Here’s the deal. You already know how to overtake big targets. You proved you can accomplish extraordinary missions in combat. You have the Ultra-High-Achiever skills necessary to win. You can execute with precision. You always adapt and overcome. But you never did it without a plan. Big success doesn’t happen by accident. It only happens with a carefully executed plan.
The military gave you a gift that many veterans take for granted after they get out of the service. They taught you how to create plans to accomplish big missions and overtake big targets. They taught you how to research, map out the steps and define all the necessary details to overtake an objective. You know how to estimate requirements for people, equipment, capabilities and resources. You can evaluate risks and create plans to mitigate them. You know how to select the best action plan for success and then you back it up with PLAN B in case you need a contingency plan.
It seems like common sense, right? To you it has become second nature. It’s just how you get things done. But it’s not that easy for everyone else in the civilian world. You would be surprised how many people are just moving through life without a real plan. They work in jobs they don’t really like. They work 50 weeks a year so they can get a 2 week break and finally enjoy themselves. If this is what you want then go for it. But you are capable of much more.
Success in the civilian world after you get out of the military is no different. The best targets in life are simply objectives that you have to map out and create a plan to accomplish.
With your abilities you are capable of accomplishing pretty much anything in the civilian world that you want. You create any lifestyle you want. You can run your own business or get any job you want. You can stockpile large amounts of cash. You can spend your time playing, raising your family, serving others or contributing however you want. All you have to do is clearly define your new objective and then create a plan to get there.
However, watch out for the Transition Trap that most veterans fall into… they have no idea how to accomplish big civilian world objectives so they fail to create a plan for success. What happens when they don’t have a plan? THEY GET STUCK. They try too hard to fit into what all the civilians are doing. But they lack degrees, qualifications and time-in-civilian-service. The civilian society indirectly puts them down and they have to start over at the bottom of the totem pole. So what do they do? They settle.
Don’t do it. Don’t you dare settle for anything less than you are capable of. Your life after the military should be a promotion, not a demotion. You should step up, not take 10 steps backwards. You shouldn’t struggle to just fit in and survive. You should thrive.
All you need is a good plan. A real plan. One that is detailed enough for you to execute on.
Don’t overcomplicate it. It’s simple. First you have to get real clear on your objective and what you want. Don’t cut yourself short. You are capable of much more than you think.
Once you are clear on the objective, all you have to do is plan backwards. Map out the milestones and checkpoints along the way. Map out the requirements and resources you’ll need. Define the risks and create a plan to manage them. Don’t worry if you don’t know the steps or don’t know how to get there. Many people have already mapped the steps and walked that path before. You can learn what it takes real quick with a little research.
When you are clear about what you want and have a clearly defined plan then you are unstoppable. All that is left is to execute. Stick to the fundamentals and keep focused on the objective and you’ll be a rockstar in the civilian world.
Hope that helps!
Nic Transtrum
ARE YOU STUCK?? You shouldn't be after all you did in the military!
- Identify your next HVT (high value target)....
- Use your military skills to make an impact...
- So you can live the freedoms you served to protect!
About Nic Transtum
Nic is a husband, father with 6 girls "oh help us all", adventurer, entrepreneur, author, speaker, coach, Veteran, Blackhawk Pilot- US Army.
Nic has been to war and back on battlefields in the Middle-East...AND he's been to war in life after the military.
The UGLY TRUTH is he struggled deeply for years until he identified his next HVT in life and applied what he learned on the battlefield to achieving personal & business success.
Now he is dedicated to showing other veterans how to win at the next level after the military without struggling like he did... so we can all live the freedoms we fought for!