Part of my attitude as a Sailor is Commitment. When I do it correctly, it always serves me well. Contrary to that and I’m hating life!

Let me explain: At the end of 2019, I found myself for the first time ever FIRED from my job as a leader. I remember sitting across from my Chief, Department Head, and my Department Chief. A lot of rank right in from of me and I’m doing my annual evaluation debrief.

My Chief tells me how good of a job I’m doing, and how I should keep up the good work, and I will go far.

I received similar praise from my Department Head. She told me how happy she was with my performance.

Somehow I still felt like something was missing. I have received a great evaluation for “Early Promote” and I was ranked #6 of 32 Petty Officer First Classes. Shouldn’t I be celebrating? Ranked over 80% of your peer group is not a small feat, but what’s wrong?

As I stated earlier, I was fired…It’s seems like no one wanted to bring it up, but then…

My Department Chief says that I DID NOT deserve a good evaluation. The only reason I received one is because the competition wasn’t the best. I lacked accountability, was a WEAK leader, and I had just got FIRED!

I was DEVASTATED…I also needed to hear this. My only reply that I could muster up was “Next year, I’m gonna be #1, and I’m gonna show you that I deserve that one!” That was the only thing my brain could think of. I couldn’t believe I wrote a check that my mouth couldn’t cash.

In the military, I had NEVER been #1 in ANYTHING! So with this, I know that I needed something to make good on this promise.

Long story short, I did make good on that promise and then some! It was only because of “Commitment”, an attitude that I learned in the Navy. I had never knew this before my Naval leadership taught me this.

Commit. In the long run there is happiness, although it sucks so much. Commit, and you will be where you intend on being. Today, commitment doesn’t feel all too well, but commit anyway. It can’t suck forever. So Commit to something, and go change your life! What if you commit and it doesn’t go the way you want it to? Keep on doing it. Who cares? No one really cares? So just go all out anyway…Commit!

– Tone