"Set the Example, Don't be the Example"

“Set the Example, Don’t be the Example.”

Some very simple words I was probably told as a young Marine when I wasn’t setting the example but being the example. What does this little phrase mean? To some, it might mean something totally different than to others. What it means to me is continuously ensure you are at the top of your game.

           As I get older, I had noticed I look at things differently than when I was much younger. As age sets in, I find it harder to stay at the top of my game. I must constantly make life decisions to keep sharp and physically fit. It has become harder to get up each morning before the sun rises to go to the gym or spend hours reading and researching new ideas, technology or concepts, but to me, this is how we maintain that edge in our professions.

           Like some, I could just say, “I have been there and done that” and most would accept the answer, but it is more than just that and telling the old, “There I was stories,” it is about setting the example for the younger generation to want to follow. I have been in a training class where the instructor liked to boast about all the great things they did years ago and probably did them, but looking at their appearance and mannerism, it becomes hard to believe. So how can we change from being the example to setting it? Good question.

           For most it is about change, we all want changes in our lives until it comes to personal life changes. As old timers or mentors, we owe it to our youth to constantly set the example in our knowledge, physical abilities, and professional demeanor. If we cannot still demonstrate a technique or unsure of a new procedure, it happens, but we need to take those times and learn from them, our future depends on it, just my thoughts. Be safe...