“I believe the choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to require more from yourself.” ~Oprah Winfrey
Things don’t happen to you, they happen for you. It’s up to us to realize what the lesson is and where we really want to go in our lives. Every experience I’ve had in my life has resulted in where I am now. It’s the choices we make that determines where we go in the future. These past few weeks have been a real eye-opener. Both of my kids, Dominic and Brianna, have achieved milestones I couldn’t be more proud of. They both leveled up to next rank jujitsu; they’ve both grown another year, now they’re eight years old and six years old; and with another summer upon us, they have will soon complete another year of school. I was fortunate to be present for most, but not all of them. A special thanks to Professor Mac and Coach Lucas at ZR Team, NC for continuing to develop Dominic and Brianna on the mats week after week, and congratulations to all of our teammates who received well deserved promotions from Professor Diego, April 22.
With great achievement comes great sacrifice. It’s been a while since I had to leave the family for a long stretch. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of my kids cry because I had to go somewhere on a trip with an unforeseen return date. These moments don’t get any easier as time goes on, and the leaving is what’s imprinted in your mind when you reflect back on those moments. I do hope my kids understand the significance of the sacrifices they made while I was serving. Anything of value has hardship associated with it, otherwise the prize wouldn’t be valuable.
Life Choices
I like to believe the time I’ve sacrificed with my family has been an investment to future togetherness. This past week was a pretty significant one in my career because this was the week I submitted my retirement packet. A year and change from now, I’ll be retired from the military and I’ll be able to focus all of my attention on my family, where it supposed to be. Many have asked me why am I dropping my retirement paperwork? The only answer that comes to mind is because my family has taken a vote and it’s time. It’s time for me to be home with them, and I have no regrets with this decision at all. I’m looking forward to the days when I am the Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR) of taking my kids to school, picking them up, taking them to their activities, and to be there for their milestones, instead of missing being in a far off land hoping it’s worth the sacrifice. I think hitting 20 years in the military is a significant achievement, and I’m proud of every experience I’ve had thus far. I have no regrets, and I’m looking forward to bringing my experience back to my community in Chicago.
If one is passionate and committed in the noble pursuit of excellence within their chosen field; be that the arts, technology, science, humanitarianism, conservationism, than I would say one has a moral obligation and an ethical duty to be of service. And to always strive to be part of the solution, not the problem. After all, it’s the world that our children would inherit. That’s worth being a part of: passion, action, noble intention creates progress.” ~Tom Hardy
Paying It Forward
We can all think of some gray beard in our neighborhood who was known for their service. Those members were often involved with the community in some capacity. Even Popeye the Sailor Man was based of a real veteran who inspired the creator as a young person. I want to go back to my hometown and educate others through my experience so the next generation of leaders is more prepared for what’s to come.
This past month has been extremely busy. It’s been extremely memorable and it’s been preparing me for everything that I want to do moving forward. Fortunately enough,I was able to be back for Mother’s Day from my most recent adventure, and we were able to celebrate Claudia and all the great things that she’s done for the kids throughout the year. Additionally, I finally participated in the “Pints and Properties” meeting, which is designed to help entrepreneurs in real estate network and learn from leaders in the industry on a monthly basis. We had a great experience meeting with Mike Glaspie, a financial leadership coach, who has given us a couple resources to consider as we continue to grow the family business, Class Capital Investing as we start to transition back home.
Master the Transition
The transition is real. That’s what’s the game of life is really all about. When you master the transition, you master the game. So every day that passes, I feel that we need to prepare ourselves for the next level, adapt to where you are and overcome the challenges you are facing, so that you could be better prepared to set conditions for your next chapter. That’s really the best thing you can do, not just for yourself, or for your team, uh, but for your family as well, because life changes at the speed of war. We have no control over what the next day brings. We only have control over what we do to prepare for prior to the unforeseen events to come.
Dreams without goals, are just dreams and they ultimately fuel disappointment.” ~Denzel Washington
More importantly, once you figure out how to bring your conceptual ideas into a deliberate plan, to achieving your dreams, you will have a solid strategy, and now you will be adulting. This will pay dividends as the years move on and will bring you to where you need to be instead of where you think you have to be.
A Hopeful End
I’m hopeful and I’m motivated for the next chapter. I’m excited to see what this summer brings, to see what next year brings, and then to see where all of Team Clas’ planning and hard work will bring us when it’s time to make that final leap back into civilian life. I’m really excited about it. I’m really scared about it as well, going through each phase of the military’s transition assistance program, but I’m hopeful because I know that in my heart, deep down, this is the right move for me and my family. I see nothing but great things on the horizon because I know that no matter what, as long as we’re together, there’s nothing that we can’t overcome. Thank you my friends and family for taking the time to read this long testimony on the Clas Clan’s annual training plan. Please know I am looking forward to being able to make solid plans with you all come summer 2024.
One Team, One Family! ~Doc