Reflection of a Jiujiteiro: ambition

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” ~Theodore Roosevelt, as cited in “Tribe of Mentors”

The path to success is paved differently for each traveler. As said traveler, the question is not how do I become successful, but what does success mean to me? I sit here writing this reflection with eighteen years of service to my country, seventeen years of marriage to my soulmate, and having been given the privilege to father two amazing children, who will no doubt make great contributions to our future society. What a whirlwind if events I have experienced this month, so let’s begin…

Master your Craft

Passion beats talent every time. Dan Pink, a motivational speaker and creator of TED Talk, “The Puzzle of Motivation”, claims the three motivators for the workforce are: mastery, autonomy, and purpose. This triad sets conditions for an employee to reach the next level. This is also more important than other incentivized programs. A team members ability to achieve purpose far outweighs other cash-based incentives.

I had the privilege to lead a training team to Kosovo recently to help train newly selected Public Affairs Officers assigned to the Kosovo Security Forces. The officers and non-commissioned officers were bright, attentive, and passionate about serving their country in this capacity. This opportunity also gave me the feedback to application I needed to reinvigorate my passion for my career field. I’ve been a combat communicator for nearly thirteen years and this experience reminded me why I fell flr the art in the first place. Being a storyteller for the greatest military on earth does have its perks.

A New Chapter

I received confirmation I was selected to be the All American Public Affairs Officer beginning this fall. For the majority of my career I have been an Iron Soldier, and haven’t jumped out of a perfectly good aircraft since February 16, 2005. However, a great opportunity opened up with an amazing unit and everything in my gut, to include the support from my wife, told me to go after this challenge.

Please do not confuse my ambition with ignorance. This next assignment will be the most challenging experience of my career. Claudia and I understand the toll it is going to take on our family to do the job right, but we both understand we have a duty to our children to show them what hard work and sacrifice looks like. That is our sole purpose as parents to prepare our children to be better than we are. If we do this, the following generations will have the same chances to achieve greatness.

My grandfather walked 10 miles to work everyday. My father walked five. I’m driving a Cadillac. My son is in a Mercedes. My grandson will be in a Ferrari. My great grandson will be walking again… Tough times create strong men. Strong men create easy times. Easy times create weak men. Weak men create tough times. Many will not understand, but you have to raise warriors.” ~Aaron Mckie

Lay the Groundwork

The summer activities set for Dominic and Brianna has been unrelenting. Dominic has been involved with the Street Soccer Ball league, Basketball, and continues to hit the mats to keep his Jiu-jitsu game on point. Brianna has continued to do Ballet, did one basketball session and has had her first round of golf lessons. Claudia and I have also decided to keep tutoring the kids at home during the summer break because routine is a force multiplier for our kids.

This is far more important for Dominic, as he has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and has been prescribed Adderall to help keep him focused. We do not take our responsibility as parents lightly to ensure both of our children have the tools necessary to help them succeed in life. In whichever paths they choose to follow, early intervention is highly recommended. With learning challenges, we are committed to Dominic and Brianna’s development no matter what the cost.

If you want to have more, do more, and be more, it all begins with the voice that no one else hears.” ~Tim Ferriss

Ferriss, Timothy. “Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World”. (2020)

The Way Ahead

In the next few months, Team Clas will go through yet another drastic change. We will once again pack up the house and move on to another location we are not familiar with and establish shallow roots to begin another chapter as a military family. The process is going to be action packed with and will definitely test our collective patience. However, we are excited for the opportunities and adventures to come.

The Clas Clan has thrived through a global pandemic, living in a foreign country far away from our family back home, deployments, and short stints of separation for short duration work trips. We continue to look positively toward the horizon and welcome change because we know we will face it together. Family togetherness has been the constant ingredient to our success and ambition is meaningless without a good support team to keep motivating you to push forward. My family is my purpose, together we thrive. We wish all of you out there nothing but the best as you work toward your goals. Live easy my friends. One team, one family!