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Starts with Goodbye…

Life is all about decisions.Whether it's deciding on what to make for dinner, where to go for the weekend, or what movie to see. Sometimes your decisions can become difficult to make.Trust me, I know. I recently had to make the biggest decision of my life. Should I stay in the same crappy city and work the same shitty job I've been working the past 3 years, or should I enlist in the world's greatest Air Force and make something out of myself?…

I chose to leave…

It was not easy for me to do. I was going to leave my family, my friends, my home and my life behind. Everything I knew was going to become a thing of the past.

My enlistment process went by quickly. February I spoke with a recruiter, swore in mid April, and was shipping out to basic military training on May 16th. I know, sounds simple right? Let me tell you how quickly it really went….

May 10th, I was driving around with my friend when my recruiter called. A job opened up for me. My top pick, Security Forces. Did I want the contract?…. Well hell yeah I wanted it! "Here's the catch, you leave in 6 days."

Wow…. I had 6 days to pack my life away…. 6 days to say my goodbyes to my loved ones… 6 days until I would get a restart on my life…

It was not an easy decision. Leaving everyone hurt so much, but I needed to do it in order to better my life. I wanted to stay home so I could watch my little brother graduate high school. I would have loved to see my older brother get engaged to his beautiful girlfriend! I wanted to be able to take my nephew to the zoo, and remind him how much I love him. But I left them all behind.

In the past 6 months of my training, I questioned whether or not I made the right decision. Half way through my basic training, I received a letter from my mom saying that my 5 year old sister is telling everyone that I am a hero. I haven't done anything to be considered a hero!

In technical school, I battled my homesickness by myself. Yes, I had my cell phone. Yes, I was able to talk to my family every day, but it just wasn't the same. I was able to see that my dad was doing perfectly fine without me. My three brothers were living their lives. My best friend was having fun. Maybe I did make a wrong decision….

Then it came…. Graduation day….. Having that new rank on my sleeves and receiving my badge and beret were the greatest things that could ever happen to me. Being called a Defender by the commander opened my eyes.

If you make a right decision, the end result won't come easy. You have to push through the difficult obstacles to get to where you want to be. You have to be willing to sacrifice and leave certain things behind. It's going to be a crazy, terrifying journey, but I promise you, you won't regret it.

I hope you can take something away from my story. I hope you take a leap of faith, and chase your dreams. I hope you make that crazy decision, no matter how difficult it may be. I hope you aim high…..