I cannot walk a mile in your shoes, but I can walk a mile with you.
Daniel Miller
By Daniel Miller
A little about me…
Michigan native. I enjoy camping, hiking, hunting, and fishing. I have served over 14 years in the military with 5 total deployments, four of them being combat tours to Iraq. Throughout my career in the Army, I came to be in Colorado. I am a family man and a proud father of 4 children.
What I knew then…
“Lead me, Follow me, or Get out of my way”.
General George S. Patton
This quote was a guiding beacon throughout my career in the army. It helped me navigate through war, fear, and everything you can imagine. After the military, I carried the heart of his message with me into Veteran life.
Now the words and phrase I bring to my daily practice is “Guide me, Help me, or Watch me”. The phrase means guide me through a situation if I ask for guidance, help if I ask for help, or watch me overcome, succeed, and reap the rewards of hard work and my own choices.
What I learned…
I learned in the Army that to fail does not mean you are defeated, instead it means something else. Failure is our first attempt in learning. If we are doing something the first time and don’t quite get it, it means we are learning something new or if we are doing something we have done before then maybe we need to try a new way of doing something. Let’s put it in perspective! A baby does not walk across the room on the first try, it takes a little while for them to get all the elements of walking together and make it across the room. Maybe they are even holding onto things or others to even succeed their first time. Failure does not mean we are alone or can’t use our environment.
Applying what I learned…
I apply these lessons in many areas in my life like the outdoors. I have been an avid outdoorsman all my life and have learned through many difficult times in my life that I can always count on the calming effects of the wilderness when I am struggling. Whether it be the dark woods of my childhood in Michigan or on the side of a mountain here in Colorado. I have lived in Germany, Texas, and Oklahoma.
Anchor Yourself…
Every place that I have lived there has been one constant. I could go out into the wilderness. The wilderness helped me through loss and pain. I believe that every experience that we endure has a purpose. Sometimes it can be to grow and learn or to test our resolve and remind us of our own resilience. I have found that if we look for the purpose of the situation or an experience we can use that knowledge to grow and evolve as human beings and individuals.
Service members and Veterans will always hold a special place in my heart. I am familiar with the struggles that they face. I think that transitioning from actively fighting the Global war on terror to civilian life presents Veterans with a set of unique and special challenges. There is no such thing as going back to or living a regular civilian life.
What I know now…
I have come to know that life after active duty requires a few different things. These things are different for each veteran. I embrace my Veteran life. The defining factor of the struggles we as Veterans face is how we grow because of them. I have found that has been a big part of how I have coped with the change.
“The only thing worth fearing is fear itself.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
These words ring true and powerful to me as fear is humankind’s most powerful adversary. It will win and lose wars, stop people from succeeding, kill, cripple, mame, end relationships, and stop toxic relationships from ending. It is used as a tool to control people and as a weapon to defeat them. Fear is perpetuated through media, interpersonal contact, and most trusted advisors. It is in understanding the role fear plays and recognizing when it is coming up that we can make powerful changes and decisions in our lives.
My promise…
I believe we are a product of how we treat our own mind, body and spirit. I use talk therapy and nature to help people gain insights about themselves and their struggles in or out of the office. With my own unique set of experiences, I am committed to helping a person build on their foundation and develop the tools to continue to build and maintain their own progress.
