If you fail to plan, you plan to fail Published Sept. 20, 2013 By Lt. Col. Karen Rader 436th Medical Operations Squadron DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- In today's Air Force, we have many things that compete for our valuable time, making it very difficult to strike that delicate balance between a rewarding professional life and a fulfilling personal life. I would argue that the great leaders of the past knew how to balance both the mission and their lives at home. This doesn't happen by accident. As a family member would often say to me, "successful people always have a plan, those who fail to plan, plan to fail!" It all begins with a plan, vision or legacy statement. Legacy statements define the priorities in your life and provide direction when tough decisions present themselves. Among many competing interests in your life, a legacy statement will help you decide what you can and should say yes to. If you have a plan or legacy statement, decisions are made much easier. You move more directly from where you are in life to where you want to be. If you have no plan, you are on the merry-go-round of life. You'll pay your money, sit on a carousel, go around, get off the ride and find yourself somewhat nauseated while realizing you have gone absolutely nowhere! Being a member of Team Dover, the success of our wing is very important to me. Consequently, accomplishing my portion of our wing mission ranks very high for me in my personal legacy statement. Very simply put, accomplishing the mission is how I feed my family and represents my contribution to defending the constitution. Therefore, it is easy for me say yes to working late helping an airman get medically ready for a deployment or working extra hours to get ready for an inspection. Our mission can never be compromised and my legacy statement reminds me of this important fact on a daily basis. As a mother and wife, I know that my most enduring legacy will be made with my family. So the number one priority I have in my legacy statement is to show love, by being a good wife and mother. Lots of lip service is given to the word love. Dr. Stephen Covey, author of "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" states in his book, that the word love is a verb, meaning it is an action word. We all need to understand this concept. The feeling of love or fruit of love can only be realized by first taking action by demonstrating your love for that person. In time, you realize the fruit of love (the feeling). You cannot possibly show your children you love them without participating in their lives and being present during their activities. You cannot possibly show your spouse you love them without participating in their lives and spending quality time together. So, I plead with all of you, make loving your families a priority. Plan ahead to attend soccer games, plays and important events in your children's, spouses and significant other's lives. I have never regretted taking the time to show my family how much they are loved. I pray that my legacy statement will continue to guide my actions and prevent disappointment in my squadron and my family. I encourage each and every one of you to sit down and put some deep thought into developing your own legacy. Remember this when considering your own legacy statement, "We cannot become what we want to be, by remaining who we are."