Greetings!
I am excited to be writing again on this blog and reconnect
with all those supporting the One Thought Away project that will culminate in
me running the Portland Marathon October 7th. I am also excited because the fact that I am
writing you means I now have internet access which I have not had since May due
to Air Force basic military training.
Thanks for being patient J
Based on the ultimate goal of this blog being to dialogue
the power of one thought, I felt it would make sense to reflect on how the last
2 months of my life in training connects to this concept. In my modest attempt to describe a
challenging and transformative 8 week process I will break it down in a three
part series. Each piece will connect to
one of the three core values of the Air Force: Integrity First, Service Before
Self and Excellence in All We Do.
Integrity First
What can making your bed correctly and folding your clothes teach
someone about integrity? This is a
thought a basic trainee has a lot of time to ponder as he or she attempts to
master a hospital corner at 4:45am morning after morning, or roll a pair of
socks perfectly. Once you can understand
the meaning behind such tasks it makes perfect sense. Attention to detail and doing something the
right way is the goal. If they cannot
trust you to roll socks properly why should the world’s most powerful air force
trust you to handle top secret data or equipment worth millions?
In the course of 8 weeks I noticed the majority of mistakes
made by myself and my flight mates were due to poor attention to detail or inconsistency
in such simple tasks. This translates to
a lack of integrity at certain moments because we were not always consistent. Keeping in mind the logic mentioned above
around why doing simple tasks correctly is important you can see how this is
detrimental.
Speaking of myself I received corrections for such things as
missing a spot on my neck shaving, or not putting my shoes in the correct order
under my bed (both are basic expectations during training). I remember in these early mistakes I caused
them for two reasons. First, I let fatigue
get the best of me and rushed in order to get done sooner. Second, I felt what I had done was “good
enough”. That my friend is where the
danger lies! Allowing the power of a negative thought to creep in and to
accept it can be a slippery slope to settling for less. To counter this we need to remember to be
disciplined, pay attention to detail and have integrity. Integrity is not doing something right once,
or twice. 
Integrity is doing something
right consistently whether someone is watching, or not. Actions whether good or bad go beyond representing yourself; they also speak for who you represent. On my uniform there are two names across my chest. One is "Dodge" and the other is "U.S. Air Force". You better believe I want to make both those namesakes proud. Who do you represent with your actions?
When you find yourself getting lazy, or
letting your guard down remember this one thought: integrity first.
Yes, even if it is rolling a pair of socks J
Miles
Keep your eye out next week for a piece connecting to
Service Before Self and the connection to the power of one thought.
