Fort Jackson, SC

After nearly 12 weeks in training at Fort Jackson, SC it feels really good to be home. I had a great summer though. It really was a good experience. Of course there were times when all I wanted was to come home, but all in all, I dare say I enjoyed it. I met some good people, learned some important lessons, and had multiple opportunities to put my moral courage to the test. I don't know if I always made the right decisions, but I made it through without any casualties. They say that a person's true character shines through in the most stressful situations. I think this summer was a test of my integrity and a test of my priorities. I realized a few things about myself and about life in general:

I am a selfish person
I am no different than anyone else, but it is only by the grace of God and the Holy Spirit working through me that I can be changed.
I only fail when I give up on myself
Success is not about the awards and distinctions, but about how you impact people
Leadership is about good decision making, but more often it's about good execution of those decisions
The only way to face fears or obstacles is head on
The only way to recover from failure is to keep moving without loss of momentum
Circumstances are much less important that character

I could probably add a few more axioms to sum up what I learned this summer, but I don't want to trivialize my experience. In hindsight everything is easy. The hard part now is taking what I learned and putting it to work for me now, in the civilian world. Now that I'm home, I feel like I'm re-entering my other life. My military life and my civilian life are like two compartmentalized beings. I really want the military me to be a greater part of my civilian life. The military me is bolder, stronger, less concerned with other people's opinions, and more willing to help people. The civilian me is pretty timid and even though I'm friendly and kind, I don't assert myself or speak up for myself. If I want to be a leader in both of those worlds, I need to incorporate my military training into my everyday life.