September 13, 2025 • 37 mins
When Joe Kramer received his medical discharge from the Army due to hearing issues, his decade-long dream of military service came crashing down. As a West Point graduate raised in a military family, the sudden transition left him experiencing what he calls "identity whiplash" - that jarring moment when the future you've envisioned disappears overnight.
What followed was a tumultuous journey through multiple civilian careers and layoffs, all while supporting a growing family including newborn twins. Rather than succumbing to bitterness or despair, Joe maintained a relentless optimism that ultimately guided him toward meaningful work aligned with his values. His story resonates with anyone facing unexpected career pivots or searching for purpose after a major life transition.
The conversation takes a fascinating turn when Joe reveals how he founded "Ruck On," an initiative that began as his personal fitness journey but evolved into a platform helping veterans reconnect with physical activity and personal development. By transforming military rucking into a civilian practice on his own terms, Joe rediscovered a piece of his military identity while reclaiming his personal agency. This became a powerful metaphor for his broader transition - taking familiar elements from military life but adapting them to serve his civilian goals.
Perhaps most valuable are Joe's three transformative practices for veterans in transition: reading ten pages daily, consistent journaling, and intentionally focusing on positives. His practical exercise of listing what you don't want and then flipping each item provides a roadmap for clarity when feeling lost. As Joe wisely notes, "People get hung up focusing on the negatives and what they don't want, and you just get more of that." His journey proves that with resilience and the right mindset, veterans can create fulfilling lives beyond service, choosing meaning over expectations.
Subscribe and follow @RuckOnVentures on Instagram to continue the conversation about finding purpose after military service. What transition challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to your Thoughts, your Reality with
Michael Cole, the podcast thatshines a compassionate light on
the journey of veterans battlingthrough life's challenges.
Michael is a dual elitecertified neuro encoding
specialist in coaching andkeynote training presentations
dedicated to guiding militaryveterans as they navigate the
intricate pathways ofpost-deployment life.
(00:23):
Join him as we delve into theprofound realm of neuroencoding
science, empowering these braveindividuals to conquer universal
battles procrastination,self-doubt, fear and more.
Together, let's uncover thestrength within you to re-engage
with families and society,forging a new path forward.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Hello, hello, hello everybody.
So today we have a great guest.
I'm super excited about this.
Joe is a great guy.
We have Joe Kramer.
He is a US Military Academy,west Point graduate, class of
2016,.
Dual major in German andRussian.
He's a former Army ordnanceofficer.
(01:07):
Raised in a military familyoverseas in Germany and Croatia.
He's weathered multiplepost-Army layoffs, then
intentionally pivoted towardwork aligned with purpose and
family needs.
This is so important.
Everybody, we're going toreally dive into this and it's
you know, it's really tough fora lot of people, and I actually
(01:28):
am working with a veteran rightnow that doesn't know what to do
when they get out.
You know they're reintegratinginto civilian society has
challenges, and not having aplan for something you're going
to love when you get outshouldn't be one of them, and
we're going to really dive intothis today.
And, of course, he's anadvocate for veterans turning
non-traditional career paths,choosing meaning over
(01:49):
expectations.
So, joe, thank you for being on.
I'm super excited to have thisconversation.
Will you tell us just a littlemore about yourself?
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Yeah, sure, so my name is Joe Kramer.
I know we'll kind of get intomy story a little bit early on.
So you know, right now I livein Windsor, colorado, about an
hour north of Denver, with mywife and four kids, lockheed
(02:26):
Martin.
And then, you know, kind of onthe side, you know even more
into that meaning realm.
I am the founder of Rock On andso that is all about.
You know, there's a lot offitness but also personal
development to that and againkind of why I advocate for
veterans to blaze their owntrail versus kind of getting
(02:50):
stuck into some of the you knownarrow career paths that they
feel like they have to.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, you get into those funnels, right, that
expectation or or whatever it is, instead of really kind of
thinking outside the box.
Something you're gonna love, sothat's awesome.
When you said rock on, Ithought you're teaching guitar
or something.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Yeah yeah, it's um, yeah, it's definitely key to, I
guess, make sure you pronouncethe U instead of the O.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
But I mean I don't know very similar energy you
know, Rock on, rock on, got it.
So, joe, before we get started,I just want everybody to.
On the top right-hand corner ofI always do this wrong, let's
do it that way.
Top right-hand corner of yourscreen, there's a blue QR code.
It takes you toempowerperformancestrategiescom
(03:46):
for people listening on thepodcast forums.
Later on it'sempowerperformancestrategiescom.
It takes you to our website.
There's all kinds of links andresources and groups on Facebook
, et cetera.
Some books I've written.
You know really just resourcesfor veterans and their families.
Join the mission, come be partof our community, if you will.
(04:06):
It's a really great place to be.
So, with that said, joe, let'sbe ready to dive in.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
All right, so let's talk about identity whiplash.
How did the medical dischargefor I believe it was hearing
correct?
Yes, yeah, how did the medicaldischarge, for I believe it was
hearing correct.
Yes, yeah, how did that reshapeyour identity also to a
civilian, if you will overnight.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
And what grief or relief did you have to
acknowledge before you couldreally move forward?
Yeah, so it was reallydifficult for me.
The whole process leading up tothe discharge was very
frustrating, because being anArmy officer was a goal and
something that I'd been workingtowards for over a decade of my
(04:59):
life.
I knew very early on that'swhat I wanted to do.
My dad was an army officer andmy earliest memories of him were
when he was a special forcesA-team leader, and so feeling
like I was having the rug pulledout from under me was
definitely a challenge to dealwith.
(05:21):
A challenge to deal with, um,because of how everything
unfolded.
When I did get the news that,yes, you're being discharged, it
was almost a relief.
Um, but then, once I wasactually out, it all kind of
came rushing back.
That identity just isn't thereanymore, and something that I
(05:45):
struggle with a lot, too, wasbecause I hadn't been in for
very long.
I felt like I hadn't doneanything.
You know, my unit was in theprocess of training up to go on
a rotation over to Kuwait, andso I was, you know, heavily
(06:05):
involved with my guys likegearing up for that in the midst
of my medical board proceedingsand then ultimately they all
left and I stayed behind and wasdischarged, and so it was
actually a conversation that Ihad with my dad that kind of
(06:28):
helped me work through that, inthat, you know, less than 1% of
people raise their hand to eventry or volunteer to serve and
he's like that's all thatmatters.
It's like you know you, you havesome control to a degree over
(06:50):
what you do and you know yourcareer path in military, but
there are a lot of variables andthings outside of your control.
So you really it's.
It doesn't serve you movingforward to think that way, to
have that connotation aroundyour service.
(07:11):
So as long as you showed upevery day and did your job and
did it to the best of yourability and weren't actively
trying to be a bad person, youshould be proud of what you did.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I love your dad.
I'm just going to say that nowbecause that is that's some of
the best advice people can haveand I think, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Well, and I think for me, coming from someone who, in
my view, has done so much youknow he is a green beret, has,
you know, done things overseasthat you know some people may
never know about like cool, youknow Hollywood type stuff, I'm
(08:03):
sure and for him to be the onethat's like you served.
Like you put up your hand, youserve, that's all that matters.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
That's fantastic, and , joe, your dad's going to be on
tomorrow, just so you know.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Well he's, I mean true to true to army special
force.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Like he is a quiet professional and we've had seals
on and that kind of stuff aswell.
So, um, but I was just justplaying with you uh, if he wants
to be on absolutely no doubt,but I was just making it, making
a making a funny, so, um, sohow did, first of all, you know
(08:50):
the mindset that that you werein?
Uh, you know, as, as humans,you know, we, we, we do that a
lot to ourselves and it's it'sfantastic that your dad was
there to say no, hold on, lookat whatever.
You looked at it this way andchange the trajectory, because
you could have went in a verydark way, right, yeah, and if
(09:10):
you hear about that more oftenthan not, and so it's a
beautiful thing that you know,let me go back one step.
When you lose your camaraderiefrom the military, even when
you're, when you're dischargednormally or retire or whatever
the case may be, that's toughbecause you lose your brothers,
(09:31):
you lose the people that youcount on the most around you,
and so when you are just removedinstantly, it's a whole
different game.
So it could have went in a darkplace, and so I want people to
really hear this right now.
It's a choice, and thankgoodness he had that mentor that
he respects, loves, all thosethings to to really help him to
(09:54):
change that perspective, becauseit changed his life and look
what he's doing now.
You know it's, it's fantastic.
So I, I'm really I, I, I veryhappy and thank god that your
dad was there and was the rightperson at the right time yeah
yeah, so.
So let's talk about if we will.
Where did you go from there?
(10:16):
What made you go into thedifferent realms?
Right, Because again, we'retoday's really about finding
that fulfillment and changingpotentially a different career
path for that and and kind ofthe thought process that took
you down that path.
Sure, I.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
So the first few years after I got out of the
army were kind of tumultuous,because I I really didn't know
what I wanted to do and I didn'thave the benefit.
Like you said, you know, peoplekind of exiting the military
and more traditional means.
(10:54):
There are all kinds of programsnowadays, um, to help veterans
translate their skills into, youknow, whether it's a trades job
, whether it's um, you know,almost like an internship if you
know something in consulting orthe tech space is more what
you're after.
You know these those programswere, were starting to happen
(11:18):
right around the time I wasgetting out, but I wasn't able
to take advantage of them.
So really, the, the big driverfor me was just finding
something that would support myfamily.
We had our oldest daughter, mia, the time, um, she's, uh, right
(11:38):
, about a year old, um, and then, as I was getting out, um, my
wife and I found out that wewere having twins.
So again, that was kind of a,you know, lighting a fire under
me, yeah, so, you know, rightout of the gate, there really
(12:02):
wasn't the searching for purposein the work that I was doing
beyond trying to, you know, puta roof over my head, my family's
head and food on the table, andthe first job that I ended up
accepting, um really didn't evendo that Um, and so I, you know
(12:23):
it, it took a few um, you know,I I ended up being laid off um
from that job after about a yearand a half Um job after about a
year and a half.
The next job I had was somethingthat I actually did have kind
of an interest and a passion for, and when I first joined, the
(12:44):
company seemed to be the kind ofcompany that you show up and
you're like, oh, wow, this placeis really cool, like this is a
place I would like to work, um,and three months later the
pandemic hit um and you know,instead of going into the office
that has a gym and all thesepeople that I'm like, wow, you
(13:08):
know, love working with um, allthat went away.
Yeah, it's, you completely workfrom home and, you know,
understandably, over the next,you know, year and a half, that
company kind of had to changeand evolve how it did things and
so, you know, ended up beinglaid off again and the next job
(13:34):
after that laid off again andthe next job after that?
Speaker 2 (13:40):
um, joe, really quick .
I'm sorry to interrupt, but Iwant to ask you something.
So in your life right now uh,I'm sorry, in your story, in
your life right now, at thatpoint, were you just going, damn
, what the hell, what was going,what was kind of going through
your head, because I kind ofwant people to understand and
connect with hey, I get that andI I've been there too, or I am
there.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
So what was kind of going through your head at that
point, and you were not done yet, yeah, it was, you know, I, I
think, especially through thepandemic, you know, because so
much had been changing and youknow, I guess all the negativity
(14:21):
and things that were kind ofgoing around, like it was tough
because it was just kind of likea wow One, like one more thing,
right, right.
And you know, I guess, lookingback, I'm, I've always been a
pretty optimistic and upbeatperson.
(14:41):
You can ask my wife, I think,sometimes it gets on her nerves
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
I promise to your wife, if you're listening, I
promise you prefer it this waythan the other way.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
It's, good though she's, she's definitely a bit
more of a realist, and so it itit does.
It helps keep me grounded,Otherwise, you know, I'd be off
in in Joe's world, as we call it.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
So you're feeling beat down and just man, what's
next?
Right, I mean kind of whereyou're at.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
Yeah, kind of having a short term memory of that
happened Like and now I?
Now I have a problem.
Okay, let's focus on thesolution.
And I think right about thistime I got the daily stoic as a
(15:52):
gift and that that's somethingthat I, you, know to this day.
The book's starting to look alittle ratty now, after four or
five years.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
That's a beautiful thing, my friend.
That means, it means something.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Yeah, but just kind of that, like that happened, and
there's no sense in reallybeating myself up or dwelling on
you know what could havehappened.
It's like they made a choice.
(16:31):
They, you know.
Whatever circumstances happened, I got laid off.
I don't have a job.
I still have a choice.
Whatever circumstances happened, I got laid off.
I don't have a job.
I still have a wife andchildren that I need to take
care of.
So what do I need to do next?
Speaker 2 (16:46):
And that's beautiful.
I love that you said exactlythat, because it's just about
being resourceful.
Look, this happened.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
I can be a victim and go downhill, or I can just keep
moving forward and that's yeah,and something too that was also
sort of helped is um, with eachcareer change move, if you will
, um it gave like I ended upgetting paid more each time.
(17:20):
So, like the first job I hadright out of the military, like
one of the things like it barelylike it really didn't even help
me support my family.
The next job after that was alittle bit better.
I had a little bit more purpose.
And then the job after that,the purpose kind of went away
(17:42):
again, but I was getting paidalmost like half again as much
as I was making at the job thatI had just gotten laid off from.
So I kind of saw it as more oflike okay, I could land a better
opportunity next, right, amen.
(18:03):
And so you know, about a yearand a half ago no um was laid
off for the final time, um, andit was uh.
During that point I was gettingmy MBA at CSU um, and kind of
(18:27):
leaned into some of their umemployment, employment resources
and ultimately ended up gettinga job with Lockheed where I'm
getting paid the most I've everbeen paid have, kind of that,
you know, the closest thing topurpose and a connection to what
(18:52):
I'm doing on a daily basissince I left the army.
Um, and yeah, it's, it'sawesome I had, you know, great
work-life balance andflexibility to you know, not
just provide for my familyfinancially but also like be
there for kids activities, youknow, if you know they get sick
(19:14):
and need to be brought home fromschool, like I can be the dad
that goes and picks them up.
So that's fantastic and thenalso the freedom to, you know,
pour energy into ruck on and anddo things like this, like
things that I, I'm, I'm reallypassionate about.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Yeah, it's been it fantastic, and you know what the
financial freedom, the timefreedom, to be able to go and do
things that mean something toyou, like being able to be the
dad to pick your kid up.
So many other people don't getthat opportunity.
It's fantastic, man, it's atestament to keep on moving.
(19:52):
Things will change.
People get very stuck in thewinter, you know, and there's
four seasons and they, theycontinue to kind of rotate.
And knowing that pattern, andknowing, okay, well, things
aren't great right now, butspring's coming, you know, um,
so it's not gonna be rainy andgloomy.
This too will pass you know, andjust that, the fortitude that
(20:14):
you had to keep moving and keepmoving forward is fantastic, and
that's why you're where you arenow.
So so I congratulate you.
I celebrate truly, because somany other people don't and they
give up and play victim mode.
You know so.
So, amen, good for you.
So let's talk about ruck on alittle bit, can we sure?
Yeah, so you know.
So you're finding yourfulfillment, your purpose.
(20:35):
I know you're jazzed about it,so talk more about what is Ruck
On.
Let's start there, if you can.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Sure, so it's evolved .
I started it way back in 2019when I was first kind of getting
back into fitness cause thatwas.
That was something else that Ilost.
Um, and I I think a lot ofveterans can probably say that
(21:03):
they've experienced this.
As you know, you're, you're inthe military and you more or
less have to be in shape.
Um, you know most units, youhave PT every day, unless you're
injured, sick or something.
And even then, like you'reworking out every single day,
(21:23):
you know you've got height andweight standards that you have
to meet on a regular basis.
You have a PT test that youhave to take, and so you go out
in the civilian world and youdon't have that structure
anymore.
You don't have that.
You know it might not be thebest motivator, but it works.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Well, here's the thing right Is physical exercise
.
All of the emotional benefitsfrom it, mindset benefits from
it, are off the charts.
I mean, if you exercise, evenwalking, every day, you are
going to be in so much, such abetter mental state because of
it.
Just walking for half an hour,so you know what you're doing is
(22:08):
is awesome, so it's, it's not.
I wouldn't say, um, you knowthe physical parts of what you
did in the military and then thephysical parts when you are out
that you're choosing to do onyour own is even better.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Let's talk about that more.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
And I would say too, if there's don't, let, don't let
the military color what you tryand pick up in the civilian
world, like, uh, you know, I,I've always loved hockey and so,
thankfully for me, that wassomething I could always fall
(22:49):
back on.
Um, you know, especially outhere living in colorado, like
there's plenty of hockey up here.
So, out here living in Colorado, like there's plenty of hockey
up here.
So check, um, but as far aslike rock on goes, uh, you know,
outside of hockey, cause, Imean, just doing that once or
twice a week is helpful.
(23:11):
Um, you know, not justphysically but but mentally,
like you said, and I think insome cases it helped me more
mentally than physically.
But I started rucking, and itcan be a lot more enjoyable when
it's just you picking whateverweight you want, whatever route
(23:32):
you want.
You can listen to music if youwant, you know, versus all of
the constraints that are put onyou when you have to do it in
the military, is it's going tobe this much weight, we're going
to go this far or we're goingto go this way, and you can't
listen to music, and you knowall the choice gets removed from
(23:54):
you.
So, um, you know I, I, I gotinto rucking because it was an
easy and relatively cheap way tokind of kickstart my fitness
journey.
Um, and then, as I starteddoing that kind of sharing some
(24:17):
insights and thoughts that I had, I had people like reaching out
to me like hey, I see that,like you're rucking and you're
getting back into fitness, likehow can I do that?
Like what are some things thatyou suggest?
And so then I turned it moretowards trying to help people
and educate them on the benefitsof rucking and then from there,
(24:45):
just fitness in general, and asI was doing my own personal
development, you know, kind ofrealizing that it was all
interconnected, really, of, youknow, to to move forward in life
, towards success, your goals,dreams, whatever that might look
like.
You know, to me fitness,nutrition and mindset are kind
(25:12):
of the three key building blocks, and so that's kind of what
I've laid as a foundation ofRuck On, and now I kind of use
it as a bucket because, you know, I just want to inspire other
people to go after their goalsand dreams, whatever that might
(25:33):
look like.
So like, for me, after some ofthe development that I've done,
I realized that I have a storyfrom playing hockey at West
Point that I want to write abook about, so I've been
actively taking steps to makethat happen.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Yeah, that's fantastic.
Sorry to interrupt, but we onlyhave a couple of minutes left.
Yeah, um.
So you know, I, I I love howyou and everybody please again
listen how you translate youknow your successes into life.
You know, I think it's, I thinkit's awesome how you just keep
(26:22):
moving forward and and doingthat.
Um so, with with that said, Ido want to touch base on, before
we go and I know I'm going toask you know, you know I'm going
to ask you for your three tipsto get veterans and their
families further, faster.
So I want to touch base on um,a couple of thoughts real quick
on quick, on finding thatpassion, that fulfillment in
(26:42):
your career, some thoughts onhow to kind of look for that, to
navigate into a career thatyou're going to love.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Yeah.
So I think something for me,something that I would suggest,
is try and find people you knowit's great if you can find a
veteran who's doing somethingthat you think you might want to
do.
You know there are veterans andresources out there that kind
(27:27):
of try and funnel veterans tocertain career paths because
they can be very successful andvery lucrative but they aren't
for everyone and they're not theonly ways to be successful.
So for me, I was fortunate to,as I was kind of stumbling my
(27:50):
way through things, comingacross veterans who, some of
them, were just doing completelydifferent things.
They were in entrepreneurshipor you know, pursuing something
way outside the norm.
And then I also came across anumber of veterans who were they
might have been working in akind of traditional
post-military career, whetheryou know, tech or consulting,
(28:13):
but they had something likeRuckon, that they were working
on the side, right and atvarious levels of success.
And so finding those veteransand kind of seeing that as a
blueprint of oh, I can have asuccessful day job outside of
(28:34):
the military that takes care ofeverything, but then I can also
pursue or experiment, test outdifferent things on the side,
you know it, I guess a goodmilitary analogy that I can see
from it is almost like a you'vegot to take care of your, your
fob, your forward operating base, like make sure that's taken
(28:55):
care of and then you patrol outfrom there.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
Yeah, I love that I love that, yeah, and you know,
sometimes that thing that youfind passionate turns into a
business.
And yeah, in a full-timebusiness, I know a lot of people
, uh, including myself, thathave, you know, have a, have a
passion and and they have abusiness.
You know, know.
(29:19):
So don't, don't, if I can say,don't close yourself off to that
possibility if it's somethingthat you think you want to do
full time.
It's amazing All of the thingsthat are out there now in the
world we have today where youcan make money doing something
you love doing.
You know so, absolutely lovethat.
So, with that said, if you cangive us three tips to get
veterans and their familiesfurther, faster, joe, yeah, so I
(29:43):
know two things that thathelped me a lot.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
You know I mentioned the daily stoic and so kind of
delving into stoicism has helpedme a lot because it kind of
helps you Take life in the worldas it as it is.
You know great strategies on,you know here's the reality, how
(30:10):
can you operate within that,and you know, move forward, um,
but what I liked about the lawof attraction is the idea that
you have the power to createwhat you want in the world, um,
and so you know I, I first readthe secret and so I guess you
(30:33):
know tip number one would be toread um.
So you know, a success, a wayI've had success with reading,
is just 10 pages every day.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
It works.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
You know it, it sounds like such a small amount,
but if you can read 10 pagesevery day and it, it, it also it
kind of breaks things downbecause you're kind of forced to
within those 10 pages.
You know, if you're reading abook that's designed to help
move you further in life, itkind of forces you to look in
(31:11):
those 10 pages.
It's like what can I take awayfrom this?
Yeah, absolutely.
I think that's super important.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
And then journaling.
It's something that mygrandfather and my dad, at
various points growing up, Ithink, tried to get me into.
But, you know, being a young,stubborn, hard, hard headed boy
and young man, it's like, yeah,I don't that that sounds boring,
(31:41):
I don't want to do that, but,um, it's something that I have
done, um, for the past few yearsnow.
Um and I I just kicked myselfbecause I'm like I have, I have
a decent memory, but, like man,it would be awesome if I could
go back to that time period andhave, like, what was I thinking
(32:05):
about?
What was I actually?
You know, I might knowgenerally what I was doing in
that time period, but, like youknow, what was I doing on a day
to day basis?
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Yeah, I think it's really.
You weren't ready yet, thoughright, it came to you at the
right time to do it.
Now you appreciate it, and thebest time to start something you
should have started two yearsago is today.
Right now yeah so awesome,you're doing it now.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
How about tip three Tip three, I would say focus on
the positive, and I think I wasreading a book that kind of goes
into the law of attraction froma practical like how can you
actually make this work for you?
And one of the exercises Ithink is very helpful for people
(32:56):
that aren't, you know, maybenaturally like optimists or able
to see the positive is likemake a list.
You know.
If you're unhappy aboutsomething, you know whether it's
your job, your life situation,whatever is just make a list of
all the things that you don'tlike about it or wish you could
change, and then draw, you know,arrows from each one across the
(33:20):
page and flip it.
It's like okay, well, if youdon't like X, then what's the
flip side of that?
If you don't like a boss thatmicromanages you, what is the
opposite?
Oh, a boss that trusts me,values my opinions and insights,
things like that, and so then,if you do that for every single
(33:43):
thing across the page, what thatdoes is it gives you a picture
of of what you do want.
And so I think what I notice alot is and you know, I think it
explains quite a bit of the thenegativity in the world, not
just for veterans, but justeveryone is.
People get hung up focusing onthe negatives and what they
(34:05):
don't want, and you just getmore of that versus and and I
still have to do this withmyself um, even like little
things I've noticed is likesaying things like no worries,
it's not a big deal, like itsounds small, but just those,
those tiny little shifts kind ofadd up and it's it's saying
(34:28):
like all good, um, there's athing that we do, I'm sorry.
Go ahead, please finish yeah, no, but I'm just, you know, if you
find that you struggle withnegativity or seeing the
positive, like I think that's agreat exercise and just and
again going back to tip numbertwo, journal Absolutely Then
(34:52):
just reflect on that.
It's like everything that yousee that you don't like, okay,
we'll flip it and then focus onthat positive piece more than
the negative, and it'll it'll.
It's surprising that if youjust keep focusing on that
positive stuff, how it'll startcropping up in your life.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
Absolutely.
I love that and I we're wayover time, but I just got to say
this before we go there'sthere's a highway in California
that have all of these um uh forelectrical phone lines, that
kind of stuff, and people focuson the post and it's that it's
one of the um highest accidentrates, because when people are
(35:33):
focused on something, it takesthem to that right yeah and yeah
, and so it's literally.
There's so many crashes intothese posts because people are
seeing them and they just startlooking at them and they start
driving right to it, not evenpaying attention.
So what you think about, youbring about everybody.
What you think about, you bringabout.
And if you focus on positivity,I'm going to say gratitude even
(35:57):
as well and you celebrate thatgratitude.
You cannot be upset aboutsomething and grateful.
I promise you this in closingthere's things to be grateful
about, whether it's brushingyour I got to brush my teeth
this morning because I haveteeth or a toothbrush or running
water, because my friendsthere's people that don't I got
out of bed this morning.
There's so many things to begrateful for that people don't
(36:18):
focus on and when you do itchanges the game.
It literally changes the game.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Just waking up.
In the morning I woke up on theright side of the dirt.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
Absolutely.
There are some people thatdidn't.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
There are Lots All right guys With that said.
Joe, how do people reach out toyou?
Speaker 3 (36:41):
um instagram is probably the best um ruck on
ventures um instagram, facebook,um those are.
Those are the two places thatI'm most active, so fantastic,
sounds great.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
um, joe, thank you for being on.
Uh, as I, as I always say, timeis the most precious resource
we have as human beings.
Thank you for spending sometime with us, dropping some
knowledge, some thoughts andsome things to help veterans and
their families get furtheracross.
I really appreciate it.
Thanks for having me Absolutely, and on that note, we're out of
here.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Thank you for joining us on another insightful
journey of your Thoughts yourReality podcast with your host,
michael Cole.
We hope the conversationsparked some thoughts that
resonate with you.
To dive deeper into empoweringyour thoughts and enhancing your
reality, visitempowerperformancestrategiescom.
Remember your thoughts shapeyour reality, so make them count
(37:37):
.
Until next time, stay inspiredand keep creating the reality
you desire.
Catch you on the next episode.
Welcome to your Thoughts, your Reality with
Michael Cole, the podcast thatshines a compassionate light on
the journey of veterans battlingthrough life's challenges.
Michael is a dual elitecertified neuro encoding
specialist in coaching andkeynote training presentations
dedicated to guiding militaryveterans as they navigate the
intricate pathways ofpost-deployment life.
(00:23):
Join him as we delve into theprofound realm of neuroencoding
science, empowering these braveindividuals to conquer universal
battles procrastination,self-doubt, fear and more.
Together, let's uncover thestrength within you to re-engage
with families and society,forging a new path forward.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Hello, hello, hello everybody.
So today we have a great guest.
I'm super excited about this.
Joe is a great guy.
We have Joe Kramer.
He is a US Military Academy,west Point graduate, class of
2016,.
Dual major in German andRussian.
He's a former Army ordnanceofficer.
(01:07):
Raised in a military familyoverseas in Germany and Croatia.
He's weathered multiplepost-Army layoffs, then
intentionally pivoted towardwork aligned with purpose and
family needs.
This is so important.
Everybody, we're going toreally dive into this and it's
you know, it's really tough fora lot of people, and I actually
(01:28):
am working with a veteran rightnow that doesn't know what to do
when they get out.
You know they're reintegratinginto civilian society has
challenges, and not having aplan for something you're going
to love when you get outshouldn't be one of them, and
we're going to really dive intothis today.
And, of course, he's anadvocate for veterans turning
non-traditional career paths,choosing meaning over
(01:49):
expectations.
So, joe, thank you for being on.
I'm super excited to have thisconversation.
Will you tell us just a littlemore about yourself?
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Yeah, sure, so my name is Joe Kramer.
I know we'll kind of get intomy story a little bit early on.
So you know, right now I livein Windsor, colorado, about an
hour north of Denver, with mywife and four kids, lockheed
(02:26):
Martin.
And then, you know, kind of onthe side, you know even more
into that meaning realm.
I am the founder of Rock On andso that is all about.
You know, there's a lot offitness but also personal
development to that and againkind of why I advocate for
veterans to blaze their owntrail versus kind of getting
(02:50):
stuck into some of the you knownarrow career paths that they
feel like they have to.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah, you get into those funnels, right, that
expectation or or whatever it is, instead of really kind of
thinking outside the box.
Something you're gonna love, sothat's awesome.
When you said rock on, Ithought you're teaching guitar
or something.
Speaker 3 (03:14):
Yeah yeah, it's um, yeah, it's definitely key to, I
guess, make sure you pronouncethe U instead of the O.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
But I mean I don't know very similar energy you
know, Rock on, rock on, got it.
So, joe, before we get started,I just want everybody to.
On the top right-hand corner ofI always do this wrong, let's
do it that way.
Top right-hand corner of yourscreen, there's a blue QR code.
It takes you toempowerperformancestrategiescom
(03:46):
for people listening on thepodcast forums.
Later on it'sempowerperformancestrategiescom.
It takes you to our website.
There's all kinds of links andresources and groups on Facebook
, et cetera.
Some books I've written.
You know really just resourcesfor veterans and their families.
Join the mission, come be partof our community, if you will.
(04:06):
It's a really great place to be.
So, with that said, joe, let'sbe ready to dive in.
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah, let's do it.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
All right, so let's talk about identity whiplash.
How did the medical dischargefor I believe it was hearing
correct?
Yes, yeah, how did the medicaldischarge, for I believe it was
hearing correct.
Yes, yeah, how did that reshapeyour identity also to a
civilian, if you will overnight.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
And what grief or relief did you have to
acknowledge before you couldreally move forward?
Yeah, so it was reallydifficult for me.
The whole process leading up tothe discharge was very
frustrating, because being anArmy officer was a goal and
something that I'd been workingtowards for over a decade of my
(04:59):
life.
I knew very early on that'swhat I wanted to do.
My dad was an army officer andmy earliest memories of him were
when he was a special forcesA-team leader, and so feeling
like I was having the rug pulledout from under me was
definitely a challenge to dealwith.
(05:21):
A challenge to deal with, um,because of how everything
unfolded.
When I did get the news that,yes, you're being discharged, it
was almost a relief.
Um, but then, once I wasactually out, it all kind of
came rushing back.
That identity just isn't thereanymore, and something that I
(05:45):
struggle with a lot, too, wasbecause I hadn't been in for
very long.
I felt like I hadn't doneanything.
You know, my unit was in theprocess of training up to go on
a rotation over to Kuwait, andso I was, you know, heavily
(06:05):
involved with my guys likegearing up for that in the midst
of my medical board proceedingsand then ultimately they all
left and I stayed behind and wasdischarged, and so it was
actually a conversation that Ihad with my dad that kind of
(06:28):
helped me work through that, inthat, you know, less than 1% of
people raise their hand to eventry or volunteer to serve and
he's like that's all thatmatters.
It's like you know you, you havesome control to a degree over
(06:50):
what you do and you know yourcareer path in military, but
there are a lot of variables andthings outside of your control.
So you really it's.
It doesn't serve you movingforward to think that way, to
have that connotation aroundyour service.
(07:11):
So as long as you showed upevery day and did your job and
did it to the best of yourability and weren't actively
trying to be a bad person, youshould be proud of what you did.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I love your dad.
I'm just going to say that nowbecause that is that's some of
the best advice people can haveand I think, yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
Well, and I think for me, coming from someone who, in
my view, has done so much youknow he is a green beret, has,
you know, done things overseasthat you know some people may
never know about like cool, youknow Hollywood type stuff, I'm
(08:03):
sure and for him to be the onethat's like you served.
Like you put up your hand, youserve, that's all that matters.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
That's fantastic, and , joe, your dad's going to be on
tomorrow, just so you know.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Well he's, I mean true to true to army special
force.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Like he is a quiet professional and we've had seals
on and that kind of stuff aswell.
So, um, but I was just justplaying with you uh, if he wants
to be on absolutely no doubt,but I was just making it, making
a making a funny, so, um, sohow did, first of all, you know
(08:50):
the mindset that that you werein?
Uh, you know, as, as humans,you know, we, we, we do that a
lot to ourselves and it's it'sfantastic that your dad was
there to say no, hold on, lookat whatever.
You looked at it this way andchange the trajectory, because
you could have went in a verydark way, right, yeah, and if
(09:10):
you hear about that more oftenthan not, and so it's a
beautiful thing that you know,let me go back one step.
When you lose your camaraderiefrom the military, even when
you're, when you're dischargednormally or retire or whatever
the case may be, that's toughbecause you lose your brothers,
(09:31):
you lose the people that youcount on the most around you,
and so when you are just removedinstantly, it's a whole
different game.
So it could have went in a darkplace, and so I want people to
really hear this right now.
It's a choice, and thankgoodness he had that mentor that
he respects, loves, all thosethings to to really help him to
(09:54):
change that perspective, becauseit changed his life and look
what he's doing now.
You know it's, it's fantastic.
So I, I'm really I, I, I veryhappy and thank god that your
dad was there and was the rightperson at the right time yeah
yeah, so.
So let's talk about if we will.
Where did you go from there?
(10:16):
What made you go into thedifferent realms?
Right, Because again, we'retoday's really about finding
that fulfillment and changingpotentially a different career
path for that and and kind ofthe thought process that took
you down that path.
Sure, I.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
So the first few years after I got out of the
army were kind of tumultuous,because I I really didn't know
what I wanted to do and I didn'thave the benefit.
Like you said, you know, peoplekind of exiting the military
and more traditional means.
(10:54):
There are all kinds of programsnowadays, um, to help veterans
translate their skills into, youknow, whether it's a trades job
, whether it's um, you know,almost like an internship if you
know something in consulting orthe tech space is more what
you're after.
You know these those programswere, were starting to happen
(11:18):
right around the time I wasgetting out, but I wasn't able
to take advantage of them.
So really, the, the big driverfor me was just finding
something that would support myfamily.
We had our oldest daughter, mia, the time, um, she's, uh, right
(11:38):
, about a year old, um, and then, as I was getting out, um, my
wife and I found out that wewere having twins.
So again, that was kind of a,you know, lighting a fire under
me, yeah, so, you know, rightout of the gate, there really
(12:02):
wasn't the searching for purposein the work that I was doing
beyond trying to, you know, puta roof over my head, my family's
head and food on the table, andthe first job that I ended up
accepting, um really didn't evendo that Um, and so I, you know
(12:23):
it, it took a few um, you know,I I ended up being laid off um
from that job after about a yearand a half Um job after about a
year and a half.
The next job I had was somethingthat I actually did have kind
of an interest and a passion for, and when I first joined, the
(12:44):
company seemed to be the kind ofcompany that you show up and
you're like, oh, wow, this placeis really cool, like this is a
place I would like to work, um,and three months later the
pandemic hit um and you know,instead of going into the office
that has a gym and all thesepeople that I'm like, wow, you
(13:08):
know, love working with um, allthat went away.
Yeah, it's, you completely workfrom home and, you know,
understandably, over the next,you know, year and a half, that
company kind of had to changeand evolve how it did things and
so, you know, ended up beinglaid off again and the next job
(13:34):
after that laid off again andthe next job after that?
Speaker 2 (13:40):
um, joe, really quick .
I'm sorry to interrupt, but Iwant to ask you something.
So in your life right now uh,I'm sorry, in your story, in
your life right now, at thatpoint, were you just going, damn
, what the hell, what was going,what was kind of going through
your head, because I kind ofwant people to understand and
connect with hey, I get that andI I've been there too, or I am
there.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
So what was kind of going through your head at that
point, and you were not done yet, yeah, it was, you know, I, I
think, especially through thepandemic, you know, because so
much had been changing and youknow, I guess all the negativity
(14:21):
and things that were kind ofgoing around, like it was tough
because it was just kind of likea wow One, like one more thing,
right, right.
And you know, I guess, lookingback, I'm, I've always been a
pretty optimistic and upbeatperson.
(14:41):
You can ask my wife, I think,sometimes it gets on her nerves
a little bit.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
I promise to your wife, if you're listening, I
promise you prefer it this waythan the other way.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
It's, good though she's, she's definitely a bit
more of a realist, and so it itit does.
It helps keep me grounded,Otherwise, you know, I'd be off
in in Joe's world, as we call it.
Speaker 2 (15:14):
So you're feeling beat down and just man, what's
next?
Right, I mean kind of whereyou're at.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
Yeah, kind of having a short term memory of that
happened Like and now I?
Now I have a problem.
Okay, let's focus on thesolution.
And I think right about thistime I got the daily stoic as a
(15:52):
gift and that that's somethingthat I, you, know to this day.
The book's starting to look alittle ratty now, after four or
five years.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
That's a beautiful thing, my friend.
That means, it means something.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Yeah, but just kind of that, like that happened, and
there's no sense in reallybeating myself up or dwelling on
you know what could havehappened.
It's like they made a choice.
(16:31):
They, you know.
Whatever circumstances happened, I got laid off.
I don't have a job.
I still have a choice.
Whatever circumstances happened, I got laid off.
I don't have a job.
I still have a wife andchildren that I need to take
care of.
So what do I need to do next?
Speaker 2 (16:46):
And that's beautiful.
I love that you said exactlythat, because it's just about
being resourceful.
Look, this happened.
Speaker 3 (16:53):
I can be a victim and go downhill, or I can just keep
moving forward and that's yeah,and something too that was also
sort of helped is um, with eachcareer change move, if you will
, um it gave like I ended upgetting paid more each time.
(17:20):
So, like the first job I hadright out of the military, like
one of the things like it barelylike it really didn't even help
me support my family.
The next job after that was alittle bit better.
I had a little bit more purpose.
And then the job after that,the purpose kind of went away
(17:42):
again, but I was getting paidalmost like half again as much
as I was making at the job thatI had just gotten laid off from.
So I kind of saw it as more oflike okay, I could land a better
opportunity next, right, amen.
(18:03):
And so you know, about a yearand a half ago no um was laid
off for the final time, um, andit was uh.
During that point I was gettingmy MBA at CSU um, and kind of
(18:27):
leaned into some of their umemployment, employment resources
and ultimately ended up gettinga job with Lockheed where I'm
getting paid the most I've everbeen paid have, kind of that,
you know, the closest thing topurpose and a connection to what
(18:52):
I'm doing on a daily basissince I left the army.
Um, and yeah, it's, it'sawesome I had, you know, great
work-life balance andflexibility to you know, not
just provide for my familyfinancially but also like be
there for kids activities, youknow, if you know they get sick
(19:14):
and need to be brought home fromschool, like I can be the dad
that goes and picks them up.
So that's fantastic and thenalso the freedom to, you know,
pour energy into ruck on and anddo things like this, like
things that I, I'm, I'm reallypassionate about.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Yeah, it's been it fantastic, and you know what the
financial freedom, the timefreedom, to be able to go and do
things that mean something toyou, like being able to be the
dad to pick your kid up.
So many other people don't getthat opportunity.
It's fantastic, man, it's atestament to keep on moving.
(19:52):
Things will change.
People get very stuck in thewinter, you know, and there's
four seasons and they, theycontinue to kind of rotate.
And knowing that pattern, andknowing, okay, well, things
aren't great right now, butspring's coming, you know, um,
so it's not gonna be rainy andgloomy.
This too will pass you know, andjust that, the fortitude that
(20:14):
you had to keep moving and keepmoving forward is fantastic, and
that's why you're where you arenow.
So so I congratulate you.
I celebrate truly, because somany other people don't and they
give up and play victim mode.
You know so.
So, amen, good for you.
So let's talk about ruck on alittle bit, can we sure?
Yeah, so you know.
So you're finding yourfulfillment, your purpose.
(20:35):
I know you're jazzed about it,so talk more about what is Ruck
On.
Let's start there, if you can.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Sure, so it's evolved .
I started it way back in 2019when I was first kind of getting
back into fitness cause thatwas.
That was something else that Ilost.
Um, and I I think a lot ofveterans can probably say that
(21:03):
they've experienced this.
As you know, you're, you're inthe military and you more or
less have to be in shape.
Um, you know most units, youhave PT every day, unless you're
injured, sick or something.
And even then, like you'reworking out every single day,
(21:23):
you know you've got height andweight standards that you have
to meet on a regular basis.
You have a PT test that youhave to take, and so you go out
in the civilian world and youdon't have that structure
anymore.
You don't have that.
You know it might not be thebest motivator, but it works.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
Well, here's the thing right Is physical exercise
.
All of the emotional benefitsfrom it, mindset benefits from
it, are off the charts.
I mean, if you exercise, evenwalking, every day, you are
going to be in so much, such abetter mental state because of
it.
Just walking for half an hour,so you know what you're doing is
(22:08):
is awesome, so it's, it's not.
I wouldn't say, um, you knowthe physical parts of what you
did in the military and then thephysical parts when you are out
that you're choosing to do onyour own is even better.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Let's talk about that more.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
And I would say too, if there's don't, let, don't let
the military color what you tryand pick up in the civilian
world, like, uh, you know, I,I've always loved hockey and so,
thankfully for me, that wassomething I could always fall
(22:49):
back on.
Um, you know, especially outhere living in colorado, like
there's plenty of hockey up here.
So, out here living in Colorado, like there's plenty of hockey
up here.
So check, um, but as far aslike rock on goes, uh, you know,
outside of hockey, cause, Imean, just doing that once or
twice a week is helpful.
(23:11):
Um, you know, not justphysically but but mentally,
like you said, and I think insome cases it helped me more
mentally than physically.
But I started rucking, and itcan be a lot more enjoyable when
it's just you picking whateverweight you want, whatever route
(23:32):
you want.
You can listen to music if youwant, you know, versus all of
the constraints that are put onyou when you have to do it in
the military, is it's going tobe this much weight, we're going
to go this far or we're goingto go this way, and you can't
listen to music, and you knowall the choice gets removed from
(23:54):
you.
So, um, you know I, I, I gotinto rucking because it was an
easy and relatively cheap way tokind of kickstart my fitness
journey.
Um, and then, as I starteddoing that kind of sharing some
(24:17):
insights and thoughts that I had, I had people like reaching out
to me like hey, I see that,like you're rucking and you're
getting back into fitness, likehow can I do that?
Like what are some things thatyou suggest?
And so then I turned it moretowards trying to help people
and educate them on the benefitsof rucking and then from there,
(24:45):
just fitness in general, and asI was doing my own personal
development, you know, kind ofrealizing that it was all
interconnected, really, of, youknow, to to move forward in life
, towards success, your goals,dreams, whatever that might look
like.
You know, to me fitness,nutrition and mindset are kind
(25:12):
of the three key building blocks, and so that's kind of what
I've laid as a foundation ofRuck On, and now I kind of use
it as a bucket because, you know, I just want to inspire other
people to go after their goalsand dreams, whatever that might
(25:33):
look like.
So like, for me, after some ofthe development that I've done,
I realized that I have a storyfrom playing hockey at West
Point that I want to write abook about, so I've been
actively taking steps to makethat happen.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
Yeah, that's fantastic.
Sorry to interrupt, but we onlyhave a couple of minutes left.
Yeah, um.
So you know, I, I I love howyou and everybody please again
listen how you translate youknow your successes into life.
You know, I think it's, I thinkit's awesome how you just keep
(26:22):
moving forward and and doingthat.
Um so, with with that said, Ido want to touch base on, before
we go and I know I'm going toask you know, you know I'm going
to ask you for your three tipsto get veterans and their
families further, faster.
So I want to touch base on um,a couple of thoughts real quick
on quick, on finding thatpassion, that fulfillment in
(26:42):
your career, some thoughts onhow to kind of look for that, to
navigate into a career thatyou're going to love.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
Yeah.
So I think something for me,something that I would suggest,
is try and find people you knowit's great if you can find a
veteran who's doing somethingthat you think you might want to
do.
You know there are veterans andresources out there that kind
(27:27):
of try and funnel veterans tocertain career paths because
they can be very successful andvery lucrative but they aren't
for everyone and they're not theonly ways to be successful.
So for me, I was fortunate to,as I was kind of stumbling my
(27:50):
way through things, comingacross veterans who, some of
them, were just doing completelydifferent things.
They were in entrepreneurshipor you know, pursuing something
way outside the norm.
And then I also came across anumber of veterans who were they
might have been working in akind of traditional
post-military career, whetheryou know, tech or consulting,
(28:13):
but they had something likeRuckon, that they were working
on the side, right and atvarious levels of success.
And so finding those veteransand kind of seeing that as a
blueprint of oh, I can have asuccessful day job outside of
(28:34):
the military that takes care ofeverything, but then I can also
pursue or experiment, test outdifferent things on the side,
you know it, I guess a goodmilitary analogy that I can see
from it is almost like a you'vegot to take care of your, your
fob, your forward operating base, like make sure that's taken
(28:55):
care of and then you patrol outfrom there.
Speaker 2 (28:59):
Yeah, I love that I love that, yeah, and you know,
sometimes that thing that youfind passionate turns into a
business.
And yeah, in a full-timebusiness, I know a lot of people
, uh, including myself, thathave, you know, have a, have a
passion and and they have abusiness.
You know, know.
(29:19):
So don't, don't, if I can say,don't close yourself off to that
possibility if it's somethingthat you think you want to do
full time.
It's amazing All of the thingsthat are out there now in the
world we have today where youcan make money doing something
you love doing.
You know so, absolutely lovethat.
So, with that said, if you cangive us three tips to get
veterans and their familiesfurther, faster, joe, yeah, so I
(29:43):
know two things that thathelped me a lot.
Speaker 3 (29:49):
You know I mentioned the daily stoic and so kind of
delving into stoicism has helpedme a lot because it kind of
helps you Take life in the worldas it as it is.
You know great strategies on,you know here's the reality, how
(30:10):
can you operate within that,and you know, move forward, um,
but what I liked about the lawof attraction is the idea that
you have the power to createwhat you want in the world, um,
and so you know I, I first readthe secret and so I guess you
(30:33):
know tip number one would be toread um.
So you know, a success, a wayI've had success with reading,
is just 10 pages every day.
Speaker 2 (30:47):
It works.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
You know it, it sounds like such a small amount,
but if you can read 10 pagesevery day and it, it, it also it
kind of breaks things downbecause you're kind of forced to
within those 10 pages.
You know, if you're reading abook that's designed to help
move you further in life, itkind of forces you to look in
(31:11):
those 10 pages.
It's like what can I take awayfrom this?
Yeah, absolutely.
I think that's super important.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
And then journaling.
It's something that mygrandfather and my dad, at
various points growing up, Ithink, tried to get me into.
But, you know, being a young,stubborn, hard, hard headed boy
and young man, it's like, yeah,I don't that that sounds boring,
(31:41):
I don't want to do that, but,um, it's something that I have
done, um, for the past few yearsnow.
Um and I I just kicked myselfbecause I'm like I have, I have
a decent memory, but, like man,it would be awesome if I could
go back to that time period andhave, like, what was I thinking
(32:05):
about?
What was I actually?
You know, I might knowgenerally what I was doing in
that time period, but, like youknow, what was I doing on a day
to day basis?
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Yeah, I think it's really.
You weren't ready yet, thoughright, it came to you at the
right time to do it.
Now you appreciate it, and thebest time to start something you
should have started two yearsago is today.
Right now yeah so awesome,you're doing it now.
Speaker 3 (32:30):
How about tip three Tip three, I would say focus on
the positive, and I think I wasreading a book that kind of goes
into the law of attraction froma practical like how can you
actually make this work for you?
And one of the exercises Ithink is very helpful for people
(32:56):
that aren't, you know, maybenaturally like optimists or able
to see the positive is likemake a list.
You know.
If you're unhappy aboutsomething, you know whether it's
your job, your life situation,whatever is just make a list of
all the things that you don'tlike about it or wish you could
change, and then draw, you know,arrows from each one across the
(33:20):
page and flip it.
It's like okay, well, if youdon't like X, then what's the
flip side of that?
If you don't like a boss thatmicromanages you, what is the
opposite?
Oh, a boss that trusts me,values my opinions and insights,
things like that, and so then,if you do that for every single
(33:43):
thing across the page, what thatdoes is it gives you a picture
of of what you do want.
And so I think what I notice alot is and you know, I think it
explains quite a bit of the thenegativity in the world, not
just for veterans, but justeveryone is.
People get hung up focusing onthe negatives and what they
(34:05):
don't want, and you just getmore of that versus and and I
still have to do this withmyself um, even like little
things I've noticed is likesaying things like no worries,
it's not a big deal, like itsounds small, but just those,
those tiny little shifts kind ofadd up and it's it's saying
(34:28):
like all good, um, there's athing that we do, I'm sorry.
Go ahead, please finish yeah, no, but I'm just, you know, if you
find that you struggle withnegativity or seeing the
positive, like I think that's agreat exercise and just and
again going back to tip numbertwo, journal Absolutely Then
(34:52):
just reflect on that.
It's like everything that yousee that you don't like, okay,
we'll flip it and then focus onthat positive piece more than
the negative, and it'll it'll.
It's surprising that if youjust keep focusing on that
positive stuff, how it'll startcropping up in your life.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
Absolutely.
I love that and I we're wayover time, but I just got to say
this before we go there'sthere's a highway in California
that have all of these um uh forelectrical phone lines, that
kind of stuff, and people focuson the post and it's that it's
one of the um highest accidentrates, because when people are
(35:33):
focused on something, it takesthem to that right yeah and yeah
, and so it's literally.
There's so many crashes intothese posts because people are
seeing them and they just startlooking at them and they start
driving right to it, not evenpaying attention.
So what you think about, youbring about everybody.
What you think about, you bringabout.
And if you focus on positivity,I'm going to say gratitude even
(35:57):
as well and you celebrate thatgratitude.
You cannot be upset aboutsomething and grateful.
I promise you this in closingthere's things to be grateful
about, whether it's brushingyour I got to brush my teeth
this morning because I haveteeth or a toothbrush or running
water, because my friendsthere's people that don't I got
out of bed this morning.
There's so many things to begrateful for that people don't
(36:18):
focus on and when you do itchanges the game.
It literally changes the game.
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Just waking up.
In the morning I woke up on theright side of the dirt.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (36:28):
Absolutely.
There are some people thatdidn't.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
There are Lots All right guys With that said.
Joe, how do people reach out toyou?
Speaker 3 (36:41):
um instagram is probably the best um ruck on
ventures um instagram, facebook,um those are.
Those are the two places thatI'm most active, so fantastic,
sounds great.
Speaker 2 (36:54):
um, joe, thank you for being on.
Uh, as I, as I always say, timeis the most precious resource
we have as human beings.
Thank you for spending sometime with us, dropping some
knowledge, some thoughts andsome things to help veterans and
their families get furtheracross.
I really appreciate it.
Thanks for having me Absolutely, and on that note, we're out of
here.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Thank you for joining us on another insightful
journey of your Thoughts yourReality podcast with your host,
michael Cole.
We hope the conversationsparked some thoughts that
resonate with you.
To dive deeper into empoweringyour thoughts and enhancing your
reality, visitempowerperformancestrategiescom.
Remember your thoughts shapeyour reality, so make them count
(37:37):
.
Until next time, stay inspiredand keep creating the reality
you desire.
Catch you on the next episode.
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