Balancing Personal Resolutions with Our Wing’s Priorities

  • Published
  • By Maj. Anthony A. Truette
  • Commander, 736th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Shortly after arriving at Dover this past summer, our wing commander outlined his three priorities for the 436th Airlift Wing: "People, Mission, Family."  With the start of a new year already upon us, let us take this opportunity to use these three priorities to reflect on where we are and where we would like to go.  Whether you use these priorities as the framework for your personal resolutions, I challenge you to make a difference by pursuing your goals throughout the entire year and not losing enthusiasm after the first few weeks.

First up is "people."  I challenge you to refocus on your fellow Airmen.  It is important for all of us to foster healthy lifestyles that promote balance.  An easy way to achieve this is by spending quality time with friends and coworkers.  In fact, healthy friendships and acquaintances oftentimes provide the foundation for both personal and professional success.

Second up is "mission."  I challenge you to rededicate your efforts to our wing's mission.  Get back to the basics and ensure you are doing everything according to the T.O.'s and AFI's; take that extra minute to ensure everything you do is above reproach, by the book and in accordance with all guidance before moving on.  Also, we can strive to be better leaders, better followers, and better wingmen.  You would be surprised at the big impacts that even the smallest change can have.  These changes can be in the attitude you bring to work or simply making the job of your boss or subordinate a little easier.  That small change, when applied consistently throughout our daily actions, can make a huge difference in affecting our productivity and outlook.

The last, and probably the most important of these three priorities is "family."  I challenge you to strengthen your family bonds.  A particularly strong family bond can make a world of difference across multiple domains in your life.  For us as individuals to be successful Airmen, we have to make sure our home life is rock-solid.  The fewer stressors we have in our personal life means we have more energy to focus on our professional life and make progress toward personal goals.

While we focus on these three priorities throughout the year, let us not forget to have some fun.  It is easy to let our hobbies and leisurely activities fall by the wayside, especially when we allow our work schedule to overflow into our personal time.  We can all do a better job of scheduling some personal "white space" on our calendar so we can focus on ourselves and decompress.  It is very important that you utilize these opportunities to disengage from the high ops tempo at work and enjoy some well-deserved time off.

If you are the type that follows current events around the world, it is painfully clear that this year will inevitably bring unforeseen challenges that will test all of our resolutions.   Hang in there and never lose sight of the end goal.  Always remember, that just a little extra effort in any of these areas can have a huge effect on your professional and personal life.