Too many sailors treat their careers as a zero-sum game, pitting their present selves against their future selves. They behave as if they have to choose between Navy requirements and personal growth and development. What they do not realize is that they could—and should—be working on both.
When sailors check into my command, I tell them that if they do what their chiefs and leading petty officers ask of them, they will be successful. However, I also provide more specific guidance: For even greater success, you also should do three things that will be yours even when you leave the Navy: be physically fit, earn an education, and save money in your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) or other investment vehicles.
“Three Things” is predicated on two truths: 1. Most of us are going to be old a lot longer than we are going to be young; and 2. Today, you are the youngest you will ever be.
My target audience is first- and second-term sailors, but the logic holds true for almost everyone. The underlying message is this: Start now.
Physical fitness. This needs to be first, because without your health, most other things become moot. There are plenty of studies extolling the benefits of physical fitness; I will not attempt to distill that information here. I will, however, offer a lens through which to view physical fitness. I begin by asking, Who do you work out for? The answer, invariably, is, I work out for me. I contend we work out for three people. The first is your spouse or significant other (and children, if you have them). You owe it to those who support you to be healthy. Next, you work out for your shipmates. At sea, we have only each other to depend on, and I need you to be ready. Third, you work out for yourself. You look better, you feel better, and in turn, you become better. Just do it.
Education. Getting an education is next. An education teaches you how to think and helps create the mental space needed to unlock creativity. In contrast, training teaches you what to think. If a pipe is leaking, secure the valve, righty tighty, lefty loosey. Training is pragmatic. In today’s information age, training can be limiting. Training combined with education, however, is a force multiplier, because when what to think hits a dead end, how to think is just getting started. In addition, and equally important, an education—especially a college degree or professional certificates/accreditation—can translate into future civilian employment.
Financial literacy. This brings us to financial literacy. How to save money and build wealth should be taught early and reinforced throughout a person’s military service. The persistent challenge, of course, is that saving money and building wealth requires forgoing immediate gratification. I get it. My girlfriend never thought of my TSP as sexy. Today, however, my wife sees it in a very different light. I suggest using examples of real sailors who have successfully created wealth while on active duty. Those examples could include models showing the impact of compound interest and consistent saving.
Three Things says I care about you as a person. Philosophically, the idea is to build trust by establishing a leader-to-sailor relationship that transcends the simple utility of training a person how to perform a task. Three Things speaks to aspirations, to dreams of a better tomorrow.
Before sailors leave my office, I tell them a Navy career is an amazing experience. Learn your rating. Earn your warfare pins, and do all those things you can do only while you are in the Navy. However, if you decide a Navy career is not for you, that is ok too. I obviously am biased in favor of a naval career, but if you do the Three Things, no matter where your journey takes you, the Navy will be better, and you will be better. I call that a win-win.
