The last weekend of July, I did something that brought home to me the meaning of commitment.  I am an officer in the South Carolina State Guard, a branch of the South Carolina military department. The State Guard has a detachment that is analogous to the Army Rangers, an elite force trained in specific tactical skills, ready to act on short notice and committed to fulfilling whatever mission is assigned.

I have long admired this detachment, called the Raiders, for the camaraderie and focus they consistently display. The make up of the Raiders is diverse, including all ages, sexes and races. Becoming a Raider is not easy; there is extensive classroom work, and skills like land navigation, first aid, troop leading procedures, self-defense, communications, and more have to be mastered. One must demonstrate the use of all these skills in a grueling two-day field exercise to earn the Raider tab.

I always enjoy a challenge to do new things, so with some trepidation, I applied to be a Raider. In doing so, I told myself that there were many reasons why I might not be able to qualify. For starters, I would be the second oldest person ever to qualify. I had other reasons why I might not make the grade. I was able to put these excuses aside during the training, leaving my doubts for the actual field trial.  My friends and family, long suspicious anyway, were finally convinced I had lost my ever-loving mind. I was not sure I completely disagreed.

Along the way, I sprained my ankle, developed blisters on top of blisters and lost enough weight to allow me to hump a loaded ruck sack for two days in the peak of a torrid South Carolina summer. Temperatures peaked over 95 degrees during the day, dropping only to the mid-70s for the few hours of rest we tried to catch overnight, while standing guard – one hour on, two hours off.

As you might assume, I did qualify, otherwise this Retske Report would have a different topic as I licked my wounds. But, in the end, I did qualify as a Raider. I won’t lie, it was tough. Others, younger and more fit than I, fell by the wayside as the exercise progressed. There were at least half a dozen times I considered throwing in the towel myself, but I didn’t. I was committed to finishing it. Trust me, it was not, repeat NOT, my superb physical conditioning, my bottomless wealth of survival experience, years of prior military field experience, nor my long history of living in the out of doors, that got me through. I frankly have none of these things to fall back upon. Yes, I had many great excuses, inescapable facts even, that I could use should I have been dropped from the program or have failed to finish the exercise.

There was only one thing that got me through, my commitment to finishing it.  There are no pay raises (the State Guard is a volunteer organization), promotions or other incentives. It was not even the tiny cloth tab that goes on a uniform with the single word, “Raiders.”  (Although it is pretty cool.) No, the only thing that kept me going when I felt near the end of my rope or even beyond, was that I WANTED it, and I was committed to finish the exercise, no excuses. Wet, hungry, thirsty, bone tired, I found myself lying in a swamp in the middle of a dark, moonless night with snakes, mosquitoes, ticks, leeches, wild boars, coyotes, and bears, far from any form of civilization. I was one short radio message away from stopping the insanity, and getting a hot shower, food and a cold beer. Only my commitment to finishing the job kept me going. I learned something new about myself that weekend, and about the value of commitment.

Things are tough in the business world today, and prepaid is no exception. People are spending less money, unemployment is soaring and there are not a lot of bright lights on the economic horizon, at least not for the foreseeable future. Investment money and business loans are virtually non-existent, and the prospects for higher business taxes, new medical care payments and higher minimum wages are spooking many in the business world. Just look at the growing list of behemoths that are failing or asking for government assistance. There are lots of great excuses, inescapable facts, that one can call up for accepting failure in the prepaid industry.

Motivational speaker Tony Robbins says that people will try to succeed only when the pain of failure is greater than the pain of trying to succeed. And, the only thing that will turn potential failure into success is a full and unqualified commitment to success.  I will spare you the trite sayings about success; I am sure you have heard them all by now. I can only give you my personal testimony about the power of commitment.

I have the good fortune to talk to lots of people who are involved in the prepaid industry. As you might imagine, not all of the tales I hear are about success, unfortunately, but the stories about success inevitably come from people who are passionate about what they do, and are committed to it. They leave no room for falling short, no excuses or rationalizations - nothing but a clear commitment to accomplish the mission.

We have a great opportunity this month for all the various players in prepaid to meet and talk at the second annual Prepaid Press Expo. Listen to how the people you meet talk about their companies and their situations. If you hear “if only,” “I wish,” or “maybe,” then you are listening to someone who is not fully committed to the success of their endeavor and is leaving themselves some wiggle room, just in case.

Don’t wiggle, commit. You will be glad you did.