Empower U - Adventure Journal Entry #1

Good Morning Team 297- LIVE IT!

In the first of a series of posts regarding my Adventure experience, I will preface it by saying that I want to keep the full impact of Adventure preserved for each of you who WILL finish this Leadership Process. The discoveries and revelations are so powerful that for me to fully explain them would be to give you a "heads up" of what is waiting for each of you. So please take that into consideration as you read these musings of a man who found out just how deeply I love my wife, my children, my friends, my starfish and LIFE!

On the way out to the ranch on Friday, I took the lead in sharing what I had read in Scott's book, "Becoming Your Dreams". Get the book and read it!

Pay particular attention to the last chapter, The four C's of Leadership. Not only were these woven into all of the processes, there were lived. I have them at the forefront of my life and see for the first time how they make my life better for me and those around me. I took on a leadership role to prepare those in my TEAM, 10 others including my wife, Georgine, and my fellow Lt. Holly Nearing, for what was surely the Adventure of a lifetime!

Upon our arrival at the ranch, I was hit right square between the eyes with what was a frightening discovery. There was still much to cut away! Feelings of "fear" that had, up until now, been moving silently under the surface keeping me from becoming the Michael Paulus of my Dreams. As my and our, power partner and friend for life, Joe stated in an earlier post about his Adventure staffing experience, it was pure and simple a battle with these demons. Tony Blauer, a man I respect very highly in the defensive tactics world, has on a t-shirt he sells, "In combat, only the results matter."

TEAM: This was a very personal and painful battle. The way that I saw myself was the best possible me. I chose to see what was keeping me from becoming that person. To see the ugly side of Michael Paulus. The liar, the manipulator, the fake! Add to this that I chose to face my wife in this battle. For the best possible me, is with her by my side and in my heart. Crap that I had, up until now, thrown in the way now was exposed for what it was. Regret, resentment, and resistance for what had gone on in the past now was brought in the here and now. What will you do Michael? Keep those walls of familiarity near and dear? NO! I USED THE TIP OF THE SPEAR OF MY PASSION AND PURPOSE AND SLAYED THOSE DEMONS! Did it hurt, yes. More than you will know, even though it is not for you to know as it is my life. Tony Blauer quotes a man in his classes, "When death is the alternative, injury has its appeal." My choice was the death of my dreams or injury to my ego to move past this wall.

This was just the beginning...