Make A Choice

Today's post is written by GallantFew guest blogger and US Army veteran, Larry Zabel.  Larry has coordinated with Landmark Education to provide scholarships to veterans through GallantFew.  If you are interested in this program, contact Larry.  More to follow soon on our website.

My job is to give you insight to my experience after leaving military service and share my experiences with you from my involvement with Landmark Education and the Landmark Forum. Landmark showed me the tools to use to get answers to the things that were bothering me that I didn't know were bothering me. It's like I got eyes on the inside of mind to see the things I put in my way that stopped me from living the life I want to be living. Instead I was just "stuck", but now I could see what was making me feel "stuck".

I came out of the army mad, angry, scared and hopeless. Not being able to get along in the civilian marketplace and polite society was agonizing. Not wanting to talk about if I deployed, what did I do? How many people did I kill (seriously)? What is the infantry? What does a Sergeant do? The questions never ended and it was the same questions over and over.

I got a complex about it. I created this story that caused me to avoid the subject all together.  Guilt set in. I felt that people were trying to find out if I was damaged in some way. In some ways I was, just wanted to be left alone. The Landmark Forum gave me the tools to be free from any guilt or shame I created around the subject. The difference now is that I now have the tools to be open about my experience in the Army. I can choose to share or not share.

The ability to choose is a powerful concept. When we have choice we have freedom. Choice is different than options. Options subject you to what circumstances dictate. That is a POWERFUL distinction. Choice allows me to dictate the direction I want to take -vs.- being left with a decision from what is leftover for me to pick from. Choice is a direction you take or a decision you consciously make to align your actions with your intentions. Choice is also being able to say no to something as well and not feeling bad about it either.

When your action, intention and choice line up you have a powerful force working in your favor and the best thing is that it is your own doing. It can also be your undoing to. If your choices, actions and intentions are out of alignment you leave yourself without the choices you say you want for yourself. So the direction you want to take or the conversations you want to have or not have are up to you.

I learned that I don't have to freak out every time someone asks me about my military career. I can choose to share or not share whatever information I feel comfortable talking about without my anxiety going through the roof, feeling guilty, or thinking the worst is about to happen or what ever. All that from a choice I made to do the Landmark Forum and the tools I got from it.

Landmark Insights: Breakdowns - the good, the bad, and the opening for action‏.

Choose Wisely,
Here For You

Larry Zabel