Pirate04 said:
I leave out tomorrow for another overseas run. This time as a civilian contractor. And it has me wondering. Now, I do believe it can be seen across any profession but especially in the military, do you feel bored or unfulfilled when life is too comfortable, or too ordinary?
Maybe it's because I'm still in my 30s, single with no kids, and relatively young in my military career (about to pass 6 years) but I feel almost not myself when things aren't super hectic. Has anyone else experienced this? Does it ever go away?
In several respects, you are ahead of life's game; successful in your profession, still young, and have more life and leadership experience than most of your age-group peers.
I sense your acute awareness of quickly approaching, or already having arrived at, a crossroads in your life. Moreover, you appear to be feeling the natural uncertainty that comes with it. Your understandable attempt to bridge your past to the future is common to all who are serious about planning their lives, but it occurs with intensity at different times for most people.
My professional life did not really begin until I was in my early 30s, due to medical school, residency, and a lengthy fellowship in my cardiology specialty. I was 40 before I had the time and money to pause my life and to contemplate traditionally weighty issues concerning the direction of my future. You are multiple years ahead of me. :-)
Follow your heart. Make a list of three primary, long-term goals you desire to achieve, put them on an age-based timeline, and create a specific plan to attain at least the first of them. This is not as simple as it may sound, but the serious introspection required will produce fruits of inner peace and self-confidence. It did for me.
Congratulations on your military career to-date, thank you for your service, and best wishes for your continued success in your professional and personal lives.
Edit for spelling.
