Start Me Over® slideshare

®
® START ME OVER IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK

hello! Discover how you can redefine your life and be better able to
fit back into your family, your community, and your own skin.
startmeover.com
Discover how you can redefine your life and be better able to
fit back into your family, your community, and your own skin.
startmeover.com
®

EVERY DAY, THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE HAVE TO CHANGE THEIR
CAREER, THEIR HOME, OR THEIR
LIFE.
®

THEY HAVE TO START OVER.
®

THEY HAVE TO START OVER.
®
Withgreatchange,comesgreatopportunity.

THIS VERSION IS FOR SERVICE
MEN AND WOMEN TRANSITIONING
BACK INTO CIVILIAN LIFE.
Please look for the standard version of Start Me Over® if you are non-military.
Thanks.
®

whyarewe
here?
®

START ME OVER® LOOKS AT REINTEGRATION FROM
THE UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE OF VETERANS MOVING
FROM ONE COMMUNITY TO ANOTHER. LIKE ALL
COMMUNITIES, BOTH THE MILITARY AND CIVILIAN
COMMUNITIES ARE FUELED BY BELIEF SYSTEMS.
®

ONCE YOU CAN IDENTIFY THE ELEMENTS OF A BELIEF
SYSTEM (CREATION STORY, CREED, ICONS, RITUALS,
LEXICON, NONBELIEVERS, LEADER), YOU CAN
DECONSTRUCT ANY COMMUNITY AND DETERMINE HOW
TO INTEGRATE INTO THAT COMMUNITY WITH GREATER
SPEED, PURPOSE AND MEANING.
®

START ME OVER® HELPS PEOPLE LEARN THE
STRUCTURE AND ELEMENTS OF COMMUNITY, AND HOW
TO USE THESE ELEMENTS AS TOOLS TO HELP NAVIGATE
CHANGE.
®

THE ULTIMATE OBJECTIVE IS A DEEPER, MORE HOLISTIC
UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO CREATE PERSONAL
TRANSFORMATION FROM THE INSIDE OUT.
SO RETURNING, RETIRED, EVEN DISABLED VETERANS
HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO CREATE
MEANING, COMMUNITY, AND BELONGING IN THEIR LIFE.
®

START ME OVER® IDENTIFIES THE CONSTRUCT THAT
CREATES BELIEF SYSTEMS, AND USES THAT CONSTRUCT
TO HELP PEOPLE MAKE MEANINGFUL TRANSITIONS IN
THEIR LIVES. TO HELP THEM BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES.
®

START ME OVER® IS FOR SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN,
THEIR SPOUSES, FAMILY, CAREGIVERS, EMPLOYERS AND
OTHERS.
®

START ME OVER® HAS BEEN CREATEDBYVETS.
FORVETS.
®

theoverview
®

SERVICEMEN&WOMENAREINTRANSITION:
VERTICAL HIERARCHIES
DEFINED STRUCTURE
STRONG MORAL CODE
MILITARY LIFE
MILITARY MOS
FOLLOW ORDERS
FLAT WORLD
FREEDOM OF CHOICE
MORAL OPTIONS
LIFESTYLE CHOICES
WORK LIFE
SELF-MOTIVATED
®
FROM: TO:

IT’SABOUT
MEANING.
®

IT’SABOUT
BELONGING.
®

IT’SABOUT
BECOMING
PARTOFA
COMMUNITY. ®

WECREATEBELONGINGBYFIRSTCREATINGBELIEF.
®

WEWANTTOBELIEVEINEACHOTHER,WEWANTTOBELIEVE
INTHINGS,ANDWEWANTTOBELIEVEINOURSELVES.
®

creatingbelief
®

THECORETOBELIEFIS
ASYSTEMOFSEVEN(7)THINGSTHATAREACTUALLY
THE“BELIEFSYSTEM”.
®

THISISTHEPRIMALCODE:
®

Think of how military units have a
creation myth of how they began.
From “the shores of Tripoli” to John
Paul Jones, each of the Armed
Forces--and many of the units within
them--have legendary stories of how
they began, and the engagements
fought. This is not about nostalgia.
Rather, for every recruit it is about
becoming part of a continuing legacy.
®

Civilian communities also have creation stories. All belief systems begin with a
fundamental human question, “Where are you from?” Our ancestors came from
Ireland, Germany, Italy, Nigeria, Shanghai. New York was founded by the
Dutch. Two guys in a garage started building personal computers. Origins hold
terrific seminal and emotional value. It’s not nostalgia, it’s legacy. Where you’re
from is the foundation of your narrative.
®

All military units have a set of core principles, a reason for being.
Something to believe in. Call it the warrior ethos: Come back with this
shield, or on it. Caedite eos, novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius. Freedom
or death. Semper fi. These notions hold units together, make them feel
superior to the enemy. Help them survive. All belief systems have a
similar set of core principles.
®

Civilian communities also have core principles. A mission statement that
declares that all men are equal. A belief in life after death. A belief that
the state is supreme. A belief in the Red Sox. A belief that you can be
your best self. Determining what you believe in after exiting the military
system, will become one of your most important challenges.
®

Military life is filled with icons. Our brain instantaneously identifies
shapes, sounds, smells, colors, and tells us whether we should
approach or avoid. These iconic signals can mean life or death. All
belief systems create totems that are quick concentrations of meaning
that encapsulate who you are.
®
® START ME OVER IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK2013

The civilian world also contains patterns of meaning that signal who
you are, and whether people should approach or avoid you. Your
clothing, the car you drive, the house you live in, how you smell. These
icons can involve any of the five senses: sight, touch, sound, scent and
taste, and are the identifiers of which community you belong to.
®

Rituals are the repeated interactions that take place between you and your
world. Clearly the military is filled with ritual, starting from the first day you
stood in formation. Unlike civilians, you have been trained to follow
procedure, protocols, and succeed under stressful conditions. Ritual is habits
(good & bad). Carry these good habits back with you into the world.
®

Rituals are the repeated interactions that take place between you and your
world. Rituals can be either positive or negative (birthday party vs. going to the
dentist), but the vitality of a community comes from the positive ritual
engagements between yourself and the others in your world. Ritual is
behavior. Ritual is process. In order to succeed in the civilian community, you
must learn to master their rituals, their procedures for getting things done.
®

All belief systems create special vocabularies that define those who are
a part of their community. And those who are not. These lexicons have
precious meaning. If you don’t “know the words”, you don’t belong in the
group. Military life is filled with words that are foreign to those on the
outside. In its simplest form, Navy personnel have a completely different
vocabulary from those in the Army or Air Force.
“MREs”, “FUBAR”, “Never quit”,
“Army Strong.”, “toepoppers”,
“SOP”, “TTP”, “Article 15”,
“squared away”
®

All communities have special vocabularies that define those who are a
part of their community, and those who do not. As a newcomer in the
civilian community, you cannot expect others to understand military
words, terms, or phrases. Instead, you will have to translate, interpret,
and (re)learn the words necessary to live, work, and play in your new
civilian communities.
“iced grande skinny
caramel frappucinno”
®

In military life, it was (sometimes) easy to identify nonbelievers. They were
called the enemy. All communities commonly define a counter group or
“other” so as to help define themselves. Nonbelievers help us understand
what we never want to be.
®

Communities commonly define the counter group so as to help define
themselves (Democrats/Republicans, Mac/PC, doves/hawks, PlayStation/
Xbox360, Baidu/Google, processed food/organic food). Nonbelievers
help us understand what we never want to become. Whatever that other
group is, “We don’t want to be like them”. Nonbelievers have a completely
different creed, icons, rituals, and lexicon that helps identify them.
®

All belief systems have a person who set out against all odds and
the world at large to recreate the world from their own point of view.
The leader is you. It is their responsibility to ensure that all seven
pieces of primal code are in place to create a belief system that
attracts others who share those beliefs and becomes a thriving,
vibrant community.
®

THISCONSTRUCTIS
WHYWEBELIEVEIN
PRODUCTS,INPEOPLE,
INORGANIZATIONS,AND
INOURSELVES.
©2013
®

FORCIVILIANS,THESE
AREINTERSECTIONS
THATCOMPRISEDAILY
LIFEINHUMANSOCIETY.
©2013
®

FORVETERANS,THEY
CANBECONFUSING
STUMBLINGBLOCKS
THATPREVENTTHESENSE
OFTRULYBELONGING.
®

HEREAREEXAMPLES
OFBRANDCOMMUNITY
BELIEFSYSTEMS.
®

United States of America
Creation story: Discovered by Christopher Columbus. Settled by
Pilgrims. Declared independence in 1776
Creed: Freedom for all. Independence. (Capitalism)
Icons: American flag, White House, Statue of Liberty, Declaration of
Independence, the Constitution, the President
Rituals: voting, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, MLK Day, parades
Sacred words: “We the people”, “freedom”, “liberty”, “equality”
Nonbelievers: Fascists, communists, Al Quaida
Leader(s): Barack Obama, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln,
et al.
®

MarineCorps
Creation story: Formed November 10, 1775, when the Continental
Congress passed a resolution that “two Battalions of Marines be
raised” to serve as landing forces for the fledgling American fleet
Creed: “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful)
Icons: The Eagle, Globe and Anchor Marine Corps seal, the United
States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the Marine Corps Hymn, the
enlistment oath, the uniforms, the Marine officer’s sword, the Silent
Drill Platoon, flag raising on Mount Siribachi, medals
Rituals: induction, boot camp, hazing, The Crucible, et al.
Sacred words: “Semper fi”, “A Marine never dies”, “The Crucible”,
“Warrior’s Breakfast”, terms of strategy and war
Nonbelievers: enemy forces
Leader(s): Commander In Chief
®

Coke
Creation story: a pharmacist in Atlanta who created a secret
soft drink formula
Creed: Coke is it. The real thing.
Icons: bottle shape, color red, Coke ribbon, taste
Rituals: anticipation, opening can or bottle, slugging it down
Sacred words: “Coke”, Coke’s secret formula, joy
Nonbelievers: Pepsi, 7UP, water, coffee, milk, fruit juices,
energy drinks
Leader: investors
®

CivilRightsMovement
Creation story: Rosa Parks sat at the front of the bus in
Montgomery, Alabama
Creed: all men are created equal
Icons: picket signs, songs, photos of snarling police dogs,
Rosa Parks
Rituals: speeches, marches, nonviolent demonstrations,
registering to vote
Sacred words: “I have a Dream”, “We shall overcome”
Nonbelievers: racists, people who thought that change was
not possible
Leader(s): Rev. Martin Luther King & others
®

Romanticlove
Creation story: “How did you guys meet?”
Creed: I love you.
Icons: rings, flowers, chocolates, cards
Rituals: dating, going steady, engagement, marriage,
Valentine’s Day
Sacred words: “I love you”, “honey”, etc.
Nonbelievers: single people, old boyfriends, old girlfriends, ex-
spouses
Leaders: both of you
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BELONGING
BELIEF=
BRAND=
©2013

getstarted
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I am
This is my Creation Story
This is my Creed
These are my Icons
These are my Rituals
This is my Special Lexicon
These are my Nonbelievers
These are my Leaders
EXERCISE: USE THE PRIMAL CODE CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONAL BRAND.
®

CREATIONSTORY:Where were you born? Did you go to high school? College? Are you married? Have children? In a
roomful of strangers, just knowing this one piece of code can endear you to people above all others.
CREED:What do you believe in? What things do you value? What things do you celebrate? What would you be
willing to die for? What are your goals, vision, aspirations? What would you work nights, weekends, forever trying
to achieve?
ICONS:Personal icons include your hair, your clothes, your smell. They also include where you live, the car you drive.
To bling, or not to bling. Notice how stars and celebrities reboot themselves with new looks.
RITUAL:Rituals are our belief system in motion. They are the repeated actions we take every day, and they can be
positive or negative. Sitting on the couch versus working out. Eating well or eating poorly. Superficially, rituals can
be having our route to work every day. How do we act toward others?
SACREDWORDS:This is the language you use to describe yourself. How you articulate who you are, what you believe
in. Your personal vocabulary.
NONBELIEVERS:What do you never want to become? Who do you never want to be like? The Creed underlines what
you are for--now what are you against?
LEADER:In a democratic society, you have the freedom to lead your own life. Others might
include mentors, and/or people you admire or who have influenced you.
EXERCISE: CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONAL BRAND NARRATIVE USING PRIMAL CODE.
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CreationStory:________________________________
Creed:______________________________________
Icons:______________________________________
Rituals:_____________________________________
Sacredwords:________________________________
Nonbelievers:_________________________________
Leader:_____________________________________
EXERCISE: CREATE YOUR OWN PERSONAL BRAND NARRATIVE USING PRIMAL CODE.
®

THEPRIMALCODE
CREATESASTRATEGIC
BRANDNARRATIVE
THATBUILDSBELIEF.
®

startover
®

THISISWHEREYOU
START.THISISYOUR
NEWBEGINNING.
®

ONCEYOUAREABLETOTELLSOMEONEWHEREYOU’REFROM,
WHATYOU’REABOUT,SIGNALWHATIDENTIFIESYOU,HOWYOU
WORK(ORTHEWAYYOUAPPROACHTHINGS),THEWORDSTHAT
DESCRIBEYOU,WHATYOU’RENOTANDNEVERWANTTOBECOME,
ANDWHATGUIDESYOU,YOUHAVEDEVELOPEDABRAND
NARRATIVE.WHILETHISMAYSEEMSIMPLISTIC,OFTENTHAT
NARRATIVEALONEWILLSETYOUAPARTFROMOTHERSANDGIVE
YOUANADVANTAGE.
©2013
®

ONCEYOUAREABLETOTELLSOMEONEWHEREYOU’REFROM,
WHATYOU’REABOUT,SIGNALWHATIDENTIFIESYOU,HOWYOU
WORK(ORTHEWAYYOUAPPROACHTHINGS),THEWORDSTHAT
DESCRIBEYOU,WHATYOU’RENOTANDNEVERWANTTOBECOME,
ANDWHATGUIDESYOU,YOUHAVEDEVELOPEDABRAND
NARRATIVE.WHILETHISMAYSEEMSIMPLISTIC,OFTENTHIS
NARRATIVEALONEWILLSETYOUAPARTFROMOTHERSANDGIVE
YOUANADVANTAGEINJOB-SEEKINGANDOTHEROPPORTUNITIES.
©2013
®

twothings
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CONSIDERATION#1.MANYOFUSONEDAYDISCOVERTHATWE
HAVEBEENWALKINGINSOMEONEELSE’SSTORY.EVENIFWE
HAVEATERRIFICJOBATATERRIFICCOMPANY,WEARE
FULFILLINGSOMEONEELSE’SDREAM.IFWEWORKATAPPLE,WE
AREFULFILLING STEVEJOBS’DREAM.IFWEWORKFORJOHN
DEERE,WEAREFULFILLINGJOHNDEERE’SDREAM.SOMEOFUS
WAKEUP(TOOLATE?)ANDDISCOVERTHATWEHADADREAMOF
OUROWN.IT’SNEVERTOOLATETOHAVEADREAM,ORTOSTART
WALKINGINYOUROWNSTORY.
®

RayKrocstartedMcDonald’swhenhewas52. EuropeancomposerAntonin
Dvorak created the music he is most famous for, after age 50. Ulysses S.
Grant was a drunk and failure and over 40 years old before he gained
national acclaim with the Civil War surrender of Vicksburg. Benjamin
Franklin was over 70 when he became ambassador to France and
signed the Declaration of Independence. You’re never too young or too
old to start over. In fact, gamiﬁcation thinking tells us to take note of the
fact that in many games we “die” and then get to start all over again.
Real life, declares game thinking, also gets new lives. Yours starts now.
®

CONSIDERATION#2.WEAREBORNWHATTHEROMANSCALLEDA
TABULARASA,ABLANKSLATE.WEARETOLDTHATWEAREABOY
ORGIRL,ASON,DAUGHTER,SISTER,BROTHER,PARTOFAFAMILY,
ACITY,WEARETOLDTHECOLOROFOURSKIN,WEARETOLD
WHATWEAREGOOD(ORBAD)AT:SPORTS,READING,WRITING,
MATH,BUSINESS,SALES.WEKNOWWHATMAKESUSASUCCESS.
WEKNOWTHERIGHTWAYTODOTHINGS.WEWRAPOURSELVES
WITHTHESESTORIESANDTHEYCOMFORTUS.BUTINORDERTO
RE-CREATEOURSELVES,WEMUSTQUESTIONANDPOSSIBLY
DESTROYTHESTORIESTHATGIVEUSCOMFORT.WEMUSTCREATE
NEWSTORIES.WEHAVETOSTARTOVER.
®

forward
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Defineyourassetsandwhypeopleembraceyouandholdyoudear.
Determinewhatthingsmayhavetoberedefinedinthecivilianworld.(Forexample,
militaryiconsandritualshaveminimalvalueinthecivilianworld.)
Redefineyouraspirationsandthevisionofyourpersonalfutureandengagement(s)in
thecivilianworld.
Understandthatyourlifewillbeembracedbymanycommunities,eachhavingitsown
lexicon,rituals,andnonbelievers.Youwill(possibly)beafather/mother,sportsfan,
mentor,employee,civicleader,etc.Eachoftheseroleshasitsowncommunitiesof
parents,neighbors,sportsfans,civicgroups,bookclubs,andothers.
Mostofall,keepmovingforwardintotheworld.Everyoneneedsyou.
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needhelp?
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TheprinciplesdescribedinStartMeOver®aretakenfromthebookPrimalBranding:
CreatingZealotsForYourBrand,YourCompanyAndYourFuture,byPatrickHanlonand
publishedbySimon&Schuster/FreePress.
Thebookisinsevenlanguagesandavailable
inprintanddigitalformsonAmazon.com.
®

www.startmeover.com
hanlon@startmeover.com
casiple@startmeover.com
®

®

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