Category: Best Of

Best Of, Blogishness, Blogishness

Iraq War Veteran Joke – Viral Youtube Video

Michael Anthony

A few months back I was having dinner with a bunch of war veterans; at one end of the table there was a handful of us Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, and at the other end, there was a handful of Vietnam vets.    We were all sitting around and telling stories about our wars.  The Vietnam vets all talked to each other and shared their stories and experiences, and all us Iraq and Afghanistan vets talked with each other and shared our stories and experiences.

About an hour into our dinner/conversations, something crazy happened.  At one end of the table, one of the Vietnam vets was telling a knock knock joke, and at the other end of the table, one of the vets from Iraq was telling a knock knock joke.  Turns out, it was the same military joke, passed down from generation to generation–of war veterans.

Here’s the joke (with an original performance by Michael Anthony):

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Rxcug3t7k[/tube]

Best Of, Blogishness, Self Improvement / Healthy Living

How To Successfully Market An Unforgettable War Memoir

Michael Anthony

Due to the notoriety of the two most recent and controversial wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the consumer market has become a fertile ground for war memoirs. Readers have a strong interest in the military and an effective marketing campaign is a guaranteed way to generate sympathy and curiosity about heroic veterans. Marketing, advertising and publicity are essential to building an audience.

The Media as a Marketing Tool

Using a variety of media outlets increases your opportunity to reach your targeted market. The internet, television, print and radio are all effective ways to spread the word of your war memoir. Diversification of the way in which you advertise to your readers is the modern approach to public relations.

Start with the internet because it is ubiquitous and cost-effective. Create a website devoted to your book. Include links to the veteran’s biography. Add a blog and post video clips that relate to your memoir. Also consider creating a profile on popular social media websites and invite friends to connect to your profile.

Television is another prosperous opportunity to advertise your book. Make a commercial and send it to the major networks as well as cable television stations. Make appearances on talk shows and local news broadcasts because celebrity endorsements and favorable interest from the media are the best ways to sell your book.

Print media is a great means of communication because it reaches a large community of readers. Many consumers still purchase and subscribe to magazines or newspapers. Place advertisements in several popular publications or hire a writer to review your war memoir. Meet with journalists who will interview you and write about your experiences.

The radio reaches a wide audience and is heard by millions of people on a daily basis. This is an essential tool for communicating to the general public. For example, morning talk show hosts often interview a variety of guests and the chance to be a part of this broadcast is a golden opportunity. Also consider creating your own radio commercial and air it on a popular show.

The Power of Networking

Meet with local bookstore owners and ask to hold a reading. Offer to sign copies of your war memoir and answer questions about being a veteran. Talk to your readers and ask them what attracted them to your book. Use what they tell you to your advantage and apply it to other situations. Additional opportunities to network include visiting colleges and universities. Ask school administrators if there is a possibility of speaking to students about your book in an auditorium or before individual classes.

Successfully Marketing Your War Memoir

Use a wide range of media outlets in addition to networking to market your war memoir. Readers are interested in your experiences in the military and there is a lot of support for veterans who fought in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Advertising and good public relations are essential to generating goodwill and positive feedback on your book. Now is a great time to take advantage of the rare opportunity ahead of you.

Best Of, Blogishness, Blogishness

American Soldier – Poem + Video

Michael Anthony

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcbqrpfn7Q[/tube]

 

American Soldier Poem

When I say… I am an American Soldier

I’m not shouting I’m better than you,

I’m whispering, I was a boy, and now find myself a man.

 

When I say… I am an American Soldier

I speak not only of this with pride

I’m also confessing that I stumble, make mistakes,

And need competent leadership to help guide me,

So I in turn, can be a competent leader.

 

When I say… I am an American Soldier

I’m not trying to be strong,

I’m professing that I am weak

And need the strength of my peers and country,

To help carry me on.

 

When I say… I am an American Soldier

I’m not bragging of past successes

I’m admitting I have failed in the past

Admitted the mistakes, and tried to right the wrongs.

 

When I say… I am an American Soldier

I’m not claiming to be perfect,

My flaws are far too visible

But my country needs me,

And I soldier on.

 

When I say… I am an American Soldier

I can still feel the sting of pain,

From seeing those that I care about die,

While we fight for those that we love.

I have my share of heartaches,

So I call upon the American people,

To help guide our soldiers, when home.

 

When I say… I am an American Soldier

I’m not saying anything,

I’m just a simple man,

Who was called upon his country…

To fight.

Written By: Michael Anthony

(Inspired by Carol Wimmer)

 

Related Posts:

American Soldier Poem – Acoustic Version – Original

Bright Yellow Sun – Original Poem.

Best Of, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Self Improvement / Healthy Living

Target VS Mission: Smaller Goals VS Larger Goals

Michael Anthony

In the military we’re trained to accomplish missions, and in order to accomplish mission—large scale ones—often, the military will set up smaller targets to accomplish that will eventually lead to the accomplishment of the primary mission.

This can be useful as a way of looking at goals.  If a person has a larger goal, in order to reach that goal, they have a lot of little goals that they, most likely, have to accomplish first.  This is the same as the military strategy of mission and targets.  To accomplish a larger goal, a person needs to know exactly what it is.   What’s the mission?  What is trying to be accomplished?  A new job? More money?  Better health?  You need to know what the mission is.  A soldier always knows what his mission is—and if he doesn’t know, someone screwed up along the chain of command.

Once the larger mission is established, we need to establish a series of targets that we need to get, take down, achieve, destroy, etc; in order for us to achieve our mission.  There may be as many as ten, twenty or thirty targets, or as few as five, three, or even just one.

Make a list of all possible targets that you’ll need to accomplish in order to achieve your goal.  Let’s say that you want to lose thirty pounds.  In order to complete your mission, you’ll need to accomplish certain targets, some examples might be: Get a gym membership, buy some weights, throw out all the junk food in the house, start that first day, keep it up for a week, lose that first five pounds, get a personal trainer, eat healthier, run everyday, etc.  These are all targets that, once accomplished, can help lead you towards achievement of your ultimate mission.

Now, once you have all your targets picked out, you’ll need to refer back to the post I did on the CARVER system—basically, the CARVER system is a military system about figuring out which target to accomplish first, second, third, etc.

Once you know what your first target is, all you have to do is accomplish that one certain thing.  You don’t have to loose thirty pounds, all you’ve go to do is achieve every target and the mission will complete itself.

Let’s say that you go through the CARVER system and you discover that the most important target for you to get first is to throw out all the junk food in the house.  All you’ve then got to do is throw out all the junk food in the house, and you’ve already got one target achieved.  Then go on to the next one, and the next one, etc.

This is pretty much the goal achievement method of the military.  It’s what we use in the hospital, it’s what the infantry guys use, it’s what the Special Forces guys use, everyone uses it.  Whether you’re trying to capture an enemy combatant or just accomplish a personal goal, this is the best way to do it.

Primary Mission VS Secondary Mission

One thing that comes up during missions, and when figuring out what your targets are, is the discovery of secondary targets, or secondary missions.  Keeping with the above example, let’s say that you mission is to lose thirty pounds, but let’s say that your secondary mission is to have a toned stomach.  (Another example would be, say you’re hunting the leader of a terrorist force, the primary objective would be to kill the leader, and the secondary objective would be to kill his second in command, etc.)

Your secondary mission is going to effect how you select and accomplish your targets.  Let’s say that one of your targets is to go to the gym and work out an hour a day.  Going to the gym and working out works on your primary target, but if not done appropriately it won’t help out with your secondary target.  So at the gym, a way to set yourself towards success in both would be to, when working out at the gym, do a series of exercises that focus on calorie burn and focus on building stronger abdominal muscles.

Conclusion:

1)   Write down what your primary mission is.

2)   Select a series of targets that need to be reached in order to accomplish your mission.

3)   Use the CARVER system to see which targets are of the most importance.

4)   Decided if there’s a secondary mission.

5)   Figure out what primary targets correspond with secondary targets that would help with the accomplishment of the secondary mission.

6)   Use the CARVER system again.

7)   Accomplish the first target.

8)   Second Target

9)   Third Target

Mission Accomplished!

Looking for a good book on military targets and goals? Then check out the book “Unleash the Warrior Within,” by Richard Machowitz. It’s one of my favorites!


Related Posts:

The CARVER system Part 1

The CARVER system Part 2

I Will Never Accept Defeat.  I Will Never Quit.

What the Military Teaches About Self-Discipline

Best Of, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Self Improvement / Healthy Living

PTSD: How to Prevent PTSD

Michael Anthony

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a dangerous and debilitating mental condition caused by one’s exposure to traumatizing near-death experiences or seeing someone else’s. Aside from living a monastic or hermit lifestyle to avoid traumatizing experiences, there are other ways to prevent PTSD.

  • Resilience – One way to prevent PTSD is to develop one’s resilience preferably early from childhood. Some people do not get PTSD because of resilience factors. This can be a difficult task for parents to build strong character in their children but people with strong character have are resilient against PTSD.
  • Speaking – After experiencing something tragic or traumatizing, its best to contact friends and loved ones to discuss the event. This alleviates fears as well as strengthens one’s sense of security. This can sometimes lessen the impact of the traumatizing experience.
  • Be one step ahead – If the person experiences a traumatic experience yet has not exhibited PTSD symptoms, its best to consult a psychologist immediately. PTSD symptoms often manifest after thirty days. Military personnel exposed to combat often undergo counseling after missions.
  • Chemical treatment – there is a study that doses of morphine during combat missions for troops can prevent PTSD. This works on the theory that natural or chemically-induced levity reduces an event or a situation’s traumatizing effects.

PTSD Treatment Options: mentalhealthtreatment.net/ptsd

Check out some of our other posts on PTSD.

What To Do When Your Child Has PTSD.

What To Do When Your Spouse Has PTSD.

What To Do To Prevent PTSD.

 

Best Of, Blogishness, Blogishness, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Self Improvement / Healthy Living

PTSD: What to do when Your Child has PTSD

Michael Anthony

Adults can have immense problems dealing with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) whether the adult his/herself is experiencing it or those around him/her. You could only imagine how children with PTSD are dealing with it. Post traumatic stress disorder can be very hard on both parents and children. It’s not enough that children go through a traumatizing event or events that lead to PTSD but to experience the fear and the hurt every time their mind goes out of focus is difficult to accept.

There are times when children keep these experiences to themselves and end up with PTSD with parents not knowing or parents may not realize the gravity of the situation. Here are some signs that the child has post traumatic stress disorder:

  • Has a frequent recollection of the traumatizing event whether the child is awake and asleep in the form of nightmares.
  • The child displays erratic behavior when something triggers a recollection.
  • The child loses interest in play or other activities.
  • Sleeping problems
  • Alternate bouts of depression and mood swings
  • Problems with concentration
  • Increased alertness or awareness

No child should have to deal with such a set of symptoms that can drive an adult insane. The following are some of what parents should do to heal the child’s mind and should go about doing it immediately.

  • Seek the help of a professional child psychologist to solve the PTSD. They will be able to seek out the source if it’s unknown, provide medication that can ease the symptoms and recommend an effective cognitive therapy to keep the child’s learning process going.
  • Always be available or let the child know you will always be there. This should alleviate their fears in going to bed and lessen the effects of nightmares.
  • Maintain the child’s pre-PTSD daily routine. This will keep a sense of order and normalcy.
  • Keep potentially dangerous objects accessible only to you so the child cannot hurt his/herself.

 Check out some of our other posts on PTSD.

What To Do When Your Child Has PTSD.

What To Do When Your Spouse Has PTSD.

What To Do To Prevent PTSD.

Best Of, Blogishness, Blogishness

The Best Charlie Sheen Quotes

Michael Anthony

“But you can’t focus on things that matter if all you’ve been is asleep for forty years. Funny how sleep rhymes with sheep, you know?”

“I have a disease? Bullshit. I cured it with my brain.”

“I am on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen. It’s not available because if you try it once your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body. “

“As kids we’re not taught how to deal with success; we’re taught how to deal with failure. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. If at first you succeed, then what? “

“I’m winning.”

“I don’t have time for their judgement and their stupidity and you know they lay down with their ugly wives in front of their ugly children and look at their loser lives and then they look at me and they say, ‘I can’t process it’ well, no, you never will stop trying, just sit back and enjoy the show. You know? “

“The first one’s free. The next one goes in your mouth.”

“If you borrowed my brain for five seconds, you’d be like, ‘Dude! Can’t handle it! Unplug this bastard!’”

“It’s perfect. It’s awesome. Every day is just filled with just wins. All we do is put wins in the record books. We win so radically in our underwear before our first cup of coffee, it’s scary.”

“People say it’s lonely at the top, but I sure like the view.”

“I just didn’t believe I was like everybody else. I thought I was unique.”

“Fuck that.”

“I still don’t have all the answers. I’m more interested in what I can do next than what I did last.”

“I’m tired of pretending I’m not a total bitchin’ rock star from Mars.”

“I’m dealing with fools and trolls and soft targets. It’s just strafing runs in my underwear before my first cup of coffee. I don’t have time for these clowns.”

“I’m different. I have a different constitution, I have a different brain, I have a different heart. I got tiger blood, man. Dying’s for fools, dying’s for amateurs.”

“I’m here and I’m ready. They’re not. Bring it.”

“What was she doing with a shrimp fork in her purse?”

“I’m sorry, man, but I’ve got magic. I’ve got poetry in my fingertips. Most of the time – and this includes naps – I’m an F-18, bro. And I will destroy you in the air. I will deploy my ordinance to the ground. “

“I’ve spent, I think, close to the last decade effortlessly and magically converting your tin cans into pure gold.”

“Life all comes down to a few moments. This is one of them.”

“The Nike slogan doesn’t say ‘Just Try It’.”

“Slash sat me down at his house and said, You’ve got to clean up your act. You know you’ve gone too far when Slash is saying,” Look..you’ve got to get into rehab.”

“The only thing I’m addicted to is winning. This bootleg cult, arrogantly referred to as Alcoholics Anonymous, reports a 5 percent success rate. My success rate is 100 percent.”

“Uncertainty is a sign of humility, and humility is just the ability or the willingness to learn.”

“What they’re not ready for is guys like you and I and Nails and all the other gnarly gnarlingtons in my life, that we are high priests, Vatican assassin warlocks. Boom. Print that, people. See where that goes.”

“Surprise. That’s what winners do.”

“I’m not Thomas Jefferson.  He was a pussy.”

“What’s not to love? Especially when you see how I party, it was epic. The run I was on made Sinatra, Flynn, Jagger, Richards and all of them look like droopy-eyed armless children.”

“What you come to discover is, it isn’t how you get there, it’s that you get there. If that’s what it took to get me where I’m at today, so be it.”

“When friends asked me, Can we help? I’d say, Not unless you can alter time, speed up the harvest or teleport me off this rock. I used that line from Star Wars.”

“You have the right to kill me, but you don’t have the right to judge me. That’s life. There’s nobility in that. There’s focus. It’s genuine. It’s crystal and it’s pure and it’s available to everybody, so just shut your traps and put down your McDonalds, your vaccines, your US Weekly, your TMZ and the rest of it.”

“Boom. I’m winning.”

With that said:

Charlie Sheen is all over the news because he`s a celebrity drug addict, while Andrew Wilfahrt 31, Brian Tabada 21, Rudolph Hizon 22, Chauncy Mays 25, are soldiers who gave their lives this week with no media mention.

 

Let’s not forget what really matters!

Best Of, Blogishness, Blogishness, ptsd, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Uncategorized

PTSD: What to Do When Your Spouse has PTSD

Michael Anthony

Post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a difficult and often dangerous mental condition for patients and those around them, the immediate family, the children and especially the spouse. PTSD happens when someone comes back from a truly horrible, violent or near-death experience. Something in the brain snaps; gets rewired and the person with PTSD has no choice but to relive those traumatizing moments physically, mentally and emotionally.

When undiagnosed or untreated, what happens later is an endless stream of coping or adapting to the partner’s bouts of depression and feelings of weakness or uselessness by continuously comforting the partner; of staying up late when the partner experiences horrible nightmares or night terrors related to the experience or even during the day; of being wary for sudden mood swings that sometimes become violent; and of juggling everyday activities like work and chores amidst the demands for attention.

PTSD is a mental condition that needs to be treated and it will simply not go away by hugs and kisses and promises that ‘everything is all right’. Here are some things that need to be done if you have a spouse with PTSD.

Seek professional help – Even though the prospect is hard to accept, your spouse needs professional help and later even you. As a mental condition, professional psychologists can help heal your partner’s troubled psyche and also prescribe the appropriate medication to ease the symptoms.

Set up a security plan – PTSD can be dangerous especially when your spouse experiences vivid waking nightmares or flashbacks. Your spouse can be dangerous to his/herself and everyone around him/her because your partner might be reliving an experience and might not be able to differentiate what’s real. Set up things like having a wireless phone anywhere in the house in case you need help, keep dangerous objects like knives and guns in places easily accessible only to you and practice a quick exit.

Civilianized: A Young Veteran’s Memoir

In this dark humored War Memoir, Iraq veteran Michael Anthony discusses his return from war and how he defeated his PTSD. Civilianized is a must read for any veteran, or anyone who knows a veteran, who has returned from war and suffered through Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

dark humored military memoir“An intense memoir.” -Kirkus

“I wont soon forget this book.” -Mary Roach

“A must read.” -Colby Buzzell

“[S]mart and mordantly funny.” –Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Anthony delivers a dose of reality that can awaken the mind…” Bookreporter

Order your copy of Civilianized: A Young Veteran’s Memoir .

Check out some of our other posts on PTSD.

Main Updated Article: Best Ways to Treat PTSD for You or Your Spouse.

What To Do When Your Child Has PTSD.

What To Do When Your Spouse Has PTSD.

What To Do To Prevent PTSD.

Is PTSD genetic?

Best Of, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Self Improvement / Healthy Living

The CARVER System For Goals – Part 2

Michael Anthony

Since my latest blog post about military time management, a lot of people have sent emails asking for a longer description of the military’s CARVER system.  So I decided to elaborate.

As stated in my previous post, the military’s system of time management is broken up into the CARVER system.

  • Criticality –the importance of a task.
  • Accessibility –is it easy to reach? Are the resources needed to do it readily available?
  • Return – What is the return?
  • Vulnerability –How long will it take?
  • Effect – Once the task is done, what will be the overall effect? This is slightly different than return. Will it have a bigger impact on the organization or the well-being of the individual?
  • Recognizability – finally, is the task clear and concise? No task can be done quickly and effectively with incomplete information.

Take your goals and rate them within the CARVER system.  Ex:  Say that you want to loose 20lbs, and you want to learn to speak French.  In the CARVER system, you would take the goals and start off by rating it within the Criticality category.  Let’s say that someone is more concerned with losing weight then learning French.  Losing weight may bet a rating of 4 and learning French may only get a rating of 2.  Then someone would rate their goals within the Accessibility category.  How easy is the goal to reach?  To lose 20lbs a person would have to buy new healthy food, they’ll have to get a gym membership or some type of weights.   To learn French a person may only need to purchase a few CD’s or a book.  The person would then continue within the rest of the categories and see where each goal rates.

(The higher score the better.)

Lose 20lbs Learn

French

 Learn How to Cook Clean The

House
Criticality 4 2 4 3
Accessibility 2 4 3 5
Return 5 1 3 3
Vulnerability 2 1 3 5
Effect 5 2 4 2
Recognizability 4 3 3 3
Total: 22 13 20 21

So based on CARVER a person who has the above goals, should put their focus on losing 20lbs – that’s the most important goal with the highest reward; the next goal to be focuses on, or to be focused on simultaneously, would be cleaning the House – since it can be done quickest and easiest with the highest return.

The best thing about the system is that it allows you to objectively look at your goals and see which are the most important – compared to which are the easiest – compared to which produce the highest return.
Related Posts:

Part 1 of the CARVER system

Smaller Goals VS Larger Goals

What the Military Teaches About Self-Discipline

I Will Never Accept Defeat.  I Will Never Quit.

Best Of, Self Improvement / Healthy Living, Self Improvement / Healthy Living

Brian Tracy Interview- Intensity, Purpose and Communication: Part 3/3

Michael Anthony

Brian Tracy is one of America’s leading authorities on the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. A dynamic and inspiring speaker, he addresses thousands of people each year on the subjects of personal and professional development, including the executives and staff of such firms as IBM, Arthur Andersen, McDonnell Douglas, and The Million Dollar Round Table. Prior to founding his own firm, Brian Tracy International, he had successful careers in sales and marketing, investments, real estate development, distribution, and management consulting. Tracy is the author of over forty books including the bestselling book Maximum Achievement.

7) Question: How can I repeat the high level of activity and business in the military in my civilian life?

Answer: “The key to time management and high productivity is for you to set a schedule for yourself and then discipline yourself to keep to that schedule.”

Each evening, make a list of everything you have to do the following day. Organize the list by priority. Ask yourself, “If I could only complete one task on this list before I was called out of town for a month, which one task would it be?”

Whatever you have decided is the most important thing you can accomplish, begin on that one task immediately that you start work. Don’t waste time chatting with coworkers, drinking coffee, playing with the computer or reading the newspaper. Plunge into your work immediately and concentrate on finishing one important task as quickly as you can.

Practice single-handling. Military people have the ability to focus and concentrate on one thing at a time. This is still the most important single quality for success in any area of life, and you already know how to do it at a high level. Your job now is to repeat this focus and concentration on your major tasks every single day. This alone will motivate you into action and keep you motivated to work busily all day long.

(8) Question: What advice do you have for returning veterans who miss the intensity, purpose and focus of war but who now want to find something new and positive to be focused on?

Answer: Perhaps the most important thing that you can do for your future is to learn and practice setting goals and working on them every day.

Decide exactly what you want in each area of your life, and write it down. Set a deadline for the accomplishment of your most important goals.

Make a list of everything that you can think of that you could do to achieve an important goal. Begin work on that list immediately, and keep working on it day after day.

As you feel yourself moving progressively, step-by-step, toward a goal of your choice, you will feel more energized, purposeful, and focused than if you were just going from day to day with no clear direction.

9) Question: For service people who can only have brief, fleeting conversations with family and friends back home, how can they quickly and most effectively communicate with their loved ones?

Answer: The most important thing about communication is that it be regular, positive and loving. Never criticize, complain or condemn in your brief correspondence via email with the members of your family and your friends.

Always be honest, but be positive and cheerful as well. The people who care about you are more worried about your health, wellbeing and survival than anything else. Regularly tell them how well you are doing and how good you feel.

When they share their problems with you, be sympathetic and supportive. Offer advice and suggestions. Take an interest in your family and friends back home and make it clear that you care about them, even though you are far apart.

In closing let me say that I feel that you are some of the most important people in America. What you have done, and are doing, to support and defend our way of life is of far greater value than any of the business people or politicians going through their day to day work.

As veterans, you are men and women of courage, confidence and character. You have laid your life on the line to defend our way of life. You are some of the most important and respected people in our society.

The good news is that, of all the institutions in society, the military and the men and women within the military are the most respected. You are more respected than Congress, the Senate, school teachers, doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers and rich people. Military people are more esteemed than anyone else, and they should be.

Check Out the Entire Interview

Part one: Click Here

Part two: Click Here

Part three: Click Here