We Can Do Better

I will never be a victim, I will always try my hardest and work to accomplish my goals. I will never blame anyone else for my failures or mistakes, I am a veteran and I alone am in charge of my life. If I need a job, I will take a job to survive. If I want to be an entrepreneur I will do whatever it takes to be successful. If I want to go to school I will be focused on me and not my surroundings. I will rise and fall and pick myself up on my own and I will never give credit to anyone for keeping me down. I will surround myself with positive people and give credit to those that stood by me.

This is my new creed, as a civilian now, I try to keep some of the values that made me successful in the military. I had to re-think my thought process and dial down my urges to go full speed and be super aggressive all the time. In the military those things kept me thriving now it’s different, I still have a passion for what I do but I go about it differently. I have to be more calculating, I have to be smart about who I connect with and I have to be willing to do the dirty work just like when I was a private.

This is what I have learned and by no means am I finished growing. I urge you to not allow the politicians or the media decide how you are going to feel about life. Absolutely do not jump on the social media roller coaster and let it suck you into its black hole. Use social media to advance yourself and your business and stay on track with your vision.

I know I’ll probably get some push back on this one but if you need professional help, DO NOT go on veterans sites asking for everyone’s opinions. If you are having a mental break down please go see a professional. I know we, as veterans are full of useful information, some great, some not so good but everyone is different. The best advice would be to guide you to seek professional help. If someone tells you to go see a doctor or gives you the number to a veteran’s crisis line, please use it! For the Veterans Crisis Line call: 1-800-273-8255 then Press 1, text 838255 or visit the Be There website at veteranscrisisline.net/BeThere.aspx, the people that respond to you are professionals and most of them are veterans.

You don’t always have to identify as just a veteran, you are a combination of all your life experiences. I am a very proud American Soldier, I am also very proud of being a great father, artist and all my accomplishments after leaving the military. What made me a great soldier were some of those experiences I had before joining the Army. What makes me even better now is a mixture of events, both good and bad, that shaped me into who I am today. Do not dwell on the past, always keep moving forward even if it’s just an inch at a time. Please don’t be the person that blames everyone else for what is going wrong in your life.

We are veterans and we are trained to succeed in the most stressful situations. We volunteered to defend this country and now as we join the civilian ranks we need to lead the way again. We need to be strong so that we can continue to contribute to our community. We need to be leaders again, we cannot lead from inside a bottle. We cannot lead if we are unfit. We cannot lead if we are weak. We cannot lead if we are easily offended and we cannot lead if we are not in the front!

So I say I will not hit the bottle, we can do better! I will not be unfit, we can do better! I will not be weak, we can do better! I will not be offended, we can do better! I will not be in the back, we can do better! Think of this as your new mission, come up with a plan, assemble your team, write the orders and go do great things!   #wecandobetter

Written By: Mario Aguirre