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VIEWPOINT OF A TEXAS CHALLENGE ACADEMY CADET
When looking for a topic to write about, I wanted to come up with something original and something that we all have to face. The topic that I came up with was disappointment after I didn’t get a promotion at Texas ChalleNGe Academy that I really wanted.
Here at TCA, disappointment is inevitable, but we have to deal with it in a healthy way. Since we all live together, getting angry really won’t solve anything. It will only lead to chaos.
TCA is about getting us ready for life and teaching us how to cope with it. This means learning to deal with things we don’t always like. They also give us healthier ways to handle life’s stressors.
For instance, instead of getting angry when I didn’t get my promotion, I learned to look at it differently when I talked to one of the guys who had the position I was hoping to achieve. He was talking about the ups and downs of the position and how it’s really not that easy. While he was talking about it, I thought, “Man, I’m really glad I don’t have his job.”
The things we learn here at TCA are more than just how to march, do a push up, or stand in line for chow. They are really teaching us to set aside our pride, put aside our differences, and work together as a team.
TCA is a challenge. There is no doubt about it. But it is giving me a second chance, and I don’t know where I would be without it.
