4am Vent

The speaker reflects on their past transitions and the challenges they faced after leaving the military. They talk about their current role as a facility manager and their excitement about making a difference in people's lives. They mention starting a company called Braxton Logistics and the recent purchase of their first vehicle. The speaker emphasizes the importance of faith and perseverance in achieving success and discusses the sacrifices that come with leadership. They conclude by expressing gratitude for their current achievements and acknowledging the ongoing journey towards their goals. Yeah, so I'm having one of those nights where my thoughts are keeping me up. There's a lot of things going on in my mind. Not necessarily good or bad, just thoughts. Yesterday I purchased the first van in the company's fleet. The company is Braxton Logistics, doing business as Braxton Logistics. And I'm ready to set the last mile sector on fire. Innovation and disruptive innovation. And I'm thinking about what it means to transition. And I've transitioned so many times in my life. I transitioned from an infant to a toddler, to my early ages, to my middle ages, and to my adolescence, and to my young adulthood, and then into adulthood. And with that came transitioning into different environments. You know, I left the projects in trailer parks behind in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and traded them in for military barracks, military housing, and then military communities, right? Living in military communities, the places I was stationed at. I transitioned out of the military at 13 years into the private sector. And that transition was tough. You know, when you listen to people talk about, you know, being great and withstanding the test of time, they always talk about re-imaging yourself, right? So when I transitioned out of the military and went into the private sector, I had to figure out who I was going to be because I was no longer Sergeant Simmons. I was Mr. Simmons. And to some folks, just Rodney and or Dwayne. No prefix in front of my name anymore. And it was tough. I didn't know what the future was going to hold. When I first got out, you know, like most veterans, I tried to find work until my benefits started to kick in. And I had been applying for manager positions, you know, all over the Columbus area of Georgia, you know, which is where we relocated to after the military, you know, my wife's hometown. And, you know, Columbus is one of those smaller cities in Georgia. Although it is the second or third largest city in the state, it is a very close-knit community, right, as far as the locals. And then the job market is tough. You know, it's like one of those places where you got to know somebody and know somebody to get into a job. Like, really, you just fill out an application and get a job in that city is tough. Anyway, I can't say it because I got so many views. Anyway, I mean, long story short, I don't know, man. Right now, I'm just rambling. There's a lot going on in my head. You know, I have been thinking about and reflecting on where I come from, you know, the transition. But I'm excited, man. I'm excited about the future. I'm excited about my goals. I'm excited about my dreams. I'm excited about the vision that I have for myself and for my community, right, my people. And, man, you know, I often tell the associates that work for me at the warehouse that I don't get excited about waking up and coming in here as the facility manager, general manager, area manager. You know, they call us all different types of names. I get excited about the difference that I get to make in people's lives. I'll say it again. I get excited about the difference that I get to make in people's lives. You know, the people who walk in those doors for work from the first day to the last day. I try to stay true to who I am as a person. I try to facilitate a cohesive environment. I try to allow leaders to lead and associates to have freedom to do what they need to do and not feel like they have chains around their ankles and hands and they can't, you know, do this or do that. That's not the environment that I was trying to paint, anyway. I don't know. There's a lot going on with me right now. I'm in my head thinking about Bracks. We just made, like I said, we just made the first vehicle purchase. Yesterday, man, I just can't believe that my dreams are turning into reality and yet they're so far away. You know, but I'm excited. I'm excited to be here. I'm emotional. I've been emotional the last couple of days just looking at and reflecting on my life and life in general. I'm 35, man, and I know there's a lot more living to do. But, man, God is good. God is good and faith is necessary. You understand? I've been through some things in my life. I've been through some obstacles like many of us, like most of you, like all of us. And, man, at times I didn't know how those things would end, you know. Loss of a job. Loss of a loved one. Betrayal. Envy. It's constant. As the late great James Baldwin would say, the free man's responsibility is to focus on the things that are constant. Birth, struggle, death, and love. Love is also constant even though it may not always feel like it. And that's not verbatim, but it's very accurate to the statement that he made in the book, Fire Next Time. But I'm mostly excited, man. I know there's so many things to take note of when you are out here trying to become a successful entrepreneur, business owner, you know, trying to add more plaques and pictures to the wall, right? There's just so many different things you got to be on top of. It's a lot. And, you know, to be honest with you, if you're not doing that, then what are you doing? If you're waking up every day and you're just letting life live you, then you are not existing. You have to live life. You have to make the decision to go out and dare to be great. You have to go out and make the decisions to overcome the obstacles. Listen, I've been through some shit where a lot of people would give up. They would pack their shit and go home because that's the easy thing to do. And I'm not saying that I'm this great guy who just always goes to the fire without a thought of giving up or a thought of self-doubt or lack of confidence. But I've always had things that were larger than me that I couldn't give up on, you know, family, people that depend on you. You got to be strong for those people. You got to keep going for those people because when it's all said and done, that's what leadership is about. Leadership is making sacrifices for other people, for the greater good. Everybody wants to be the king until it's time to do kingship. Everybody looks at the king as the person with all the gold, all the riches, the castle, the queen, the noble children and noble men around them. But they don't understand what comes with that. The responsibility of the livelihood of the people you have been ordained to lead, you know, because I feel like God plays a part in that, right? You know, and there's a parable in the Bible that says something about God, you know, appointing you over others. And essentially it's a blessing. And I think that it's important to understand that that comes with sacrifice. You know, it's a blessing to be able to lead people, but that comes with a lot of sacrifice. It comes with putting yourself last a lot of times for the greater good of everyone else. Now, I'd be sitting here lying if I told you that I wasn't sitting in a five-bedroom house in the suburb of Atlanta in a somewhat mini mansion, but the above-ground pool out back and a canopy with a fucking sectional inside of it on the patio, right, in my own office here. But that came from not giving up. It came from wanting to quit, but because I have these people depending on me, not quitting, sacrificing my pain, my mental health, my physical health, you know, being a war veteran for the greater good of the people around me. That's some real king shit, man. You understand what I'm saying?