Discovering your spark

For military families, spring and summer weather signifies change as PCS season is among us. We are preparing to move our families to a new duty station or we are preparing to say farewell to friends moving before us and say welcome to new friends joining us.

The transition of PCS season is difficult on the entire family and may significantly impact the lives of military spouses. The constant transition of this lifestyle causes military spouses to question their personal and professional identity. Your sense of identity is how you perceive yourself, define yourself, and how you recognize your self-worth. 

Here are tips to stay true to you during a transition!

• Maintain your interest by identifying your passion, purpose, desires and goals.
• Don’t allow circumstances to dictate your passion and purpose.
• Establish meaning communication and seek mentors.
• Don’t let a role (military spouse, mother, etc.) replace you.
• Know your resources and seek help because we all need it!
• Focus on you and allow yourself to grow.
• Get organized and plan ahead as best as you can.
• Value and respect yourself and show grace to yourself and others!

It’s imperative to the health and well-being of our military and overall readiness for military spouses to recognize their identify and live their lives with purpose! Take a moment to complete a life inventory, especially during a time of transition to help maintain your identify and find your color in a camouflage world. Learn more about Discovering Your Spark, a military spouse program, through the USO. Visit www.uso.org/militaryspouse today.