case and he continued to grow where he was planted, which translated...

You May Already Have A Mentor “To leave the world a bit better… To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” ‐ Ralph Waldo Emerson I loved Capt Lewis and Lt Hines in LaaD Podcast #11 because they have already achieved success!  This article will build on one of the common themes in the podcast – people lack mentors.  If you need a mentor, I will offer some places to start because you may have already met your mentor: Any person who has taken time to offer you constructive criticism Co‐worker – supervisor, peer, friend, unit influencer (regardless of rank) Someone you look up to or want to emulate (eg. Capt Lewis or Lt Hines) “Time is the most precious commodity” ‐ Capt Russell Lewis Time is the best indicator. If someone has spent time to help us be a better person they are already half a mentor. For example, when I was a lieutenant, I publicly corrected an instructor during his b...

Eliminate Financial Stress This article builds upon the previous article, “Not Satisfied – The Good, Bad & Ugly,” and provides an introduction to eliminating financial stress by: 1) creating a budget; 2) using credit responsibly; and 3) saving for retirement. This is important because finances are one of the major stresses in life. CREATE A BUDGET The first step is to create a budget and use the following principles: 1) Don’t spend more than income 2) Pay bills on‐time 3) Have an emergency fund 4) Save for retirement 5) Use credit responsibly USE CREDIT RESPONSIBLY Technically, it makes the most financial sense to pay cash for everything because it costs money to maintain good credit and pay interest on loans. For example, a $100,000 30‐year home loan with 3.92% interest rate, will have a total cost of $170,213. If you paid cash for the same home then you would save $70,213. However, making large purchases in cash may not be ...