Jamie Jones’ Post

"What am I now?" Terry Crews got cut from an NFL team and ended up humbly sweeping floors and washing Ice Cube's car before he changed his perspective and found his purpose after the game. During this clip Terry speaks out about the depression he faced while transitioning away from the game of football and it's similarities to transitioning from the military. "When you quit football it's almost like the military" According to statistics from the NCAA, only 1.6%(262) of the 16,380 draft eligible college football players will turn pro and have an opportunity to compete for one of only 1,696 jobs. Of those fortunate 1,696, on average their NFL careers will only last 3.3 years. According to statistics from the Army, approximately 30% of officers, and 10% of enlisted soldiers retire from the Army. What do these set of statistics have in common? 📢 Lots of young adults TRANSITIONING‼️ No matter if you play football or serve our country, know that you won't do either of them forever, and that you don't have to be defined by them forever. Because of our level of dedication and how we identify with these lifestyles, transitioning from them can be difficult at times, but still very possible. Be encouraged and know that 🫵🏾You 🫵🏾 can do it! Don't be afraid to turn the page in your life, you might just be a few pages away from the best chapter yet! #transition #transitioning #transitioningmilitary #transitioningservicemembers #transitioningveterans #lifeafterfootball #collegefootball #nflfootball

Sooooo... 3 years in and still standing 🥊 💥 Running a small business has been as tricky as predicted (in many cases, just as hard as people warned).   BUT, Ncounter is going strong - even if there have been several economic setbacks along the way: are we in another recession? still in a cost of living crisis? feeling the effects of the pandemic and Brexit (maybe a bit of a stretch)?   There have been so many successes so far. I won’t list them all… because they are really boring and might not represent success to you lot 🤣... however, the three key things that I think most could appreciate:   - I’ve hired some superstars, people I trust and value highly Tommy Tipping Julian Dela Cruz.... they have the world at their feet, and we’ve become great friends. - A lot of learnings! These have been applied quickly, in a new venture with the brilliant Frankie Fields… when setting up a 2nd business in Poland.   - What’s important has been redefined and I have a better understanding of what I want from my business and more importantly, my life!   🥳 a few brilliant outcomes if you ask me…. enough to say, starting up on my own was 100% the right decision. 🥳

So you want to be an USCG Listened Boat Captain. Well the course is not easy to pass on your first go round. Your learning new information for the first time. Lots of it. Example no one every told me that North on my compass is not True North!!!! You need to make a compass correction from your chart for your area. I got a call yesterday that a young man was struggling and getting frustrated. Well don’t just talk about careers we help people reach their goals. What if you don’t know what military time is. What time is 2300hrs? How to do a set and drift? Making a difference one person at a time. https://lnkd.in/gEHFX9pu

Well done

When I deployed to Iraq as a young logistics officer with my platoon, I learned a leadership lesson that has stayed with me for 18 years. I saw the movie 300 for the first time right before we rolled into Ramadi during the Surge. It's a great movie to watch with your platoon before you go on patrol. The story was great, but it wasn't the story that spoke to me. It was how Leonidas spoke to his troops. Specifically, these three sentences: This is where we hold them. This is where we fight. This is where they die. On these shields, boys! 300 was the true story of 300 Spartan warriors led by King Leonidas. They sacrificed themselves in a successful holding action against a Persian army of thousands so that the rest of Greece could come together to push Xerxes back. In his speech, Leonidas started at the end. Faced with a seemingly impossible situation, he started with his VISION, the end state, the outcome. He declared the outcome before it happened. He didn't say, we're going to try. He said, this is what will happen. This is what we will do. Simple. Start with the vision, deliver the mission, rally the team to action. He didn't discuss how they might fail or how they might retreat. He stated the vision and how they would achieve the end result. He generated an unstoppable attitude, and it led to one of the most heroic successful last stands of all time and an ultimate victory. I learned the concept as a young leader, but I have been slowly learning to apply it over the decades. We don't have to be King Leonidas to be a good leader. But we should hold his attitude close to our heart and let it guide our actions. Whether it's a patrol, a global campaign, a battle, a project, perhaps three projects: Know your end-state, decide the outcome, then work back from there as you build your plan. Start with the end and go back to the beginning. Focus your team on the outcome, set your course and all follow on actions on it like the North Star. Roll out with calm assurance to challenge the constraints and achieve the vision! It works. #spartan #leadership #vision #projectmanagement #Iraq #OIF #Army #officership #PM

Navigating Life Cadet Summer Training (CST24) has been an intense journey of learning and growth for D Co. Yesterday, we faced a challenge with a 44% pass rate in our Land Navigation Practical Exercise, where cadets needed to find land navigation points in both day and night events. However, through dedicated retraining efforts, every cadet who initially fell short made a commitment to improve. Today, I'm proud to share that our platoon's pass rate has increased to an impressive 86%. Reflecting on this experience, it's evident that navigating through life often mirrors the challenges we face in land navigation. Just like in land navigation, we encounter setbacks and moments of uncertainty. We must constantly recalibrate our direction, check our bearings, and adapt to rough terrain. Mistakes are inevitable, but they are also invaluable lessons that move us forward. In life, as in navigation, sometimes we need to take a back azimuth—to retrace our steps and reassess our goals. It's crucial to ensure our compass is true, our equipment reliable, and our understanding of the terrain clear. Knowing when to persevere and when to pivot is key. And when we inevitably encounter obstacles, honesty with ourselves, humility to learn, and the courage to try again lead us toward success. By embracing the challenges of navigation—both on the map and in life—we build a foundation for success that we can be truly proud of. #ArmyROTC #CompetitionBreedsExcellence

Things going really well so far with the Cooperate & Graduate Challenge! We’ve got a number of folks who haven’t missed a day yet and are piling up points. Our Captain Consistency ribbons go to: Aaron Chapman, Bob Sutter, Derek Phillips, Ed Fleming, Jacob Cook, Jim Reilly, John Pomory, Joe Sroka, Joe Saia, Kathy Borkoski, Maria Lorio, Molly Saia, Rich Pannell, Rick Preciado Way to go, my friends!! The above list is probably incomplete because a handful of folks haven’t begun recording their numbers. We have a bunch of folks who are absolutely crushing it and in close contention to win one of the three jackpot prizes. Our points leaders are as follows: In first place, Leah Heil, USMA ‘03 120 points 1200 total pushups 142,775 steps Runner up, John Pomory, USMA ‘91 117 points 1330 pushups 121.092 steps For the bronze, Rich Pannell, USMA ‘89 113 points 1130 pushups 113,000 steps All of these three beasts have an unbroken streak going. Other superlatives: The highest pushup total for any given day so far goes to John Pomory who beat his face for 261 pushups! He’s followed closely by our Naval Academy sister, Kathy Borkoski who crushed 220 pushups in a day. Wow! Leah Heil has pushed out 150 every single day of the challenge so far! The highest total daily step count goes to Julie Reilly, the brains and beauty behind MidStrong. Last Saturday, she got 26,603 steps. Our total jackpot is $800. Our winner will take home $400. The runner-up will pocket $280. And our bronze medalist earns $120. Pretty nice pocket change! If you haven’t gotten started at all with the challenge, well… no excuses. Start today. Every day that you do something is better than any day that you do nothing. As we teach and preach consistently at MidStrong - SOMETHING > NOTHING. Any questions, drop them in the comments below or message me directly. Remember, we are stronger than our excuses! #oldgradstrongproject #midstrong #goarmy #beatnavy #armystrong #pushups #steps #challenge #stronger #burnfat #buildmuscle #discipline #cgchallenge

Here's why you should always take the unconvential path... It can be a game changer It defo has been for me & here's why: Recently I have been reflecting & I looked back at an unconvential pathway I took: - Joining the military 🎖️ Although this was cut extremely short - due to a back injury from my scootering days (more on that another day...) The experience redirected my back to college This time around, I was much more focused & driven as opposed to when I originally went and basically did the bare minimum I was determined this time to develop discipline & resilience on my own terms. Unconvential? Absolutely. But it taught me that sometimes, veering off the expected path can lead you to real growth. Have you got an unconventional story? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want help sharing that unconventional story? Reach out to me via DMs or click the link in my bio so we can get started! #unconventional #pathways #personalbranding

Sound advice…

Fridays thoughts After all, it is true! I sometimes wonder if all the conceptualization around building teams I often talk about is so important. The world continues to spin, and the sun rises every morning despite everything. But then, simple things happen, and I start to believe again. Last Friday, I had the privilege of having dinner with some of my Naval Academy comrades (for those unaware, there is no political affiliation in using this word) to celebrate the 30th anniversary of our entry into the Navy. A few words pop up in my mind when I think about those hours spent with them: happiness, safety, respect, pleasure, camaraderie, truthfulness, trust, and I could keep going. One of the most important jobs the Naval Academy, with all its flaws, has done for us is simple: help us understand what a team is through rituals, discipline, processes, etc. and why! Thank you all! PS: It's amazing, refreshing, and healthy to see middle-aged men behaving like young adults. I have traveled back in time.