Three Steps To Overcoming Fear

“Often times, fear of the unknown brings more anxiety than what lies beyond that veil of uncertainty.” – Unknown

The time has come to transition from the military.  Now what do I do?  A common question with a potentially complex answer.  It does not matter if you are transitioning after one tour or if you are retiring after 30 years, there is a certain amount of fear of the unknown that is bound to creep in.  I’m here to tell you, that’s normal and you are going to be just fine.

I do not know the actual number of veteran support organizations (VSO), but I do know it is north of 40,000 organizations.  40,000+ VSOs!  That is 40,000+ VSO’s trying to help veterans with the various transitions they are dealing with.  VSOs offer all kinds of services and assistance ranging from job hunting assistance to assistance with VA disability filing.  The challenge for you is to figure out what services you need, and which organization can serve you best.  With that many organizations, how do you figure out which organizations are best for you and your transition?  I offer you the Army leadership model of Be, Know, Do.  The adoption and application of these three words for your military transition will help guide you through the process and help alleviate the fear of the unknown.

BE Proactive, Not Reactive

This is your military transition.  You will get out of it what you put into it.  If you wait until the last minute, you’ll be scrambling and trying to figure things out.  If you start early, you have time to course correct and try things out.  Use the available resources to set yourself up for success.  Work through key questions early in the process.  You want to figure out things like where I’m going to live, how much money I need to make, and sometimes the hardest question of what I am going to do next.  The earlier you start, and the more proactive you are, the easier it is to figure these things out.

KNOW What Resources Are Available To You

Do you know what resources are available to you for transition?  Have you talked to anyone or done any research?  You have several resources available to you whenever you decide to start your transition.  Look at the available resources as three different courses of action (COA); on base, off base, and online.  Each COA has value and should be utilized during transition.

There are a few resources for COA 1.  Your transition should start at the installation transition office.  Here you will learn about the transition courses you must take and the additional transition courses you can take.  A good second stop is the USO to register for the USO Pathfinder program.  The Pathfinder program is systematically setup to help you accomplish several transition tasks using their app and checklists.  The third on base resource are your battle buddies that are already going through the transition process.  Talk to people going through the process to learn what programs are available to you, which ones they have use, and which ones they recommend.  Take advantage of their experiences and knowledge.

COA 2 are the off base resources.  Local VSOs are great sources of information, especially when it comes to transition and your VA disability claims.  Check out local VSOs like the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and American Legion.  Check out the local government to see what resources they may have that support veterans.  Check the surrounding area to see what additional VSOs exist and what services they offer.  You’ll be amazed what you can find when you start looking.  Look for in-person networking events in your area.  Several VSOs and local chapters of professional organizations hold in-person networking events across the country.

COA 3 are online resources.  Google is your friend when it comes to finding VSOs.  Type in a specific topic with key words like “veteran” and tons of information comes up.  There are so many VSOs, you are bound to find an organization that specializes in what you are looking for.  When you start transition classes, you will be told continuously about LinkedIn and the importance of creating a profile.  LinkedIn is an amazing tool for networking and something you need to do immediately if you have not already.  There are plenty of free resources on how to create a good profile.  Finally, find and attend digital networking events.  There are several VSOs that hold digital networking events where you will meet tons of people, talk with hiring managers, and learn a great deal about resources available to you.  These events will greatly assist you with your transition goals.

DO Enjoy The Ride

Take a deep breath and enjoy the process of figuring out who the new you is going to be.  You undoubtedly have several fields you can go into based on your military experience, training, and schooling.  Take advantage of every opportunity to try out new things and talk with new people.  Conduct informational interviews with experts in various fields, attend networking and organizational events, go to job fairs, practice interviewing, etc.  Your transition is a great journey if you open yourself up to all it has to offer.

Your transition from the military is an important time in your life.  I encourage you to start as early as possible and take full advantage of all the resources available to you.  This will help you keep the stress low and the uncertainty to a minimum.  The transition is a process.  It can be as little or as much as you want it to be.

Own your transition by remembering to BE, KNOW and DO.

Shawn Welsh is the Founder and Co-Host of the VET S.O.S. Podcast.  The show features information and resources about veteran support organizations and key personnel in the veteran support community.  With a passion for helping others, he started VET S.O.S. to provide a lifeline to veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses.

Shawn is a retired U.S. Army veteran with over twenty years of experience as an intelligence professional.  As a senior noncommissioned officer, he was dedicated to taking care of his Soldiers and continues that mission today with VET S.O.S.  Shawn holds several advanced degrees including a Master’s Degree in administrative leadership from the University of Oklahoma.  A member of the Maxwell Leadership Team, Shawn is also a certified resiliency trainer who lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife and their two children.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnwelsh00/

VET S.O.S. Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@vets.o.s.podcast

RSS: https://media.rss.com/vetsos/feed.xml

Email: shawn.welsh00@gmail.com

Header Image Credit: Mart Production on Pexels.com