I’ve earned a promotion to Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy and was pinned on Dec 5th. I’m incredibly proud of myself. I worked hard to obtain this promotion, and it feels great to accomplish a goal that I’ve set. When I determined to complete a career in the U.S. Navy, I wrote down my goals, and this achievement is one of them. I’m enjoying this moment and will begin making progress toward the next goal in short order.

While I did my part to earn this promotion, I didn’t do it alone. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone … yes everyone … I use everyone for three reasons. One, there are too many to name. Two, while unintentional, it is easy to fail to recall what someone has done to aid you. However, the person that provided the aid never forgets. In this case, help is like money. You can never get enough of it, and we never forget who owes us money. Facts! A dear friend of mine still owes me money from 2007. In truth, he ate my beef patty and was supposed to buy me another at some point, but we never got around to it. So, when you add the cost and interest, he owes me, but that is my dude, we have a bond and help each other all the time. To the point, this has been long forgiven, but I remember that he never paid me back. Unlike money, the people we help don’t owe us because we help from the heart, we just expect them to pay it forward and help the next man or woman. Lastly, I use everyone, because I know for a fact that there are people that have helped me anonymously, and I’m oblivious to their efforts, but I have benefitted from their help nonetheless.

 So, thank you to everyone. If you love or loved me, support or supported me, provided me an opportunity, coached me, mentored me, helped me at my request, volunteered to help me, and, as mentioned, helped me anonymously; THANK YOU. I’ve done my part, and with your help, I was able to achieve this goal. I appreciate you and what you’ve done for me. I look forward to continuing the pursuit of my goals and the help you will provide going forward.

 I want to leave some food for thought based on two quotes that shape my mindset, and I hope you can take something away from them if you are not already of like-mind.

“There is no secret to success. Success is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” I try to continually self-assess, and I believe I know my strengths, talents, and areas where I aim to improve. But, in finding the success I have, as I’ve defined it for me based on my goals and what I want out of life, it has been my work ethic that has mattered most. More importantly, it seemed, the harder I worked, the easier it was to obtain help. As-if people wanted to join me on my journey and took pride in helping me achieve my goals. Also, I found in failing, I’ve been able to learn and better myself, then try again until the goal is accomplished or no longer feasible to obtain.

“Sometimes, later becomes never. Do it now.” From this, I’ve found a sense of urgency in tackling my goals and a sense of urgency about life in general. Writing down my goals, establishing timelines and goal dates, and reviewing my status toward accomplishment has kept me focused. Some people are experts at timing, I’ve found that I am not. It’s my opinion that there is no better time than the present, and I try to take action toward my goals now, and at the minimum, work toward putting myself in a position to take advantage of the opportunity to complete a goal when it is presented.

For you, consider that your work ethic will take you further than talent and luck. Consider that there is not a better time than the present to take action because tomorrow is not promised. While not promised, let’s expect it and be prepared to succeed, acknowledge our efforts, and enjoy our success.

Thank you for your time, and I wish you a joyous holiday season and a prosperous 2020.

Sincerely,

Quintino