When your number is called

Published April 25, 2017
By 2nd Lt. Rafael Fermin

VANDENBERG AFB, Cali. -- I love watching sports and admire the stories of those athletes that are or will for sure be a first ballot hall of famer. What they all of have in common is their tremendous will to win.

We see it in sports channels all the time when they make the last winning shot, touchdown, putt, goal, homerun or whatever it is. But what we do not see is the work they put in behind the scenes. It is very common for these legends to do two or sometimes three trainings in one day, waking up before everyone else and not wasting time mastering their craft.

Above all these athletes, what I admire the most are those ones who were waiting to get an opportunity to compete and went from zero to hero. Those folks are the ones that does not stop WORKING and PREPARING for that time that they get their shot. And when it was their turn, they dominated.

Very rarely do we get that “Perfect Timing”, which is exactly why we need to work hard and be ready to compete when the opportunity is given to us. We know what we need to do to succeed, if not, then we have to find ways to learn it i.e. find a mentor, ask, research, etc.

Occasionally, we just can’t control the outcome but we can at least influence it one way or another. I also understand that we are just flat out busy and there is just not enough time to complete every single task, which is also why we need to take advantage of the free time we get ensuring that we master our craft and not waste our time doing something that does not move us towards our goal.

We might not get that perfect timing but we can at least guess when most of the opportunity come such as promotion cycle, renewal of fiscal year tuition assistance funds, board application and convening dates, etc. Not to mention, there are resources in just about anything we need.

It’s just a matter of time when it is you’re turn to shine, so do what you need to do, work hard and be prepared the best you can. After all, most if not all of us wants to be a hall of famer in our own way.

The good news is that our Air Force provides so many opportunities to be successful in our personal and professional life. Education (TA, grants, etc), promotion (e.g. Below-the-Zone, awards and recognition, commissioning), Finance (e.g. Thrift Savings Plan/ Blended Retirement System), travel and leisure to name a few.

It’s literally too many to list, go and check the benefit fact sheet in the Air Force Portal in-case you haven’t seen it. It shows a quick summary of benefits/opportunities there and learn about things that we didn’t even know existed.

I encourage everyone to ask yourself these questions. Am I working hard and not wasting time to master my craft? Did I prepare enough to make that game winning shot? Am I ready to dominate when my number is called?