I remember when I was stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, and our Command Sergeant Major called a special assembly. The entire battalion had to get out on the front lawn and get into formation. We were getting close to the end. Our deployments were done, and we were about 90 days away from the point when a lot of people would start getting out of the Army and moving on with their lives.

The Command Sergeant Major came out and gave us a speech. I don't remember everything he said that day, but I remember the purpose behind it. It seemed like one last effort to get some of the soldiers who were thinking about leaving to consider reenlisting. And I'll give him credit. He gave a good speech. He talked about the benefits of staying in, the opportunities that were available, and why reenlisting might make sense. A lot of what he said made sense. It was inspiring, and I'm sure there were soldiers standing in that formation who decided to reenlist because of what they heard that day.

But then he said something I have never forgotten. He told us, essentially, "I'm not against you leaving. I thank you for your service. I'm not against anybody leaving and going on to bigger and better things. The one thing I would urge you to do is make sure you have a plan before you leave."

I remember standing there and saying under my breath, "You should come in with a plan." Nobody heard me. The Command Sergeant Major certainly didn't hear me. But that moment stuck with me because I had already learned this lesson.

When I joined and left the Navy, I didn't have the kind of plan I should have had. By the time I entered the Army, I knew better. So when I joined the Army, I went in with a plan. I worked that plan while I was serving. By the time I was standing in that formation at Fort Polk listening to the Command Sergeant Major, I was pretty much ready to leave. I knew what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to start my own business. I had been working toward my civilian future while I was still building my military career.

That's why his statement hit me differently. He was telling soldiers to make sure they had a plan before they left. I was thinking, why aren't we telling people to have a plan before they come in? That's the problem.

You've probably heard the famous Mike Tyson quote, "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face." People sometimes use that kind of thinking as an argument against planning. But you're not fighting Mike Tyson. You're joining the United States military. A fight with Mike Tyson might last a few seconds, especially if you're not trained. Your military career could last four years, six years, ten years, twenty years, or, for some people, even thirty years. That's a lot of life to leave to chance.

Of course your plan is going to change. Change it. Adjust it. Rewrite parts of it. Life changes. The military changes. Your interests change. Technology changes. Opportunities change. Your family situation may change. A plan isn't valuable because everything happens exactly the way you wrote it down. A plan is valuable because you know where you're trying to go.

If you enter the military without a plan, spend years serving without developing one, and then suddenly start thinking seriously about civilian life during your final year, you've put yourself in a difficult position. And that's exactly what happens to a lot of people.

Some people join the military because they're running away from something. Some are running toward something. Some want education benefits. Some want stability. Some want adventure. Some want a career. And some join because they haven't figured out what else they want to do yet. Whatever your reason is, I want you to answer a bigger question: What do you want your military service to do for your life?

For those of you reading this Mission Brief or listening to The Military Quest™ Podcast, one of the most important things I can tell you is this: Before you take the ASVAB, before you sit down with a recruiter, and definitely before you sign a contract, sit down and map out a plan.

I'm not talking about something you're going to throw together in an hour. It may take you a week. It may take several weeks. It may take a month. That's okay. You're preparing to make a decision that could affect years of your life. Taking a few weeks to think seriously about it is worth it.

Your plan should answer some important questions. Why are you joining? Why are you choosing that particular military branch? Why are you choosing that particular military job? What skills are you expecting to gain from that job? What education, certifications, experience, and opportunities can you pursue while you're serving? Most importantly, how is all of this going to help position you for the civilian life you eventually want?

That last question matters because your military career and your civilian future should not be two completely separate plans. You can build them at the same time.

Think about your military career using what I call the 9-to-5 and 5-to-9 concept. From 9:00 to 5:00, you're working your military job. You're becoming proficient at your MOS, rating, AFSC, or specialty. You're taking care of the mission. You're developing professionally. You're doing what your branch of service requires you to do.

From 5:00 to 9:00, however, you can also be building yourself. That doesn't mean literally every night from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. You're still going to have duty, deployments, field exercises, family responsibilities, physical training, and days when you're simply exhausted. It's a concept. Use some of the time outside your military responsibilities to work on the person who will eventually leave the military.

Take classes. Earn certifications. Learn new technology. Build civilian skills. Research industries. Build relationships. Learn about business if entrepreneurship interests you. Pay attention to what's happening outside the gates. You don't have to do everything at once. You just need to keep moving. That way, no time is wasted while you're in the military, and there are fewer regrets when you leave it.

Think about someone serving a four-year enlistment. They spend the first three years focused entirely on the military. Then suddenly the final year arrives. Now they're trying to figure out what they're going to do when they get out, what kind of job they can get, whether they need a degree or certifications, where they're going to live, what skills employers want, and whether they should stay in. That's a lot to figure out at the end.

And here's something else people don't think about: The civilian world you left may not be the civilian world you return to. The job market changes. Technology changes. Industries change. Skills that were valuable when you joined may not be as valuable when you leave.

Look at what is happening with artificial intelligence right now. Jobs are changing. Entire workflows are changing. Employers are changing what they expect people to know. Imagine entering the military today, putting your head down for four or six years, never paying attention to what's happening in the civilian economy, and then walking out expecting the world to be exactly as you left it. It won't be.

Years ago, you might have had more room to recover from being unprepared. Today, that could be much harder. That's why Mistake #1 happens before you ever put on the uniform. People join the military without a plan for the civilian life they're eventually going to return to.

Don't wait until your final year. Don't wait until transition assistance. Don't wait until somebody tells you that you have 90 days left and you need to figure out what you're going to do with your life. Start now. Before you see the recruiter. Before you take the ASVAB. Before you choose your military job. Before you sign anything.

Make a plan. Then work that plan while you're serving. Adjust it when life changes. Improve it as you learn more. And when the day finally comes for you to take off the uniform, you shouldn't suddenly be asking yourself what you're going to do next. You should already be moving toward it.

​Your military career is too important to join and leave without a plan.

Knowing that you need a plan is one thing. Actually sitting down and building one is another.

That's why I wrote The Plan.

The Plan is part of The Military Quest™ and was created to help you think through what you want from your military service, what you should be working toward while you're in, and how the decisions you make today can help prepare you for the civilian life you want tomorrow.

​Don't wait until your final year in uniform to start figuring out what comes next. Start building your roadmap before you join, work your plan while you serve, and adjust it as your goals and circumstances change.

Click the book above to get The Military Quest™ and start building your plan.

And if you have questions while you're working through The Plan, bring them into The Military Quest™ Community. Ask questions, get additional guidance, and learn alongside other people who are taking a more strategic approach to their military careers.

Don't just join the military. Join with a plan.

Get The Plan. Build Your Roadmap. Start Before You Join.