[August 10, 2022] Set up some aims for yourself, aims that you actually value. Plan a life you would like to have. You will have to put some effort into your life, and you need to be motivated to do that.
And, you need to consider your life across several dimensions if you are taking care of yourself properly; intimate relationships, friendships, family, career, time outside work, and regulating your use of drugs and alcohol. Establish a valued goal (your motivation is derived from this goal) and assemble a set of required tasks that allow you to obtain that goal.
This is how you can be excited about what you have to do when you wake up in the morning. Specify your long-term ideal (follow your dream) – and also specify a place you want to stay away from (that terrifies you if you fail) – and those tasks linked to that goal are what motivates you. You do that partly by referring to social norms, such as being polite, respectful, industrious, professional, staying on track, having a balanced life, and making the correct life-choice sacrifices.
I often advise young men and women on how to prepare themselves for those who want to join the U.S. military and also those wishing to obtain a Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics STEM degree from a university. A greater degree of dedication and considerable motivation is necessary to complete this transition, especially inside institutions that require a high degree of merit to advance.
Excellence is required. These two paths teach those real-world skills that are useful, not just in such a career, but to become genuinely the person you want to be and be good at what you do. This means you will learn the use of cold logic, respect for the profession and others, doing your job expertly, the importance of being reliable and trustworthy, having confidence in your ability, possess a positive attitude, the ability to set goals and knowledgeably obtain them, and so on, and the list is lengthy; as it should be.
I gave each of them a list of things they should do (sacrifices) to make it easier as they transition to Soldier or STEM University student. To date, the feedback from young men and women has been positive. They tell me that without my advice, they might not have finished their military training and advanced academic STEM-field degree, and, in many cases, they excelled beyond their imagination.
They set up aims for themselves; they made choices and sacrificed properly, in such a way that they would succeed later in life. They were on an adventure, and it was the best time of their lives.
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Please read my new book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” on Amazon (link here).
It is good to see that Gen. Satterfield is still involved in the lives of young people. I know that he spends a lot of time with the Boy Scouts and the young boys who are learning from real men like him. We all need to be encouraging this sort of good behavior. I bought his book, “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” and will start reading it this weekend.
“This is how you can be excited about what you have to do when you wake up in the morning. Specify your long-term ideal (follow your dream) – and also specify a place you want to stay away from (that terrifies you if you fail) – and those tasks linked to that goal are what motivates you.” great quote, don’t forget it.
Yep, great website on genuine leadership. Gen. Satterfield is da man!!!!!
… and Gen. Satterfield is a true patriot. He helped make me one.
Excellent article, and I keep coming back for more of this kind of insights from Gen. Satterfield. Yesterday, someone said that Gen. S. is writing a new book. I hope he gets it out soon.
Get a STEM degree, don’t waste your time on some stupid gender studies degree that makes you less than worthless.
Pay no attention to that man behind the screen. He’s pulling your strings and yet you don’t yet know it. That is our high school kids who know almost nothing from all the time they spend during the day being overseen by woke teachers.
— and our schools are failing them too. Just look at the fact that the US Army could only meet 40% of its recruiting goal. And, 3 out of 4 young people are NOT eligible to join the military. Too fat, too stupid, in too much trouble with the law, on drugs, etc. Come on people, wake up and see that our schools are failures and our denouncing of the nuclear family is not working out so well.
They have no aims in life and yet set themselves up to be victims and, like the baby in a crib, expect others to take care of them. Waaa waaa waaa
Tracy, you nearly made me spit up my coffee thru my nose. Thanks Buddy! 😊😊😊😊😊
Yep, pretty funny and right on target with his comment. Thanks Tracey. Loving it all the way. I will also say that our schools don’t teach common sense any more or how to be a good citizen. They would rather teach them how to protest (something they do not understand) or put a condom on a banana. Our school systems are thoroughly corrupt. Once long ago when our families were stable, we could overcome that deficiency, not any more.
Nailed it Max, once again and thank you for your insights. I agree also and that it takes strong people to root out corruption and our schools don’t have strong people in them.
Well said, Max.
Bryan, excellent observation about the US military and you nailed it. Thanks.
Wow, didn’t know that.
Great advice, but those who should adhere to this the most will reject it out of hand. And they wonder why the world passes them by.
Hey, Pink Cloud, you got that right. Just ask any 20 year old and they will deny reality all day long.
Gen. Satterfield has this right and if someone ignores this obvious good advice, then just too bad for them.