Leading to Serendipity: The COMMIT Foundation’s Approach to Empowering Veterans and Their Spouses

At the heart of the COMMIT Foundation’s mission lies a profound belief in the power of serendipity—those fortunate, unexpected moments that can profoundly change the course of a life. By embracing principles of boldness and preparedness, COMMIT helps veterans and their spouses design and build impactful post-service lives.

 Many transition programs assist people with the tactical aspects of finding a job, teaching essential skills to put in one’s rucksack as they navigate unfamiliar terrain. These skills are undoubtedly important, but at COMMIT, we believe the most crucial assets a person in transition possesses are their internal map and compass. They carry their compass, as it has been built through their years and experience.  Their map is detailed along the path they have traveled where they have been, but only a sketch of their next destination exists.  These tools represent their vision and direction; while they own them, they come to us with them. Each one is bespoke to them, and our role is to help determine their destination, find their bearing, and carry the load. Like experienced sherpas in the mountains, we walk alongside individuals on their journey, guiding them to the serendipity we know awaits them in their future. We encourage them to be daring, bold, and prepared to seize opportunities as they arise, ensuring they are fully equipped for a successful transition.

The COMMIT Foundation empowers service members, veterans, and their families through personalized programs, resources, and the support of our community to create purposeful and fulfilling transitions. Our objective is to connect service members and veterans to a professional network, encouraging them to widen their apertures and translate their cultivated professional skills into meaningful lives in their next chapter. Our programs uniquely expose service members, veterans, and military spouses to opportunities they may never have sought out due to a lack of information or confidence. The intent is to create a profound and lasting impact on the lives of these individuals that is not transitional but transformational by connecting them to professional networks and opportunities that align with their skills and aspirations. This is achieved through a focused approach emphasizing individualized support and addressing high-potential service members’ unique challenges. The overarching goal is to ensure that these veterans not only find jobs but embark on meaningful careers and design lives that offer fulfillment and a sense of purpose.

Central to The COMMIT Foundation’s approach are the pillars of Information, Imagination, and Confidence. We provide information to service members and veterans, ensuring they can access the knowledge and resources necessary to explore new career paths and opportunities. By fostering imagination, we encourage them to think beyond conventional roles and envision a broader spectrum of possibilities for their futures. Finally, we help build confidence by offering personalized support and guidance, empowering them to pursue these new avenues with self-assurance. Together, these pillars create a robust framework that allows veterans and their families to transition from military to civilian life purposefully and fully.

At The COMMIT Foundation, we are dedicated to helping service members, veterans, and their families find a renewed sense of purpose, identity, and community. We understand that transitioning from military to civilian life involves more than just finding a job; it requires discovering a new sense of self. Our programs are designed to help individuals define their purpose by identifying careers and opportunities that align with their passions and skills. We assist in rebuilding their Identity, moving from military roles to new, fulfilling civilian personas. Additionally, we foster a strong sense of Community or Tribe by connecting them with a network of like-minded individuals who provide support, camaraderie, and shared experiences. Through these efforts, we ensure that our participants embark on a meaningful transformation and belonging journey.

There is an adage – there are smart Rangers and strong Rangers, and while I think this is quite antiquated, as all Rangers are both smart and strong (myself being an exception) – I do think it is helpful to put concepts as simply as you can – so that the strong Ranger can understand them.  To this end, I was reflecting on all those things that COMMIT accomplishes for veterans and their families and the unique and special way it accomplishes them.  I wanted to put it simply, and with the help of a couple of great friends, to me and to COMMIT (Patrick and Laura), I was able to distill the essence of COMMIT and the serendipity it creates into three maxims we can all relate to: “Who Dares Wins,” “Fortune Favors the Bold,” and the idea that “Luck Happens When Opportunity Meets Preparation.”

Who Dares Wins: Embracing Boldness

The Special Air Service’s motto, “Who Dares Wins,” encapsulates COMMIT’s ethos. We encourage our veterans and their spouses to dare greatly, to step beyond the familiar bounds of military life into new arenas where their skills and leadership can thrive. By daring to dream big, These high-potential individuals position themselves toward greater opportunities, where serendipity is more likely to strike.

Fortune Favors the Bold: Making Opportunity

Virgil’s ancient wisdom that “Fortune Favors the Bold” is more relevant than ever at COMMIT. We empower veterans to be audacious in their aspirations. This boldness is not about recklessness but confidently stepping forward into new roles in academia, business, non-profits, and other sectors. By being bold, our COMMunITy attracts new opportunities and possibilities.

Luck Happens When Opportunity Meets Preparation: Ensuring Readiness

The philosopher Seneca taught that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. At COMMIT, we provide the tools, knowledge, and networks necessary for veterans to be fully prepared when opportunities arise. Our tailored programs help refine their skills, define their goals, and understand the landscapes they are about to enter. This preparation ensures they can seize opportunities that might otherwise pass by unnoticed.

Designing Lives with Impact

COMMIT doesn’t just prepare veterans for any future but for a future where they can lead, serve, build, and inspire. By helping them transition from their military identities, we aid in crafting new narratives where they continue to be leaders and innovators. As they move into civilian roles, they carry forward the legacy of service, becoming leaders in various industries and thus contributing to the nation’s fabric.

Creating a Tribe: Beyond Identity and Purpose

While many veterans’ service organizations (VSOs) provide outstanding support, COMMIT uniquely assists in building a strategic path to the next chapter. By focusing on identity, purpose, and tribe, we create a support network that understands the nuances of the transition from military to civilian life. This community supports each individual’s journey and strengthens their ability to impact their new worlds.

Through these principles, COMMIT cultivates an environment where serendipity can flourish—where veterans and their spouses are empowered to encounter and seize unexpected opportunities that transform their lives and the lives of those around them. COMMIT stands as a beacon of possibility, guiding veterans toward a future crafted by their aspirations and enriched by the unexpected twists of fate that reward the bold, the prepared, and the daring.

Finally, it is important to note: COMMIT is not a one-time thing; it’s a lifetime thing. While we assist high-potential individuals with their first pivot, we are there for every transition, trial, and triumph they face in the future. We make a lifetime commitment to our community; in turn, they make a lifetime commitment to each other—the way it should be. You don’t graduate from our program; you are selected to participate, sometimes as a learner, sometimes as a teacher, sometimes as a mentor, and sometimes as a friend, but always as a teammate. This enduring support network ensures that no matter where life leads, our members always have a tribe to rely on, fostering continuous growth and connection.

If you are a service member, a service member’s spouse, a veteran, or a veteran spouse and would like to join our COMMunITy follow this link to apply: https://www.commitfoundation.org/pursueyourpurpose

If you know someone who fits that description – share the link with them.

And in the meantime…

Be Daring – for who dares wins.

Be Bold – for fortune favors the bold.

Be Prepared – for when opportunities appear you can have luck.

And join in a movement toward serendipity.

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JC Glick serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The COMMIT Foundation. JC brings with him a wealth of experience as a leadership consultant and career Army officer and is driven by a deep commitment to supporting veterans in their transition journey. Since transitioning from 20 years of military service in 2015, JC has been a founder and partner of two leadership companies, where his clients included Fortune 500 companies, international non-profit organizations, government agencies, the NFL, numerous NFL and NBA teams, and multiple NCAA programs.

Over the course of his Army career, JC spent over seven years in the Ranger regiment, serving in two Ranger Battalions as well as Regimental Headquarters, participating in the Best Ranger Competition twice, and has over seven and a half years of command time with 11 operational and combat deployments to Haiti, Bangladesh, Iraq, and Afghanistan. JC is the author of two books, including A Light in the Darkness: Leadership Development for the Unknown. In 2017, he was selected as a TEDX Speaker and delivered Rethinking Leadership at TEDX Hammond. JC is also an adjunct professor at St. John’s University in Queens, New York. He holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Rhode Island and is a Liberty Fellow, part of the Aspen Institute.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.