New Year….New You (maybe), by Crusoe

I will start by saying that I have never been one to put a lot of effort into New Year resolutions.  Instead, I take the time to think about my successes and failures from the past year and then set a plan in place to get a little better.  Too often we look forward and it becomes overwhelming because there is so much work to do and very little time to get it done.  The war drums are beating and getting louder.

It starts with courage.

This morning I am sitting and reflecting upon the gifts that God has given me.  I have a great family, good health, and live in the mountains of North Georgia.  I have been blessed with a solid community of like minded Americans who truly want to keep this country the land of the free and home of the brave.  I have gained new energy from attending courses and talking with my fellow students about how important our American way of life is.   It is time to now raise the bar.

One of the most influential books I have read this past year is Simon Sinek’s It Starts with Why.  His premise is that if you truly understand “why” you are doing something then you will be able to inspire and lead others.   I will take that one step further by saying if you truly understand “your why” then you will inspire and lead others with positivity and action.  With the addition of the words ‘positivity’ and ‘action’ the sentence provides a clearer path to navigate.

As the Robert Frost poem goes, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both…”  Many of us feel like we are standing at that fork in the road and must now choose what path to walk.  The paths are still close together and we can effectively hop back and forth between then, but we can see up the ways that they will truly diverge from each other, and we will have to make a choice.  It Starts with Why is part of the process but, it has to start with courage.  There must be courage to strike out and courage to stand by your convictions as the path starts to get a little bumpy.

For the New Year I hope to walk that road with each of you as we collectively work harder together.  It is a time of celebration but also a time for focused action.  I challenge each of you to continue your preparations with vigor and to get out and train.  Our families and country are depending upon you.

Happy New Year!

Crusoe is retired from the Air Force after 30-years of service as a flight crew member.  He spends most of his time thinking about the apocalypse and how to mitigate its effects.  When not immersed in academic pursuits, he is often on a trail hiking in the mountains of North Georgia or reading with a glass of Irish whiskey and a German Shepherd by his side.   Global travel enthusiast, history nerd, Appalachian Trail thru hiker, and recovering ultra-endurance athlete.  He can be reached at [email protected]