January 2024 Newsletter

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

The Dangers of Setting Unrealistic New Year's Resolutions and How to Avoid Them.

According to a survey, more than 60% of people feel pressured to set New Year's resolutions, with many planning to make multiple goals.

However, the reality is that over 90% of resolutions are abandoned within a few months.

One reason for this is that people often think too big, setting unrealistic and overwhelming goals.

Additionally, many resolutions are made without considering the personal reasons behind them.

Understanding the why behind the goal can lead to more sustainable changes.

Another factor is readiness for change.

Thought and preparation are necessary to successfully maintain resolutions.

Creating lasting change requires incremental changes and creating habits over time, rather than expecting immediate transformation.

Rather than setting one big resolution, setting smaller milestones throughout the year can be more effective.

Try asking yourself these questions and do this journaling exercise: What is one thing in your life that you really want to improve? Why do you want to improve it? Think long and hard about the 'why' you want to improve it.

Now consider the cost of actually implementing the change, whether the cost is time, energy, effort, sacrifice or something else. Are you willing to pay that price? If you are, what are the first 2 or 3 things you need to do to get started? What is realistic for you to accomplish in the first 90 days of this goal?

Find someone to help hold you accountable. Tell them what you're working toward and what you intend to accomplish in 90 days. Find an encouraging reward that your accountability person will hold for you and give you if you achieve your goal at the 90 day mark. Then reassess at 90 days and set your next milestone toward the goal, if it's a longer term goal.

Better Health Resorces

The Veterans Yoga Project offers free yoga classes weekly. https://veteransyogaproject.org/

Fire Team Whiskey has 30 FREE workouts on their YouTube Channel that feature Military Veteran, First Responder, and Law Enforcement Fitness Trainers. Fire Team Whiskey Workouts

Warriors At Ease offers yoga and training curriculum that directly addresses the unique physical and mental health challenges faced by service members and their families. https://www.warriorsatease.org/military-community

VA Whole Health Program focuses on thinking about and approaching your health in a new way. Through conversations and courses, VA staff and Veteran peers will get to know you. They will work with you to set health and well-being goals based on your needs and what matters to you. https://www.va.gov/wholehealth/

The VA offers a goal setting sheet to help set SMART goals that are Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic and Timed.
https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/docs/How-to-Set-a-SMART-Goal.pdf

Path To Better Sleep offers several resources to help with insomnia. In addition to online training and resources, you can access Cognitive Behavioral Therapy treatment as well as an Insomnia Coach app that’s free through the VA. https://www.veterantraining.va.gov/insomnia/index.asp

​Give an Hour is a mental health service volunteer community that offers counseling to veterans regardless of the time when they served. (No Post-9/11 limiting language). https://giveanhour.org/military/

​Let's get you working toward your goals, whether your goal is in the area of fitness, health, better sleep or stress management, I hope these resources help you.

GI Bill Education Benefit

If your resolution is to further your education, remember to use your GI Bill education benefit, if you qualify.
Following World War II, the United States Government began offering benefits to Veterans leaving the military to give them the opportunity to attend college.

The GI Bill can pay for job training, college, or graduate school for qualifying Veterans for 36 months of classes.

The GI Bill is NOT considered Federal Financial Aid so this means that, in addition to GI Bill benefits, you are eligible for scholarships, student loans, and Pell Grants.

When used correctly, the GI Bill is truly one of the greatest benefits of your time spent in-service.

There are two different GI Bills

You may qualify for the GI Bill under one of two categories. Either the Montgomery Bill or Post-9/11.

The Montgomery GI Bill is the original GI Bill signed into law following World War II.

You may qualify for this GI Bill if:

You contributed $100/month for the first 12 months of active service, or you qualify under VEAP conversion

You have completed High School or an equivalency certification

You have served at least 2 years of active duty

The Montgomery GI Bill benefit for those who served over three years is currently up to $2,050 a month for full-time students.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill is available to any service-members who served their time in the military after September 10, 2001.

Any veteran who has served at least 90 days of active duty with the U.S. Armed Forces and received an honorable discharge qualifies. To qualify for the maximum amount you must have served at least 3 years of active duty.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill directly pays the school the entire tuition and fees for an in-state school. Students attending a private or foreign university will have a cap of $21,970 to use during the academic year.

On top of that, the Post 9/11 GI Bill offers a housing allowance that currently averages $1,789 a month for full-time students, but can exceed $2,700 depending on the location of the school.

Also offered is the benefit of $1,000 per year for books and supplies.

Finally, those who do not have their full tuition covered may also qualify to receive a Yellow Ribbon benefit, which will cover the remaining amount of tuition for the school.

How long do I have to use my GI Bill?

Previously there were 15 years of eligibility for the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, however, in August 2017 President Trump signed into law the “Forever GI Bill” which waived the time eligibility requirement. Now, so long as you left the military after January 1, 2013, you can use your benefits anytime during the rest of your life.

Montgomery GI Bill gives you ten years after you complete service.

With both bills you have 36 months of benefits, and they do not have to be consecutive. For the Montgomery Bill, so long as you fit within the 10 years (after your last 90 days of service), you can leave school and come back as many times as you would like.

If you re-join the military into active-duty service, more than 90 days before your benefits expire, you are eligible for your GI Bill to essentially “renew.”

Tips to use the GI Bills fully

Your GI Bill is eligible for you to use for 36 months of schooling. It is not based on the amount of money used; it goes off of how many months you are in school. So if your school is only $2,000 a month, you will still be using the same amount of your Bill as if you went to a university where tuition was $7,000 a month.

Since it can only be used for 36 months, make sure to decide on a major early! This way you are not wasting credits on classes you don’t need.

Take extra classes if you can handle the course load. 12 hours is considered full-time for most colleges, but take more courses if you can!

Your GI Bill will qualify for online classes! You must take one course on campus, but the rest can be online. This could be a good alternative if you have a family or a busy work schedule.

Try to plan ahead for which books you will need each semester for the best use of your stipend. Look into used books stores and websites such as Amazon Textbooks and Chegg. Both will give you options to rent your books and have both new and used options.

Can I use both bills?

It is possible to use both the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post 9/11 Bill, but with some limitations.

First of all, the combined use of both do not extend to 72 months (36+36) but is capped at 48. So the use of both offers an extension of 12 month.

Secondly, in order to use both, the Montgomery GI Bill must be the first used. Only when it is fully exhausted may you receive 12 months of the Post 9/11 GI BIll.

Because it is easy to make mistakes in trying to use both, it is recommended that you do your research and receive guidance in attempting to do so.

Ready to apply?

Before you apply, make sure you have these things available.
- Social Security number
- Bank account direct deposit information
- Education and military history
- Basic information about the school or training facility you want to attend or are attending now

Start your application here: https://www.va.gov/education/how-to-apply/

Use the GI Bill Comparison Tool to figure out how much the VA will pay for schooling: https://www.va.gov/education/gi-bill-comparison-tool/

​* Content adapted from VA Claims Insider Blog

customer1 png

Hi, I Am Carma Connor

CEO Of Women Warriors Connect

This is the place to learn about new resources for veterans. We keep it fun, light hearted and packed full of value.

1 png

Get Our Best Selling Product!

You just read about this...

Super excited about this product? We are, too! We just wrote this whole blog post that mentions it.

Ready to buy it? Get access to the Product here:

A Carma Connection Production
All Rights Reserved