09/26/2026
I WAS SELFISH ->Español en la siguiente foto
My perspective as a leader changed the day I got in trouble as a brand-new corporal. I knew I wasn’t going to be awarded or recognized for a good while, and I was so selfish that all I wanted was to make myself look better on paper.
My thoughts turned out to be right. I started seeing Marines left and right getting awarded and recognized for doing far less than I was doing. Coworkers got challenge coins for doing the same things I did. Marines going up for meritorious promotion boards when I felt I was better in most aspects. I had a good leader who submitted me for an award during that period, but it was denied by higher-ups right away. No matter how hard I tried, it was never enough. A former CO once told me that “Marines like me couldn’t have a successful career”.
After all of that, everything shifted. I realized that the only thing that mattered was making an impact on my Marines. Awards are cool, but no one is going to remember me for those awards. That’s what legacy is about, and that’s the only thing I care about now.
I’m truly blessed to have the opportunity to be a Lance Corporal Seminar instructor and to teach and learn from other Marines. I truly appreciate my higher-ups for giving me this opportunity and the students for giving me the chance to be their instructor.
Maybe I’m not the best leader or NCO, but I know what it means to be one. I want every single Marine to be better than me and not make the same mistakes I’ve made in the past.
Maybe that CO was right. My career may never look like the most successful one on paper. But if I can leave my Marines better than I found them, I’ll be proud of the legacy I’ve built.
Stay lethal ⚔️☣️
ERA EGOISTA
Mi perspectiva como líder cambió el día que me metí en problemas siendo un cabo recién ascendido. Sabía que durante un buen tiempo no iba a recibir premios ni reconocimiento, y era tan egoísta que lo único que quería era verme mejor en papel.
Resultó que tenía razón. Empecé a ver a Marines recibir premios y reconocimiento por hacer mucho menos de lo que yo hacía. Compañer
