Been on gardening leave for 6 weeks (Bored, Bored and Bored!!). I feel like I’m in limbo waiting for one part of my life to finish and waiting for the next part to start.
I had been thinking about which part I was dreading the most, until I bumped into an old BSM.
When I was a young Sgt he took me under his wing and gave me hundreds of new jobs each month and tripled my workload. I lost count of the number of rollickings and extras that came my way. It was his strong recommendations that helped me pick up my third and now he was making my life a living hell. I felt like the Gunner who had just joined and knew nothing, I felt in limbo.
It’s a transition moving from the JNCOs’ Mess to the WO & Sgt Mess, nothing can prepare you for the excitement and the trepidation of joining a club filled with history and traditions. You don’t want to let anyone down and prove they made the right choice promoting you.
3 months down the line the BSM called me into his office and I was thinking here we go again, until he told me to take a seat. He asked me how I thought I was doing as a SNCO?
I told him it had been a hard pushed and felt I was a JNCO with 3 tapes and felt in limbo between a JNCO and a SNCO.
He told me it takes time to become a Sgt, you wear the tapes and accept the pay, responsibility and whatever else is thrown your way. You don’t just change over night; it takes time and experience to make that next step. Keep looking forward and things should be fine. There was a lot more to the chat, but it helped to relieve the pressure and helped me move forward.
Sat in the pub with my old BSM, discussing my transition he reminded me of that chat. Don’t dread the next step always embrace it.
See related BLOGS:
3 and half months until I leave HM Forces (why should Service personnel vote)(Hanging On or Moving On) 4 Months until I leave HM Forces(Cultural Differences) 4 and half Months until I leave HM Forces5 Months until I leave HM Forces (Duty of Care)There have been 2 other Blogs, if you would like to read them please contact the Gemini Team.
This Blog will last a year and started in Feb. It is to highlight the transition from military to civilian.
