After a long period of time, I feel refreshed and hopeful. My old self had to die, my old identity, transformed into who I am now. There are no longer military sergeants around to tell me to get my flu shot. There are no longer warnings to get my teeth cleaned and to complete my suicide prevention training. I am untethered.
Right now I am working within my new routine. Sitting at Cafe Ladro with a cold brew, oat bar, and laptop. I am an entrepreneur. I am an Olympic hopeful. I am a visionary leader. War is chaos. I think the civilian world has just as much chaos and more. How do you guide yourself in this void? A man must establish for himself, what his priorities are. The law of prioritization states that relationships, fitness and finance are the top. Everything else can work within this framework. Before I learned this guide, my life was a spiral of ADHD. A friend once called me the “King of Distraction”. I recognize my father is the same way.
Relationships
Fitness
Finances
I woke up to the reality that our relationships have alot to do with our attractiveness. Personal attractiveness to me is cleanliness, hygiene, showering, exercising, style. I believe that money and looks are not in play here. It’s actually your habits of self-care. This is even more important if you want to find a partner. Friends will over look deficiencies. Yet, if you want to maintain intimate relationships, self-care, smell, confidence, all come into play. Glow up seasons are great, though it should continue into winter, spring, and fall.
Finance is an interesting topic. Each priority has a psychology around it. Towards the end of this past decade, I had amassed a lump sum of liquid funds. I had a large sum come in, then small to medium sums go out, until it was all gone. I spent little mind on earning funds. I had this notion that there was another jackpot at the end of the rainbow. There was indeed a leprechaun, and he was there to fleece me. I went through a difficult adjustment. I started working in the gig economy, delivering food. It was a fascinating job in the sense that I traveled to people’s homes, and found homes in places I had never seen. Some homes were on top of a business district. Some were overlooking cliffs, some were in utter posh palaces, some were in overcrowded lodgings. The work was fun and mindless. The pay was meager and humbling. I had never had to manage my cash in such a scarce environment. I quickly learned what was essential. Food, gas, entertainment, family and emergencies. I wore my clothes until there were holes. I smoked weed to self-soothe. I drove the streets of Seattle, pondering and reflecting. Then came a day of disaster. I felt the pinch that I know thousands and millions feel. It was humiliating and I felt ashamed. I made an unconscious vow that day. I knew I was capable of more, and even if the current situation was bleak, the future can unfold a million different ways.
I developed a resilience and level of courage that was foreign to me. I found my inner furnace. My knees were busted, my feet unstable, my pockets were empty, I was lonely, and drowning. I thought that my 6 months in Iraq would be the crescendo of agony that would define my life. From that paradigm then, it certainly was, but I needed to face another front, that lied at the edge of my soul. As a warrior, I relish the battle. In my deepest moment of despair, I could finally see the enemy. His camouflage disappeared. When you stop running, courage will meet sword with sword. The enemy is now confronted with you. Now his metal is tested. If he slips, I will pounce.
Once, I was a baby. Once, I was a boy. Once, I was a young man. Now, I am a man. One day I will be middle aged. One day I will be a senior. One day I will be at my twilight. In all of these phases, I say, treasure your relationships, improve your fitness and build your wealth. Risks will always need to be managed, yet, with the correct why, you can weather any how.