Word 4 the Weekend

Today's word for the weekend is: Thanksgiving

Since this week was the time for us to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, I am inclined to recall the things I am "thankful" for. I have a list a mile long, but will only bore you with the top few...

I'm thankful for:

• My family (wife and daughter)...they are the reason I am
• My Air Force...as a Man in Blue, I love being a part of the USAF and Space Command
• My Country! What a great country to live in. If you don't think so, leave it for a while to get a different perspective (a tour in Afghanistan will help you see more closely how GREAT you have it).

What are you thankful for? If it is people, have you let them know? If not...do it TODAY :)

Monday's Musing

To start off the week, I want to share a quote from one of my favorite authors: John C. Maxwell which is an internationally recognized leadership expert.

"Success is achieved in inches, not miles." John C. Maxwell

This simple statement carries so much more meaning than the few words can express. While deployed to Afghanistan, this type of forethought would have helped a great many leaders throughout the AOR. Leaders sometimes lose sight of the mission because they are looking too far forward at their goals (usually self-serving).

While I was stationed at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, one of my bosses had to remind me to take a look at the mountains from time to time. I had lost sight of the daily successes of working with the cadets and needed to refocus. We all need to look ahead to see where we want to go, but we also take a look around to see what is going on.

Successes can be found in every inch along your travels...it's the journey, not the destination.

Word 4 the Weekend

Loyalty

Webster's Dictionary defines loyalty as..."the quality or state or an instance of being loyal" which uses the word to define what it is...does this really tell us anything? So we must look at the root word of loyal to better help us understand. Webster's Dictionary defines loyal as...

• unswerving in allegiance: as a: faithful in allegiance to one's lawful sovereign or government b: faithful to a private person to whom fidelity is due c: faithful to a cause, ideal, custom, institution, or product

As Airmen, we want to comprehend why we serve our country. However, loyalty must come from a deeper cause then just service. We must look into our own being for the understanding of what real loyalty is... Having loyalty is more than our country, a person or a cause. While it is important to be loyal to all of these, we are driven by something greater...our fellow Airmen.

A dog is loyal...WHY? It's not because of the allegiance to a government, person nor cause. It has nothing to do with fidelity, but with relationships. Loyalty is based on friendships and relationships built over time. It is not from being "fake", but from being yourself.

Who are you? What do you believe in? Are you loyal? What would your boss or friends say about your loyalty?