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The glass is half FULL

  • Published
  • By Chief Master Sgt. Richard Brackett
  • 305th Operations Group Superintendent
MCGUIRE AFB, N.J. --  Dealing with constantly increasing stress in today's Air Force is a daily process. We have all either been, currently are or will be deployed to a forward operating base away from our families. Additional duties, training requirements and manpower taskings have not decreased with the decrease in available manpower. Your mental attitude will deeply affect how well you deal with these and other constant stressors.

We all know the old adage of "is the glass half empty or is it half full." The pessimist would say the glass is half empty. However, the optimist would say half full. I firmly believe that treating every day with the "glass is half FULL" attitude is the key to successfully dealing with stress.

The "F" stands for focus. Life is about choices, and the choices we make determine our destiny. When we focus these choices towards personal and professional goals in life we open even more doors of opportunity to grow. As Airmen, we must integrate our personal and professional goals with accomplishment of the mission. It is incumbent on each and every one of us to help our fellow Airmen keep their focus on the mission and grow as our future leaders.

The "U" stands for unity. Our mission does not happen without the combined efforts of all of us. Everyone needs to know how their job fits into the wing mission and strive every day to do their very best to accomplish it. As individuals we are limited as to how much we can accomplish. However, when we all work together in unity we can ensure we successfully accomplish our mission every day.

The first "L" stands for leadership. Each and every one of us has the ability to be a leader. The Air Force has provided us the opportunity to attend professional military education courses at different milestones in our career. These courses teach us how to become more effective leaders. Even an airman basic can be a situational leader if they possess the most knowledge about a given situation. We must strive to improve and capitalize upon everyone's leadership abilities.

The second "L" stands for listening. Too often we go through our day hearing everyone around us but not really listening. Listening involves not only hearing what people say but also assigning meaning to it. When we take the time to listen we can significantly increase our understanding of any given situation. With understanding comes increased knowledge. This knowledge can help us to make the best decisions and maintain a positive attitude.

There are a lot of changes taking place every day in the Air Force. The way we choose to approach these changes affects everyone around us. We can choose to have a positive attitude and make things better, or a negative attitude and bring everyone around us down. With the "glass is half FULL" mindset, we can make this a better Air Force for all our Airmen.