What is the answer to Retiring at 39? Self-awareness!

If I put something in BOLD it means that I will take that branch in a later post.

It has been a while since I blogged. Life has been hectic, as well it should for a person getting ready to retire from the Marine Corps. It is not like killing people translates into a civilian occupation; well, at least not a legal one!

To avoid confusion when I get going, some obfuscating terms bear explaining: Retirement Ceremony (RC): A ceremony to honor the family and the Marine retiring. Can be set for any date, preferrably before one reaches their RETIREMENT DATE. Retirement Date (RD): The date at which, the servicemember's End Of Active Service (EAS) is reached, a servicemember stops drawing active duty pay, and begins drawing retired pay. Hopefully that wasn't too painful. Regardless, here I go.

I had my retirement ceremony last Friday. It went extremely well. I practiced my speech many times (as I learned in my public speaking class). There were some watering eyes as the retiring officer spoke, and as I spoke to my children and my soul mate. I am currently 'on leave' which amounts to paid vacation. So currently, I am taking care of the small goals that I have been chipping away at. I tell people that I am retiring from the Marine Corps. There is a moment of awkward silent confusion, after which, depending on whether the other person wants to remain confused or not, I explain.

Who can truly retire at the age of 39? Is this the American dream? Answer? No one can retire at the age of 39 lest they wish to die at the age of 45. The American dream is that if one works hard they have the capability to be able to provide for their family and enjoy life. I hear in my circles that people think that being able to drop work because they don't need the money anymore is the American Dream. I would say that this is definitely a dream, but also a bad one.

In my life I am at a point when I get to decide what I would like to do with my life based on what I find interesting and curious; cross-referenced against my skills, abilities, and disabilities. This criteria doesn't make the search results narrow enough. I qualify for anything according to assessment tests, well anything requiring intellect. Unlike most of the people I am associated with, money isn't a deciding factor, otherwise I would be a lawyer or doctor. Prestige isn't a deciding factor, otherwise I would be a Medical Doctor, or a PhD doctor. Time off isn't a deciding factor otherwise I would just stay at home and live frugally. The primary deciding factor I utilize is myself.

Self-awareness is the key happiness in life. Understanding the areas one is gifted in, the areas one weak in and the areas where more work is required to develop skills. Knowing oneself is key. So I chose for myself counseling, because it has been confirmed by many sources throughout my adult life that I excel at communication and life-skill coaching. That wouldn't be enough if I didn't find these 'gifted' skills interesting and helpful in understanding myself better. I have no idea where this decision will lead me, but to me that is appealing.

I don't want a career path in which I know exactly where I will be in 10 years. I want a career that will allow me to evolve, that will open more doors to evolve in the future.