Get Out and Thrive by Olan Prentice (SPOILER FREE)

Get Out and Thrive by Olan Prentice
Synopsis: Critical insight for Veterans separating from the Military. Our Veterans deserve the very best, but so often settle for sub-par results. This book and body of work is designed to help Veterans jump start their lives after the service. There are a myriad of benefits and advantages that they likely just don’t know or understand how to leverage. The book is brimming with information to help give yourself or your favorite Veteran a competitive advantage when transitioning to civilian life.

About the Author: Olan Prentice was raised in the deep south in a family with an incredible work ethic and play harder rule. He landed his first job at the tender age of 12. After serving almost ten years in the US Military, he left to finish his degree, participate in the dot-com bubble then a 23 year career as a Senior Vice President for one of the largest banks in world. Along the way he has hired and mentored hundreds of Veterans. His experience as a Veteran, senior business leader and his work with Veterans has helped him define those things it takes to Thrive! in the post-military world.

If you would like to find out more about Olan Prentice check out these links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olanprentice/
Blog: http://www.olanprentice.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/olanprentice
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0692922563/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1505568124&sr=8-2&keywords=get+out+and+thrive

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Firstly thank you to Olan Prentice and Liv from @livsbookshelf (her instagram) for granting me the opportunity to be apart of the 2017 Blog Tour hosted by Bekah Publishing in reading and reviewing this book. While I know I’m super late with my review I hope you can still appreciate it.

I have rated this novel 3/5 stars as for me, personally, I found many grammatical errors throughout this book such as, “where you children go to school,” (pg 36) and they were very distracting. I also am not a military veteran making many parts of this book unhelpful for me and lastly when apart of a war discussion I instantly become quite squeamish as I don’t promote violence of any kind. War is filled with it and while it does have its pros I just can not promote it as being an all gathered ‘great’ thing. I don’t believe it is the right way to align with another to create peace. Just my thoughts. Yet looking past all that this book can be super helpful towards many veterans who want to start over while being oblivious towards what is going on in this day and age.

I found it super interesting how this self guide highlighted the struggle of veterans coming back to civilisation after serving their country. Re-entering what was once home to find it completely different. As Prentice stated, “As a Veteran, I understand the precious years of our lives spent in protecting our country and way of life come at a steep price and level of sacrifice.” After facing much grief, fear and uncertainty it would be hard to fathom how difficult it must be to start a new life yet imagine the soldiers who are still fighting. Prentice urges them to “start planning now, ‘even if [they] have years to go’.” on page 11. It saddens me that death is a predictable factor within war and reading these words of encouragement and hope both depresses and comforts me.

There were many lines which made me feel much sorrow for those who are still battling or lost their life as a result of war such as:
– “1. There are less of us than you may realize.” (pg 13)
– “During the induction process, you were intentionally torn down and rebuilt to a higher standard. You are not now and never will be that immature again. Some individuals reading this work will have weathered some of the most extreme situations a person can live through, and some will have had a less intense experience while serving. Regardless, you’ve done your part, filled your role, and undergone a fundamental shift from your time in uniform. You are not now and never will be that unprepared again.” (pg 14)
– “You can’t shed your time in the service, it stays with you, always.” (pg 15)

In saying that, there were many quotes that were much more light-hearted which I enjoyed such as:
– “This may sound trite, but you were doing the “wax on” and “wax off” thing your entire military career. (Not up on obscure film references? Go look it up, you’ll enjoy what you find.)” (pg 22)
– “You need to read and study continuously, for the rest of your life. If you are not learning, you are stagnating.” (pg 23)
– “Your parents are getting older. Hopefully you have a great relationship with them. They will need your help as time passes, no matter how much money they have. They also want you in their lives. Find the time to be there for your parents if you are lucky enough to still have them with you, be there for them. If you haven’t already done so, you should embrace the philosophy that “you owe your parents a debt you can never repay, but you should never stop trying”. It will be terribly hard to watch them age and support them through that process, but that is your responsibility.” (Pg 40)
– “Things will break, people will become ill, some will die unexpectedly. Young persons will depart this life far too soon; children will grow up and away; relationships will bend, twist and fracture. You will experience pain, loss and tragedy. How you handle these personal challenges will define you.” (pg 40)
– “Always remember that life is not experienced as a statistic but as an individual with each unique moment unfolding as you live.” (pg 45)
– “The world is more connected now than at any point in history making it appear vast and tiny at the same time.” (pg 47)
– “The current generation has access to more data more quickly than at any point in history. For little or no cost, you can access a massive amount of information through the internet, in the library plus through local and online bookstores.” (pg 47)
– “Become an expert in your field; read, research, take a class or get a degree. Make friends, find mentors, write something in your field, blog, invent something and apply for a patent. Do something that helps you excel and stand out from the crowd.” (pg 58)
-“Crimes against capitalization and grammar. This is a fan favorite given how often it is crops up. Use common sense, your resume is not a blog and you should put emphasis on presenting an easy to read, easily understood description of your accomplishments. Crime and Punishment is a novel that is worth chewing through but no one will invest that much effort in your resume.” (pg 104)

I enjoyed how this book was rather positive in enforcing others/readers to believe in themselves to achieve great things as we are all capable in being successful. It’s a matter of following your passions and discovering what’s out there for you. I couldn’t agree more with Prentice’s statement, “For the record, a college degree is absolutely required in these times. Everyone should fully recognize the advantages, economic and social, gained from the college experience.” on pg 25. While I would argue that we are all capable to succeed whether we have a college degree or not I do fully support going to high school/university as I’m such an advocate towards constantly learning. Prentice goes on to say, “A “lifelong learner” is also someone who constantly seeks mentors who can help them achieve their goals and is someone who tackles every aspect of their life with energy and focus, doing whatever is needed to succeed. That is who and what you need to become…yesterday. Yes, no matter where you are on your timeline, you are most likely behind the curve. You have years of integration, social networking and career-specific knowledge acquisition and effort ahead of you.” on pg 39. I couldn’t agree more.

I also personally enjoyed how this book involved Personal Perspective sections at the end of every chapter. One of my favourites was on pg 54 where Prentice wrote, “Personal perspective: My brother is a Marine. One of his favorite sayings is that if you aren’t busy living then you are busy dying. Unpack that a bit and you’ll understand that it simply means you need to change with the times. Not morally or ethically, but you need to keep up and stay connected. Be a life-long learner. This is vital in business and in your personal life. If you don’t, then you are choosing to align yourself with a shrinking population that is just sitting around waiting for “something” to happen. To hell with that. Get out there and make “something” happen.”

I think you should definitely check this book out if you are a military veteran and if you need a self-guide with life: making plans, getting a job, being accustomed to what is happening in the real world, etc. I would suggest that Prentice add The Secret by Rhonda Byrne as a novel for all individuals to read as it changed my life and would certainly be able to change yours.

If you read this book, what did you think of it?

For now, I hope you are enjoying your day and are indulging yourself in the addiction that is books. Devour. Devour. Devour.

Sidney xx