Scott Medlin: Author, Speaker, & Law Enforcement Influencer

Begin with the end in mind.  It is a topic we have covered on The Coptimizer Podcast regularly.  It applies to just about everything we do in life.  Yet, how many of us struggle with this simple yet essential life tip?  As we get older, we generally get wiser.  That is not always the case, but even for us knuckledraggers, it is a simple truth.  

It has been said that knowledge is a necessary precondition for wisdom, but it is possible to have knowledge without wisdom.  It has also been said that knowledge without wisdom is like water in the sand.  Chew on that for a few minutes.  Okay, maybe just think on it; afterall, nothing is worse than eating a mouth full of sand.

The problem with knowledge is that we are not always prepared to seek it or, worse yet, accept it when it is presented to us.  Sometimes, the school of hard knocks is a more powerful teacher than learning by the examples (or failures) of others.  A wise person knows how to avoid the suffering of others.  

In this week's episode, I had a great conversation with former police officer and Marine veteran Scott Medlin.  He is the author of several books, including the one we discussed, 101 Health Tips for Police Officers:  How to Be Physically, Mentally, Socially, and Spiritually Fit for Duty.  As you can probably tell already, we have a lot in common.  Maybe the one thing in common we didn't cover is the hard truth about the difference between wisdom and knowledge.  Like Scott and myself, I can say with a high level of confidence that anyone reading this or listening to the Podcast will also have had struggles with learning from the mistakes of others.  As Cops, particularly when it comes to physical and mental well-being, we tend to enroll in the school of hard knocks before graduating to learn from the mistakes of others.

As such, we like to take the lessons from the physical and emotional scars and share the stories with others, or at least those ready to hear them.  The rest will have to wait.  Scott tells us his story of how his life unfolded as he transitioned from Marine combat veteran to Police K-9 Officer.  Somewhere along the journey, Scott lost his identity.  More to the point, he began to identify with things that were not him but more of an idea of him.  

Click here for another example of symbolism and the trouble it can create.

So, if you want to accelerate your learning curve, jump on this episode and pick up a copy of Scott's book.  If you're going to get a head start, skip to the end of the episode, where we cover the Top 20!  Scott's story is powerful, and he wants to share what he has learned from others so they can enjoy a long, prosperous, and healthy journey through the challening and rewarding law enforcement career.

You can watch this podcast on our YouTube channel by clicking here.