Greetings From An Introverted Veteran

And a lesson I learned while serving in the military.

Hello Illumination community! I’m a 24 year old, introverted veteran, and a fresh face in the writing game. I’ve just separated from the U.S. Navy in November 2019, after 6 years of service. Now I’m on this journey to figure out what really makes me happy.

Military

My uncle, a 16+ year veteran, praised the Navy and claimed it was the best years of his life. With the way he described it, it sounded incredible, and frankly, I had nothing I was interested in going to school for, and no real desire for any career. So I thought, why the hell not?

Spoiler alert: it was a miserable 6 years.

I sold my soul to the U.S. Navy at 18 years old as a nuclear electronics technician. At 22 years old, after tons studying and training, I was operating nuclear reactors onboard U.S. aircraft carriers.

I had the opportunity to travel, and make good money for my age. But this was at the expense of my own health, as I was subject to rotating shift work, regular sleep deprivation, and a high stress work environment. Self-care was not emphasized and it was difficult to maintain any kind of work-life balance. Typically, the main priority was doing whatever needs to get done, and in a timely fashion, which, in the military, is completely understandable. But while serving my country I learned to care deeply about my health. So I was ecstatic when it was time to separate.

What do I do now?

I’ve made a drastic career change, from nuclear electronics technician to Trader Joe’s crew member. After the military, I found myself with a case of wanderlust, as many young adults do, and spent the following 2 months on a solo road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway. I had a dream of travelling long term, and snagged a permit for a 2600 mile hike from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. I had planned to work a temporary job, to essentially pay the bills until the time came to embark on my journey. However, due to recent events, I’ve decided to cancel my plans and travel another time. This leaves me with my job at Trader Joe’s for an indefinite period of time.

When it comes to long term career opportunities, neither Trader Joe’s nor nuclear power plants sound too appealing. These are, of course, on two completely opposite ends of the career spectrum. One is very low stress but low pay, and the other is fairly high stress but high pay.

In my time in the military, I’ve learned that money should not be the ultimate goal. There is no doubt that income is important. But if it comes at the expense of your health, happiness, or overall well-being, I believe it may not be worth it. My goal is to find a career path that will not only provide me with a decent income, but also fill me with a sense of fulfillment and job satisfaction, and without a case of the Mondays.

Maybe it’s a lot to ask, but it is my main goal, nonetheless.

Which brings me here to this incredible platform of writers and readers. Here is where I dive into this world of writing and uncertainty.

Introversion

As an introvert, I’ve found myself struggling to communicate with others throughout my entire life. Many social situations end up with me not knowing what to say, and leave me feeling uncomfortable. I’ve never had that many people that I can call close friends.

My brain seems to work at a different pace than most others. A much slower pace. In the midst of working in one of the most mentally challenging and fast-paced working environments in the country, it’s left me with a lack of both self-esteem and confidence. As most other coworkers were able to pick up the material rather quickly and understand concepts seemingly without trying too hard, I struggled to understand and remember the vast amount of material at the rapid pace that we were expected to learn it.

I couldn’t help but feel like a failure and constantly compared myself to others. I could rarely discuss any kind of work related topic, as others would simply smirk at me as I often struggled to turn my thoughts into words.

My partner, much more extroverted than myself, has been extremely supportive and patient in helping me through this, and I can’t thank her enough. As I explore this realm of online content writing, I’ve begun to see it as a way for me to communicate more effectively with others. I can take my time to structure my thoughts into cohesive sentences. And it feels incredibly liberating to see my thoughts clearly laid out on paper or in digital form.

Health and Wellness

One of my biggest passions is health and wellness, in terms of both physical and mental health. As someone who hadn’t given any thought to maintaining my own health for most of my adult life, I’m proud to say I’ve completely changed my perspective on the idea.

Turns out, you only have one body. Take care of it.

There are no second chances. If you abuse your body, you will feel the effects further down the road. Maybe not today, but eventually, you will. I used to eat nothing but poptarts, chicken tenders, and ramen noodles. I used to drink a Monster a day during the week, but give myself a break from them on the weekend by drinking soda instead. I spent most of my free time playing video games and watching YouTube.

Now I drink little outside of water, coffee, and apple cider vinegar. My diet consists of mostly whole, unprocessed foods. I make it a point to get outside every single day and either walk, run, or do some strength training.

Outside of eating and exercising, I spend most of my free time writing, reading nonfiction, and learning more about the world around me. I’ve completely changed my lifestyle, and I want to help others do the same.

I thank you so much for reading, and I look forward to supporting other writers in the Illumination community. I have a few articles I’ve recently posted and would love some feedback! I’m always looking to improve my writing and receive as much constructive criticism as I can.