Uncommon

So far being at the squadron I have learned that I am going to have a lot of responsibilities and that includes tracking alot of things. So I am learning things fast and working hard to retain everthing as I learn it. My supervisor and sponsor are ready and willing to turn everything over to me and pretty much let me run the show. I just havent figured out yet exactly how im going to do things Its hectic and will be stressful for a while until I learn everything and bring my self up to speed. But just like anybody I want to do a good job and support the mission as best I can. Everyone knows me already and they call me by my rate. Which should be pretty easy because Im the admin LPO and its not exactly easy to blend in when you are 6"3 and weigh 295. No one would pick me as the "admin guy" If they didnt know already what I did.
Right now my "Book of the Year" nomination is "Uncommon" by Tony Dungy. If you dont know he was the former coach of the Indianapolis Colts who was the first black head coach to lead a team to a Super Bowl victory. Have you ever read a book and you read a sentence or paragraph that is so profound that you have to read it out loud to make sure the knowlege stays with you. You want to remember it and use it whenever a situation requires a certain decision. I always choose a book based on the criteria that if I open it up to a random page, start reading and the story draws me and and flows to where I want to keep reading right there in the store, Its a good chance Im going to buy the book. But this book is on the money. Its about finding your path to significance. What make this book insightful for me is that Im always interested in how people overcome different obstacles on the way to success. I enjoy hearing about the failures and the lesson from the failure. The book talks basically about Coach Dungys experiences and how he strives to do things in a way which God would approve. Its written with Christian principles, but with simple common-sense lessons which he learned and applied to become successful. I read the whole book in four days, even when I should have been sleeping I was reading the book. Its a excellent guide for the young male who isnt sure how to carry himself in this day and time. I could go on and on but I wont. Buy it for yourself and see.

Well anyway the lessons from this book helped me feel better about a embarrassing mistake I made today. We were all in a room for training and after the training, the MasterCheif(highest ranking enlisted guy at the command) was talking and he asked if anybody had anything to put out. My cheif whispered in my ear about some worksheets that needed to be sighned. So i wanted to wait till he finished to put the information out. And thats what I did. However I learned that before he talks he askes "Does anyone have anything to put out ?" Then everyone who has something to say, then says it. However after everyone spoke, He started speaking on other things. After he finished and I said " I got something to put out" and i told the people about the worksheets that needed to be sighned. Well it turns out that I spoke WAAAAAAAY OUT OF TURN. After the MasterCheif speaks, the meeting is officially over and nothing is to be said. What ever you say, you supposed to put it out before he starts speaking. But I didnt know that. So he walked out, and my supervisor and sponsor, looked at me kind of shocked but amused. So the mastercheif turns around and says, PS1 I need to talk to you. So I go and he politely explains to me the way it goes. And he was cool because he knew that i didnt know the rules. And i think everyone else knew, that I didnt know as well. I know im going to catch some good natured flack for my gaffe, and I am still embarrassed about it. But overall I had to realize that sometimes you are not going to get it right. And although I know this, reading Coach Dungy's book helped drive this point and many other points home. I have my own way of doing things but looking at certain things from his perspective in the book convinced me that I need to change the way I look at certain things. What seems like failure or misfortune, could be God's will to prepare you for whats ahead. I can relax and chill because when I give some guidance and talk to younger folk than myself, I can include my mistake at the squadron as a tool/example on the importance of attention to detail and knowing the proper protocol before you speak to a group of people.
Im going to save this book to stay in my personal book archive. Only the best and most informative books get this great honor. Let me know if you read it.