Evoenix:Edits

For many, myself included, joining the military was a means to an end.
That “end” being – where we were at the time.

As opposed to the bigger picture end – as Stephen Covey quotes, “Begin with the end in mind”. 

We weren’t saying to ourselves – right I want to work in X industry and joining the military is a good stepping-stone to get there.

Then we leave and it can often feel like starting over.  And that can be very daunting.

It’s a fresh start – of sorts.  But one with all the knowledge and experience you’ve gained over the years. 

An opportunity to give your younger self a second chance, now.

What opportunity can you grab with both hands and not let go until you get there?

And do you know what that opportunity is for? 

What it’s really for, in the end?

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Is all relative to person, place, time and situation.

How to solve a problem – might be resolved with an easy internet search, asking an expert or referring to a standard operating procedure.

Then there’s another dynamic at play – How you might solve a problem.

What unique perspective, worldview and imagination do you bring to the table when there’s a problem that needs solving?

Because if it were easy or standard – it would be solved already.

And we need people like you to stand up and ask the difficult questions. 

To do the hard work of test, learn, adjust and repeat.

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Purpose and what we do are very interlinked – which has pros and cons.

In that, we get great satisfaction from what we do when it aligns with a purpose (little p).  But, when we solely rely on what we do to fuel how we feel we are accomplishing our own unique Purpose (big P), it can lead to dissatisfaction, disillusion and boredom.

There’s the quote:
“He who has a why to live for, can bear almost any how.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

Often it feels more like – He/she who is asking: why in the hell am I doing this?  Can create any number of rational reasons NOT to do the very thing they need to be doing!!!!

Or, when that feeling of having a purpose is linked to a particular role or organisation. Finite projects, roles, goals, and tasks will have peaks and troughs and for things to be constantly challenging to feel that sense of accomplishment, or purpose, is exhausting.
Moreover, when the job is done – does that mean you now have no purpose?

Are you redundant?

Hell no!!!! 

By finding and living by a more infinite and universal Purpose – or WHY, will see you through the downtime, challenges and give meaning to even the most tedious of activities. I truly believe this is pivotal in living a more integrated life – especially for service leavers.

So, how might we find our Purpose and continue to nurture it during the downtimes?  To know what Your Purpose looks like for you – no matter what job you are doing?

Summer Update

My plan is… to present various webinars and classes over the Summer in the lead up to opening the Permission To Carry On Workshop in September. However, given the year we have all had with online learning and working, it is no surprise that fatigue is presenting itself. We’ve all had a really challenging year and with some restrictions lifting over the coming weeks, the Sumer hiatus will offer the opportunity to enjoy a well-deserved holiday and break from routine.

Therefore, I have made the decision to launch the webinar and class programme in September, leading up to Workshop enrolment for October. This is a much better time of year to be thinking and planning as we are used to that seasonal academic tempo.

Until then, I will be working on the content and delivery to create a joyful learning experience and set you on the front foot to success. The blogs will continue weekly and if you ever need a chat or to unpack a troublesome worry bead, please feel free to DM me on LinkedIn or book in with me via my Calendly below.

Have a wonderful Summer and see you in September – when you can start to get clear about what’s next for you and get stuff done!

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When folks leave the Armed Forces, I see too much inactivity and hiding because of fear of the unknown. Add on top of that, the embedded military values and culture that has been instilled in people as they evolve into the Serviceperson.  And the uncertainty of what that might look like on the other side as they reclaim agency and find a new purpose as an individual.

It got me thinking…. this is about enrolment.  The main ingredient of any change effort.

How did someone remain enrolled in the journey to become a soldier / sailor / airman in the first place?  This often requires extensive changes to behaviour, you may have to wait years to get in and then we endure and succeed in passing initial training.  There are kitbags full of fear and uncertainty, and we did it anyway.

We were committed to challenging the status quo then, so why is it such an obstacle now?

Ok, age, financial situation and mindset are going to play a huge part here.  We have more to consider now than when we joined as carefree twenty-somethings with the world at our feet. And our brains are not as malleable now.

So, how might we reverse engineer this to serve us as we leave?

What might be on offer, that is so compelling we make it the main focus?

What promise might we make to ourselves… and deliver on it?

Because maybe that initial promise was broken before and we don’t want to be disappointed again.

What are we trying to change?  And what do we really want to change?

We often forget how far we have come and a little look back at that time might be a good starting point to touch on.  Bring in some that juicy nostalgia for conscious incompetence… and that we evolved and made it through. 

Aside from the usual benefits of service life, I would assert we all signed on that dotted line because deep down we thought we were contributing to a “greater good”. 

And I am wondering whether this might be a barrier for us moving forward.  In that, being a manager at a nondescript corporate organisation just doesn’t cut it. 

Because, where’s the contribution?

Or like a debut author having a number one bestseller and now the publisher is pushing them to do it again.  It’s the pressure to perform.

What difference can we make now?  Especially, when some might feel as though they didn’t make enough of an impact whilst serving. 

How might some of us feel they failed in their military careers?  And don’t want to repeat the cycle or have a skewed understanding of sunk costs. Because whether that career was a success or not in your eyes – that time was not wasted. Your knowledge and skills would not be what they are today without that lived experience.

What is the transition for?  And what might it be for, if we could make better use of it?

If your life up to now had purpose but that’s changed for some reason, what might you give a crap about now, if you went looking for it?

You have value. You are worthy. You can stand up and serve yourself.

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