NOT YOUR AVERAGE OPERATOR

The boys take the time and muster some courage to disclose their own past and present bad habits. We all have them, and we struggle to curb them. Unfortunately, some take a lifetime to conquer, while still others take years. More importantly, what makes bad habits so unwanted, is their nature in its destructiveness and their ability to take you away from reality. Especially, when it’s continually repeated. Collectively, they discuss the struggles with excessive drinking and the culture that enables it within the ranks. They discuss the destructive and addictive nature that generally comes with watching pornography. Just as insidious, they talk about the social dilemma brought on by smart phones and their addictive traits which rob you of our precious time and productivity. They discuss all these topics and more. More importantly, they discuss tricks and tools they’ve used to combat and defeat these bad habits.

Please share with us what your bad habits have been and what you’ve used to defeat them.

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Have you ever known anyone that you admired or wanted to be like that strived for something great and never gave up, only to reach their goal and turn into completely different people? Someone you never thought they’d become?

This week, the team discusses a topic that can cause some to proceed with healthy caution, or painful reflection for others.

We all have goals and dreams of becoming something thats very important to us. Whether it may be a championship, a leadership role, a title, a rank, or a specific job, we should never lose sight of of a few things:

-Why we started the journey to even get to that point.

-Who we were before we arrived at that moment.

-What did we have to go through to earn it?

-Who was there to help you on your way?

-What is expected of you now?

-Who around you is watching?

Do you have a personal story of this happening in your line of work, circle of friends, or family? Is there something you’ve learned from being around these people? We’d like to hear from you!

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Paul “Melon” McFadden

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Raf Espinosa

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Mike

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We never know what the future holds. It can be intimidating and scary. It  has a constant influence on our everyday life and how we go about living it. So how do we go about dealing with the one of the worst possibilities….loss of a loved one?

This week, Mike returns to the show after a challenging week away at home and shares his experience of losing his grandmother and how the negatives ultimately turned into positives. Mike and Melon discuss the process and how you can go about utilizing past experience to ultimately influence the future.

Additionally, November 11th is Veteran’s  Day (US) and Remembrance Day (AUS). Mike and Melon open up about what it means to them personally. Mike shares some reflections on what it means to serve and how to show appreciation to veterans. Melon describes his past two weeks on participating in a ceremony that he was blessed to be a part of to honor allied troops.

We always fear the loss, but we must realize the true power of remembrance.

We are also taking listener questions- so if there is a personal or funny question you’d like the guys to answer, send them in.

The team are also planning an upcoming Facebook Live session so stay tuned.

The reading Mike referred to left to him by his Grandmother is from Rev Kenneth Semon:

To “let go” does not mean to stop caring; it means I can’t do it for someone else. To “let go” is not to cut myself off; it is a realisation I can’t control another. To “let go” is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences. To “let go” is not to fix, but to be supportive. To “let go” is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to affect their destinies. To “let go” is not to be protective, it’s to permit another to face reality. To “let go” is not to criticise and regulate anybody, but to try and become what I dream I can be. To “let go” is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future. To “let go” is to fear less and love more.

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Paul “Melon” McFadden

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Raf Espinosa

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Mike

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Melon & Raf come together to volley a series of unrelated questions back and forth. They dive into the importance of tapping into positive masculinity during the most challenging moments. The boys discuss their common denominator during their most productive days. They dispel myths about multitasking.  They discuss the last thing that brought tears to their eyes. They talk about the somber reverence that they feel when celebrating Remembrance Day. They discuss their favorite history teachers. They divulge their biggest fear. They open up about some of their most ambitious goals and the structure of the legacy they’re working to leave behind. These are just a few questions the boys discuss. Give us a listen, and send us questions you might want us to discuss!

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Everyone should have a 5 year plan with tangible results that can be achieved as the framework for improving yourself. Every individual has a unique perspective on what they deem as success, so we encourage you to taper it specifically to yourself, and nobody else.

Raf is working towards building a coffee roasting company in 5 years time out of his barn! His worldly travels have afforded him the opportunity to taste and leave with the unique flavors of the coffees of the world. More importantly, he seeks to continually enhance his emotional IQ to be more effective in his profession, to his family, and friends.

Melon, embodying Stephen Covey, focusing his 5 year goals on living, learning, loving, and leaving a legacy. Living espouses his goals to get stronger, as well as, transition from flying to consulting with his MBA at near completion. Leaving his legacy for his family and friends is a constant organic plan that he revisits daily. Finally, Mike highlights an important alternative to setting your 5 year goals. Simply put, ask others how they see you, and where they see you in 5 years? You might not like the answer, but the benefits to this approach are boundless. Please share with us your 5 year plan.

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We heard you! Every week, we seek to hear from our listeners and what you would like to hear from us. This week’s topic is a direct response to your feedback! Managing Separation and Reunion.

Work trips, COVID-19, long distance relationships, and deployments. How do we prepare ourselves for these sometimes arduous periods away from those we care for and love? How do we adjust while away? Ultimately, how do we resort back to our normal lives when we return home?

Join us this week as the team shares some individual experiences that have tested their staying power, faith, love, and at times, their humanity.

Mike reaches back in time to 2012 and shares his emotions, excitement, and struggles from his first combat deployment. What he felt prior to deploying, during operations, and how he felt after returning home stateside, adjusting to normal society.

Melon is joined by his wife Cheri as they discuss some of their own expectations and emotions during their recent 5.5-month separation from COVID and a past Iraq deployment.

Raf talks through his current state of being overseas for his new job and how he is managing his relationship with his wife and son. He also joins in with Mike on how their same combat deployment together affected them differently.

Have you had to deal with a long separation? Did you have a rough time reintegrating when you returned? Please share your story in the comments and share your story!

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Paul “Melon” McFadden

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Raf Espinosa

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Mike

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Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing everyday practices and norms, communication, rituals, acceptable standards, and common goals or achievements.

Do we join something to win or lose? It’s as simple as that. Once that decision is made, what are the standing pillars that support that culture? How can we align our team and ourselves along that common journey to ultimately succeed or fail?

Join in as the team welcomes our special guest and fellow hunter; Samir Suleiman from the Carolina Panthers NFL football team, as they share and discuss some of their own traits from their own elite communities of aviation, special operations, and the professional sports world.

What kind of culture do you currently work or live in? Does the vision and goals align with yours? How can you shift the culture of an organization to generate success? Please comment and share some of your own examples of both successful and failing cultures that you’ve experienced in business, military service, sporting teams, educational establishments, or your personal life.

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Paul “Melon” McFadden

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Raf Espinosa

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Mike

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What’s the tasking? Where do you start? What needs to happen? Who needs to be involved? What happens if things don’t go as planned? These are just a few of the questions that may race through your mind when a mission, an operation, or a job is assigned. What is it like to plan and execute a mission as a military operator or a pilot? How do you have transparency through every level of the unit, company, or team?

Listen in this week as Raf, Melon, and Mike share some of the basics with their own experiences in real world mission planning to breakdown some positive frameworks that you can possibly employ in your business career, sporting team, or own military unit.

Some of the wave tops covered:

Have you done your own “mission planning” or have another unique system that has worked well for you or your business or team? Please reach out and share some of your own keys to planning and execution.

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Paul “Melon” McFadden

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Raf Espinosa

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Mike

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The global pandemic and governmental policies have imposed untold restrictions and hardships on nearly everyone.  On the worst end of the spectrum, loved ones have passed and individuals have lost jobs. On the better end, you might have found yourself isolated from the things you love and perhaps used to fundamentally define your existence. In this episode, the guys discuss their own individual journey, their personal triumphs and tribulations. Raf battled bouts of loneliness while quarantined in a hotel for 30 days away from his family, before heading overseas leaving his family behind in uncertainty. Melon was separated from his family for over 5 months without an indication of an end date. Finally, Mike, an active duty SOF operator, found himself navigating between city, state, federal, and military restrictions that ultimately left him with very little room to maneuver. Collectively, the guys shared the tools they discovered to be the most useful. The following are just a few of those:

No matter how confined, or beat down you feel, at the end of the day, you need to heed the words immortalized by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, Rage…against the dying of the light.”

Please share with us what your struggles, lessons, and tactics were to overcome the chaos brought from this pandemic.

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Mike

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Which books have given you the most lasting positive take-aways?

The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.

To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.

Success leaves clues.

We have access to the greatest thinkers in history. We can consult with them at any time- it has never been easier than in this modern era. You don’t have to figure it all out on your own, there is nearly always someone who has gone down the path you are currently on and has written down some gold and left signposts on a pathway to success.

Join Raf, Mike and Melon as they break out the books that have had the most lasting impact on them over time. The boys have all done quite a bit of reading: both during this time of COVID, and also while on deployments in far-away countries.

Mike’s book is “Quiet Strength” by NFL Hall of Fame player and Coach Tony Dungy.

Melon’s books were by self-development thought leader and educator Steven R. Covey- “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and “The 8thHabit”.

Raf’s book is “Tools of Titans” by investor, podcaster and researcher Tim Ferriss.

Let us know what your most impactful or favourite book is, we would love to hear from you.

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