<p>I was probably the most enthusiastic person about coming to the Academy last year, and in hindsight I still say that enthusiasm and dedication are the main components to getting an appointment. And once I got past the I-Day jitters, I was still the most smiley and probably happiest basic all summer. That’s my personality. In some ways, I wish that I had blended in a little bit more, been a little bit more of a stealth cadet, and learned to wipe the smile off of my face and not be so positive all the time. Because people will notice that you’re different. However, that attitude is what kept me going through basic and all through the academic year until Recognition. First semester I sat at my training officer’s breakfast table, and he would tell me every single morning that he must not be doing his job because I was supposed to be miserable and I was clearly way too happy. But I couldn’t change that… that’s just how I am. After Recognition, I got 23 sets of prop and wings and a ton of people came up to me to say that I am probably the most motivated and positive 4 degree that they have ever seen. Believe me! It’s a good thing! And I can tell you that being happy and enthusiastic didn’t make me “that guy” (or I guess “that girl”) but that’s because I cared about all of my classmates, always kept my cool in stressful situations in basic, and was looking for ways to help my teammates. Even though I was happy and that made me stand out, I still realized that basic wasn’t about me, it was about becoming a team with the people I went through it with. And that attitude combined with enthusiasm and a positive outlook is what will make you a motivated basic and successful cadet. There are a lot of cynical people here, and you should try to avoid becoming like that! When you’re actually a cadet, remember how excited you were to come here… that sometimes helps to put things in perspective. As long as you aren’t irritatingly happy and insensitive to the people around you who are homesick, depressed, etc. (whatever the case may be), you will actually end up being an encouragement to your classmates in basic training. At least that’s how it was in my squadron.</p>
<p>As far as goal setting, I think the only thing that cadets and parents are trying to point out is that sometimes it helps to just focus on taking “baby steps.” (Anyone seen What About Bob? :)) But I completely agree that setting a goal will help you be more successful in the time that it takes to get there. For me, I decided that I wanted to try out for Wings of Green at the end of this summer. Even if I don’t make it, it’s caused me to work a lot harder to try and be competitive for a slot. Part of me doubts that it’s going to happen. But it would be awesome if it did, and it has helped me to do my best now.</p>
<p>I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we’re all just trying to help and make the transition to the Academy a little easier. I know it helped me a lot before I came when I had a bazillion questions and everyone was so willing to help me. So let’s all just put this to rest and remember the good that comes off of these forums. No one would actually waste their time posting on here if they didn’t care. :)</p>