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CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq — As some Soldiers in the Victory Base Complex wake each morning to begin the day's missions, others are just completing their work and heading to the gym, or even just to sleep.
Regardless of the time that these Soldiers work, every Soldier is there for a reason. Each individual plays into the vital goal of providing support to surrounding units in the Baghdad area. Most Soldiers know their piece of the overall goal; however, some do not, and this can cause Soldiers to wonder why they are deployed and what is their purpose.
While these are issues that leaders need to immediately address, there is another way that Soldiers can identify what they do is important — through accomplishing their personal challenges and creating attainable goals to strive to achieve.
Each Soldier deployed in theatre faces unique and personal challenges they must overcome in order to survive or thrive in a combat zone. Sometimes, these challenges can be harder than the actual mission itself. Overcoming these obstacles is only the first step.
In order to successfully overcome the fears, anxieties and negative thoughts, they must set and attempt to accomplish their own personal goals — goals that maybe they have wanted to do but didn't have the time or they were too busy focusing on other tasks.
These goals fall under three general categories: physical, mental and spiritual.
With each Soldier being different, they can have many varied personal goals. These physical goals could be to run a half marathon, max their pushups for a PT test, or just to tone up and lose weight. While these can be accomplished back at home station, not many Soldiers can say they ran a half marathon in Iraq under 100 degree weather.
A Soldier's mental goals could be to finish their Associate's or Bachelor's degree through GoArmyEd, or to just increase their technical knowledge through Army documents such as Technical Manuals or Army Regulations. Another goal may be to take correspondence courses in order to be fully prepared for the next promotion board.
Maybe a Soldier wants to explore his or her faith, attend more services, or explore the fundamentals of multiple faiths in order to choose the right one for them. Regardless of the category, the key is that Soldiers have something to work toward.
Having a Soldier set these goals for themselves provide many benefits. For starters, in a combat zone, it gives the Soldier a stress reliever from their mission workload. It allows them to focus on themselves, focusing their mind on something other than work.
By improving a Soldier's physical, mental, or spiritual abilities, it aids in the development of the Soldiers' character. A Soldier will feel more confident, knowing they can bench 180 pounds instead of 90, that they have a degree to help them when they leave the Army, or are secure in their faith.
Perhaps most importantly, it gives the Soldier a sense of purpose. They can go home and tell their Families that they served their country well and built themselves into a better person for the years to come.
Too often a Soldier is so focused on the mission or others and they forget that they need to take care of themselves from time to time. By setting goals, they give themselves an attainable task and a new mission to turn to. Ultimately, the Army's mission always comes first. But, from time to time, it is good for the Soldier to know that they can build and mold themselves into a better person.
| Date Taken: | 09.21.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 09.21.2009 16:42 |
| Story ID: | 39112 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 268 |
| Downloads: | 227 |
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