07: LIEUTENANT ROWAN'S ECHO: MY ARLINGTON REFLECTION

A Journey of Determination and Discovery

Pic above: Janine Driver at the grave of Lt. Andrew Rowan, at Arlington Cemetery

Hey there, awesome friend!

It's Janine Driver, with this evening’s newsletter, “In The DRIVER’S Seat: Your FUN (and unfiltered) Guide to Decoding Body Language & Influencing Human Behavior.” Tonight, I'm bringing you something straight out of my New York Times best-seller. That's right, we're talking about the legendary “A Message to Garcia,” which I mention in my first book "YOU SAY MORE THAN YOU THINK".

Let's drive into this journey together!

What is “A Message to Garcia”

So, here's the deal, in my book "YOU SAY MORE THAN YOU THINK," there's this powerful section about Lieutenant Andrew Rowan's mission to deliver a message to General Garcia. This isn't just any old story, folks. It's about tackling the unknown head-on, with grit and determination.

Picture this: US President McKinley hits up Lieutenant Rowan with a top-secret mission – deliver a message to General Garcia - leader of the rebels in Cuba who are fighting for their independence from Spain. But here's the kicker: McKinley doesn't give him a GPS or a how-to guide. Rowan doesn't even ask, "Where's Garcia?" or "How do I find this guy?" Nope. He just nods, leaves the room, and figures it out. That's the real deal – stop bugging the bosses with questions and start finding your own answers.

Let me lay down two success stories of "A Message to Garcia," for you…

“Character is the result of two things… Mental attitude and the way we spend our time. It's what we think and what we do that makes us what we are." - Elbert Hubbard

Professional Success Thanks to Finding Garcia

Let's add a twist to this "Message to Garcia" tale with a bit of my backstory. Decades before I even heard about Rowan, my mom dropped some serious wisdom on me. She always said, "Don't just bring problems to your boss; bring three solutions and be ready to hear their ideas too." And you know what? That advice was golden!

Thanks to that mindset, I climbed up the ranks at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) real fast. Started in Hartford, CT, cracking down on firearms trafficking, and bam! Three years later, I'm the Public Information Officer (PIO) in NYC, right at the World Trade Center (yup, that World Trade Center). But wait, there's more – got tapped by the FBI to teach firearm trafficking, then back with ATF and off to Seattle as a program manager, Boston, and finally DC in headquarters, schooling folks in everything from witness interviews to body language.

All this? I owe it to my mom's advice and my own "I can find Garcia" mantra. Just goes to show, find your Garcia and you'll find your path!

Pic above: Car seats taken out out Honda Odyssey Minivan