Last week, we tackled Focus on Focus—reclaiming our time and attention in a world designed to scatter them. How did the assignment go for you? Did you push back against the endless notifications, pings, and pulls? Were you able to lock in on what truly matters?

If you're like most of us, it was a fight. In 2025 data, the average American checks their phone nearly 200 times a day (about once every 5 minutes while awake), spending over 5 hours glued to screens. Globally, people average around 2 hours and 21–24 minutes daily on social media alone. For veterans who've trained to stay mission-focused under fire, civilian life can feel like a different kind of battlefield—one where distractions are the enemy, chipping away at our limited time.

But here's the good news: We've proven it's possible to grab our gear, dial in, and Restore Focus. This week, let's dig into why that's not just nice—it's essential—and what we should be zeroing in on.

Life is an incredible gift, plain and simple. One of the rawest ways to see it: the line from cradle to grave.

(Imagine the simple animated graphic here: a horizontal line with a cradle at one end, grave at the other, and a big “YOU ARE HERE” X marking your spot right now.)

That line is measured in time—days, weeks, months, years, decades. Current US life expectancy hovers around 79 years (with projections for 2025–2026 at about 79.3–79.6 years on average), or roughly 28,800–29,000 days total. But we never know exactly where we stand on that line. For me, that hits close to home. About a year before I was born, my older brother Nathan died in a tragic accident. His line ended at just eight years. That was over 50 years ago, and it still reminds me how fragile and unpredictable this gift can be.

Veterans understand this reality on a deep level. We've seen brothers and sisters lost too soon—in service, in accidents, or in the silent battles that follow. Recent VA reports show veteran suicide rates remain alarmingly high—roughly double the general population (around 34–35 per 100,000 for veterans vs. 17–18 for non-veterans), with over 6,400 veteran suicides in recent years (about 17 per day). Women veterans face rates up to 92% higher than non-veteran women, and men about 60% higher. These numbers aren't just stats—they're a call to protect the time we have left.

The flip side? Intentional, focused living can extend and enrich it. Studies on veterans show that positive habits and purposeful routines correlate with longer, healthier lives—sometimes adding significant years compared to those without them.

So, how do we honor the unknown length of our line? By treating now as the only time we truly own. Remember that classic line from Spaceballs: “When will then be now?” “Soon!”

What if we spent the rest of our days focused only on what's truly important—the people who matter, the values we hold, the legacy we build? In today's world, almost everything else can be automated, delegated, or cut.

Distractions steal more than we realize. In a typical 8-hour workday, many people report only 2–4.5 hours of real productivity—the rest lost to low-value tasks, interruptions, and scrolling. It takes an average of 23 minutes to refocus after each distraction. Multiply that by dozens of daily hits, and entire days vanish.

But we don't have days to waste. We've stormed beaches, held lines, led teams under pressure. Now it's time to hold the line on our own attention.

This week's assignment: Grab some sticky notes. Write this one powerful question on them:

“Is what I’m doing right now truly important to me?”

Plaster them everywhere—your computer screen, bathroom mirror, bedside table, dashboard, fridge. See it. Ask it honestly. Pause. If the answer is no, redirect. Course-correct to what aligns with your core.

Brothers and sisters in arms, we've proven we can stay locked in when it counts. Let's apply that discipline to the one mission that never ends: living fully in the time we've got.

Stay strong. Stay focused. Make it count.