Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Nofziger | Sgt. 1st Class Nick Nofziger poses with Army leaders in front of Sleeping Beauty...... read more read more
As part of the Training with Industry (TW) Program, Staff Sgt. Nofziger chose to complete a bi-monthly blog series documenting his journey. As the first TWI Communications Fellow at Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif., this series serves to highlight the benefits of the TWI program and Nofziger’s personal experiences.
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Let’s start with a quick recap: I got promoted! Yes, I was technically promoted to Sgt. 1st Class as of January 1, but in order to do it right and do it big, I invited several of my mentors and senior Public Affairs leadership to Disneyland Resort. I coupled that visit with several meetings to ensure it was not all about me. I truly hate having the spotlight shined on me, but in this instance, I knew it was for a bigger cause.
I love this Army. Having some of my biggest supporters here to reenlist me for another four years (only one left to go, and it’s the indefinite one, so I know I’ll have to find a way to top this, somehow) and promote me to senior noncommissioned officer was one of the greatest rewards. Which leads me to my next piece of advice:
Find your tribe and stick with them. This is particularly difficult in the military, with us constantly moving every three years or so (I personally will have changed duty locations ten times by the time I depart Disneyland, in just over ten years). However, once you find those people (leaders, subordinates, peers, anyone) that make you feel like a better you and challenge you to do more than you think you can, hold on to them for dear life.
That does not mean they cannot stay huge influences in your life simply because you are not physically around them anymore. I have already met several people here at Disneyland that I will count as friends and mentors for the rest of my life. Many of my mentors and those I look up to in the Army have already started discussing retirement in the next few years. I always reply with a big “NO, DON’T GO!” because I desperately want to keep them a part of my life and give them the chance to make a difference to others like they have for me.
Don’t hold people back from achieving greatness. Retiring is such a huge accomplishment for service members, and it neither diminishes their impact during their service nor that which they could have outside of the service. People will remain a part of your life as long as you prioritize their presence in it.
The biggest lesson I learned from my reenlistment and promotion ceremonies and my leadership’s visit to Disneyland was this: don’t allow yourself to fill every second of every day to the point where you fail to schedule a moment to breathe and take it all in.
I was interviewed by the Los Angeles ABC affiliate and was filmed joyously declaring “no one gets this!” as I pointed to the famous Sleeping Beauty Castle in the background of my ceremony, which is not entirely true (other people have been promoted or reenlisted at Disneyland, though instances are few and far between) but encapsulated my feelings in that moment. Outside of that one moment of pure joy, reveling in the accomplishments of myself, my leadership and family who had helped me to earn them, and the experience of publicly highlighting perks of serving this great nation, I had scheduled every other moment of the day.
I began with an introduction meeting so my Public Affairs leadership could meet my Disneyland leadership and discuss the future of our partnership in the TWI program. I barely allowed a restroom break before shuttling us to the Castle for the 15 minutes I had planned for both ceremonies, receiving line, interview, and photo opportunities. We then rushed back to the office for a reception my Disneyland colleagues graciously put together after I insisted I could do it.
“No, you can’t. You won’t have time.”
For a type A personality like myself, this was too humbling to accept at first.
“Surely I could run back to the office, meet the caterers, set everything up, and greet all the attendees?”
“Then how would you enjoy your time with your guests in front of the castle?”
Ahhhh, there it is. The joy. That’s what I was missing. After the reception, I immediately launched into a briefing on my midway point progress to my leaders and mentors, barely taking a second to breathe or allow for questions. I was so caught up in doing “the Army thing”, namely being uber-professional (my Regimental Sergeant Major and proponent NCOIC were there, along with a Lt. Col., Maj. and Command Sgt. Maj.) to the point where my personality and passion for this assignment were getting lost. And I could feel it.
I ended the day by allowing for an unscheduled walk of the park, giving my guests 30 minutes to shop and peruse Main Street, U.S.A., and taking them on the Disneyland Railroad. My husband looked surprised that I gave in when they asked if we could just see the park, and that told me everything I needed to know.
Life is too short to be so rigid. I have been here at Disneyland for almost nine months and that time has flown. I may have a desk with way too much merchandise and have a reputation for always wearing a new Disney spirit jersey or sweatshirt, but I have been forgetting to slow down and enjoy just being here.
My next assignment will be the first true test of my leadership, as I will supervise and administratively oversee around twenty Soldiers. The time for smelling the roses is now.
That’s not to say it won’t be time to do so in the future as well. That’s what I’ll leave you all with. There is always time to take a quick break and bask in your triumphs. Trust me, the bad stuff will still be there; why not make it wait a little bit.
| Date Taken: | 04.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 04.15.2024 14:11 |
| Story ID: | 468567 |
| Location: | ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | CINCINNATI, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 30 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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