What's Your Purpose?
It has been 17 years since I left active duty. That sounds crazy to me. Growing up on a farm in the Midwest, I got the itch to go into the military at the age of 12. My father was a Marine in the late 1950s and became a big inspiration in my life as he regaled me with stories of boot camp.. I had this inexplicable draw to serve in the military that many others couldn’t understand. In the following years, there would be many bad days where I struggled to understand my own desire to serve.
I arrived at my first unit shortly before deploying to the Gulf War and would end up serving 14 years on active duty, with 3 of those years as a drilling reservist. My time in the Marine Corps was irreplaceable and is a large part of who I am today. Sometimes I loved it and other times I’d describe it in other terms. Many days I couldn’t wait to get out, but I wouldn’t change it. Looking back, I wasn’t a “water walker” but I accomplished the mission and am thankful for the opportunity. In 2006 it was time to move on - I never colored in the lines very well and I soon found out I was a closet entrepreneur.
Upon returning from my final deployment, I opened a delivery restaurant that mainly served Marines on base. If that sounds unsexy, you’re right. That’s how it felt. When I was a Marine, I always felt a sense of pride and purpose. There I was, delivering food myself to the same barracks I once inspected, when drivers didn’t show up to work. I was surviving and making money, but the pride I had just wasn’t the same. One day I was helping keep America free and the next I was fighting to keep food warm. As much as I couldn’t wait to get off active duty, I now felt a little empty inside. Although the business was successful it would take some hard lessons until I came to my own realization that changed my perspective.
Several years after opening for business, my success was my own undoing as I made enough money to expand quickly but then outran my supply lines. In business that means running out of cash, which the first rule of business is do not run out of cash… I say again do not… under any circumstances… run out of cash. It’s like ammo, just do not run out. Due to poor novice business decisions and becoming overextended, I filed for personal bankruptcy, downsized my business from 4 units to 1, and did a business bankruptcy. In Marine terminology, it’s like getting busted down to private and starting again. This was my self-induced bootcamp, calling for fire on your own position, dropping the grenade, etc. I was shell shocked, walking out as the smoke cleared with none of the respect and all the embarrassment.
It caused me to take a step back and ask why I was really doing all this in the first place. What was my purpose in business and in life. The answer was simple, but it took some time and walking in the wilderness before it penetrated my brain housing group. Money, respect, success, etc. was not the reason I was working so hard. Money or rank, or whatever you fill in the blank with, is never the real reason. Those are outcomes of a deeper purpose. We all have a purpose. My purpose, for me and my business, was to serve. In my case, I aimed to serve Marines and Sailors. And when you think about it, there’s nothing as basic and noble as that. At its core serving is really loving and it’s built into the DNA of each of us. At birth the only reason we survive is because someone made a choice to serve us. That’s service and love in its purest form.
I was finally able to get that fulfillment and “noble purpose” I lost when I got off active duty. Well, most of it, there are few things as noble as being a Marine. When I stopped chasing outcomes, I was better able to achieve outcomes. I became a better leader and better decision maker that helped me succeed in family and business. Now (as recent as last week for me) when I’m feeling anxiety, stinking thinking, discouragement, overwhelmed, I make a focused effort to remember I’m here to serve (love). That helps me settle in and focus on the task at hand. For me this works. It helps me learn from mistakes instead of getting sucked down, and doing something that makes a difference today. In a world of uncertainty, that’s something I can control - whether that means shooting hot lead down range or providing services for customers. Achievement is great, but at the end of the road fulfillment comes through how I loved those I touch day to day. Semper Fi.
About the Author
Major Todd Waldemar attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1989 with a B.S. General Engineering and was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps. He’s a veteran of Operations, Desert Storm, Desert Shield, and Iraqi Freedom. Married for 31 years, he and his wife have eight children, one being Captain Zane “Rufus” Waldemar, currently deployed with the 26th MEU (pictured above). His companies have delivered over 1.5 million meal orders and 20,000 Commissary grocery orders to service members. He is the Founder & CEO of ChowCall, connecting Military customers to Military retailers for enhanced quality of life.
