Page 2 - Nellis Creech NTTR Bullseye 1-8-16

2 January 8, 2016
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The Courage to continue
By Chap. (Lt. Col.) Dwayne A. Jones
99th Air Base Wing Chaplain
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. —
Every Airman has a story, what is your
story? Some stories are so compelling
and powerful they can change your life.
Maybe your story and life experiences
can change someone else’s life.
On Jan. 21, 2016, Nellis Air Force
Base is sponsoring a Storytellers event
where you can hear real Airmen telling
real stories. Storytellers is designed to
encourage Airmen to be more resilient in
life. Storytellers events are held at various
military bases to encourage Airmen that
all things are possible through persever-
ance and positive thinking. One story
can change your life.
I am often reminded of a situation
that changed my life 45 years ago. I was
at the crossroads of my life; I didn’t have
the courage to turn right or left — I was
stuck in life.
Aristotle once stated, “You will never
do anything in this world without cour-
New year, new you? Tips for successful resolutions
By Airman 1st Class Denise Nevins
28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE,
S.D. — Have you ever gone into the new
year certain this will be the year you
change your life for the better, but after
just a few weeks, you fall right back into
the same habits? Well, you are not alone.
According to John Norcross, a distin-
guished professor of clinical psychology
at the University of Scranton, approxi-
mately 40 to 45 percent of Americans
make resolutions to better themselves
in some way. However, only small per-
centages actually stick with their goals.
Statistics show about 75 percent of people
stay on track for the first week, yet less
than 46 percent are still on track after
six months.
There are many reasons a person might
have trouble keeping up with their goals,
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Commentary
age. It is the greatest quality of the mind
next to honor.”
The last stanza in Robert Frost’s poem
set the stage for my story: “Two roads di-
verged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could
not travel both. And be one traveler, long I
stood and I — I took the one less traveled
by, and that has made all the difference.”
At the age of 6, my house burnt down;
my brother died when I was 7; my mother
died when I was 8; and when I was 9, my
father abandoned me.
My grandmother assumed parental
custody and raised me to the best of her
ability. We lived in poverty and hardship
in an old wooden house; the house had
no bathroom, no running water, and no
air conditioning or heat. I lived in these
conditions for 17 years. I had no health-
care or dental plan.
I was carrying a lot of baggage.
Why is this important for you to know?
My story is to let you know that it is not
where you are but where you are going. I was
a farmhand, but that was not my destiny.
You never know where your turning
such as stress or even just lack of motiva-
tion. To help prevent falling off track with
your resolutions, here are some tips to
start off your resolutions strong.
1. Be realistic: The quickest and surest
way to fall short of your goals is to make
them unattainable. For example, resolv-
ing you will never eat fast food again
is setting yourself up to fail. Instead,
strive to be realistic, such as avoiding it
more than you do now. Also, don’t keep
your resolution a secret. Tell family and
friends who will support you, maybe
even find a friend with the same goal and
motivate each other.
2. Plan ahead: Don’t wait until the last
minute to make your resolutions; other-
wise, it will be based on the mindset of
the particular day. It is best to have your
resolutions planned well before the start
of the new year. It is also wise to detail
how you will avoid the temptation to
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point in life lies. My turning point was
at the crossroads, which was on the back
of a rusty, beat-up truck.
At the age 17, I was riding on the back
of the truck traveling to another tobacco
farm. As I sat on the back of the truck, I
saw a 56-year-old man sitting beside me,
weary and gazing into space. It appeared
as if his “gaze” was laced with helpless-
ness and hopelessness. Maybe he was
wondering where did his years go?
He never owned a farm; he was a
50-year farmhand veteran. He never re-
ceived any medals or awards, just brittle
hands and wrinkled skin to show for his
years of service as a farmhand. He was
not the only person on the truck that was
traveling the farmhand road.
At that moment, I was at the cross-
roads of life, and I decided to travel the
road less traveled. I decided to go to col-
lege because I was terrified of that empty
and eerie gaze that the old man had. No
one on the truck had gone to college;
most of them had never graduated from
high school.
break your resolution, such as talking to
a friend or remembering how poorly it
would affect your goal.
3. Keep a journal: Start a journal to
track your progress. You can write a
“pros” and “cons” list and track each
small success. Short-term goals are easier
to keep, and each small accomplishment
will help keep you motivated toward
achieving your long-term goal.
4. Reward yourself: Celebrate your
success by treating yourself to something
you enjoy that doesn’t contradict with
your resolution. For example, if your goal
is to eat healthier, reward your success
with new clothes or a trip to the movies
with a friend.
5. Don’t beat yourself up: Do the best
you can each and every day, taking it one
day at a time. If you slip up, obsessing
over it won’t get you anywhere. Some
resolutions can be tough to accomplish,
status, physical handicap, political affiliation or any other
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At that moment I could have been piti-
ful or powerful in my situation; I chose
the latter.
Very few family members encouraged
me to go to college — farming and work-
ing odd jobs was the way of life. I was on
the truck thinking what to do; I am poor
and didn’t have parents to help me in my
impotent situation.
I decided to travel a road that my fam-
ily and friends were not traveling. I found
the courage to move forward and travel
the road less traveled, which I am grateful
for because it has made all the difference.
There are three things I want you to
remember from my story.
First, you must make a decision. Life is
about making decisions, not about your
present state but your end state. I grew up
parentless and in poverty, but I refused to
allow my situation dictate my future. Re-
gardless of your situation, find the courage
to be innovative and dare to be different.
Don’t look for a road with a bunch of
_______ See COURAGE, on page 5
but the rewarding feeling you get when
you succeed at meeting your goal is well
worth it.
6. Keep trying: If you run out of
motivation after a while, don’t give up.
Experts say it takes 21 days for a new ac-
tivity to become a habit, and six months
for it to become a part of your personal-
ity. Recommit yourself for 24 hours, and
soon the 24-hour increments will build
up, ultimately putting you back on track.
Success doesn’t happen overnight, so stay
motivated and patient.
There is a quote from Robert Foster
Bennett that says, “A desire to be in
charge of our own lives, a need for con-
trol, is born in each of us. It is essential
to our mental health, and our success,
that we take control.”
The road to self-improvement is not
an easy one, but in the end, it could very
well be worth it.
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