100 Days to Goal

On September 23rd, just a few days ago, the calendar hit the 100 days to the end of the year. Many of us set goals every year in January and by the time spring break comes; most of us have forgotten what those goals were.

First of all, if you did set some goals at the beginning of the year, congratulations! Less than 5% of the world sets goals and achieves them. If you have never set a goal or been serious about setting a goal, NOW is a great time to set a goal to complete it by the end of the year. As we approach October, we have 3 months or approximately 90 days to accomplish a goal. It can be anything you have been putting off all year. A fitness goal, financial, a special project, or maybe something fun like spending every Friday night with your family playing board games. You decide, but get into the habit of setting and achieve goals.

In Scouts, most of the kids have no idea that they have set a goal and are working on achieving it. As soon as they join scouting, either at the Cub Scout level or at the Boy Scout Level, they are working towards their ranks. In Boy Scouts, the big goal is the Eagle rank. Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle. It does not matter when a boy joins Scouts, he has a set deadline to make Eagle; his 18th birthday. Over 2 million boys in the United States have become members of an elite club. At an early age, these boys have become goal achievers. You can review the number of government leaders in office today and in the past to see goal achievers with the Eagle Scout rank on their resume.

If you are an Eagle Scout, congratulations, you are a goal achiever. If you have not set goals in a while, it is time to get back to your roots.

The time is NOW to set and achieve goals. You have about 100 days to goal. If you need help, you can contact a life coach, look online, or check out your library for books on goals setting. There is plenty of material to get you started. I recommend the Goal Achiever program from Bob Proctor. Jodee Bock, in the Fargo-Moorhead area facilitated the program I went through. It changed my thinking and helped me move towards my life purpose. You can contact Jodee at www.bocksoffice.com

Lead by Example,

Scouter Steve

Joining New Units

We relocated to beautiful Colorado. The kids are settled into school. We were fortunate enough to have a great scouting experience in Arizona and Minnesota. In both locations, we built strong relationships with Scouters and we consider them to be great friends. Now that we have moved, we needed to find new units for our boys.

When we moved to Minnesota, I did most of the looking and deciding for the boys. This time around, the boys did their own picking. Our youngest boy seems to be very happy with his new Pack. His Cubmaster showed up to the Pack meeting in a costume. During the Pack meeting, the boys made popcorn balls… what else to kick-off the popcorn selling season.

With our oldest, he checked out two units. Both units had great reputations within the community. The first one he visited was having their Court of Honor. A bit of a lusterless ceremony for the hard work, the boys did over the summer. My son did not know any of the boys in that troop. I suggested he ask some of his classmates if they were in Scouts and what unit they were in. All of them were in the same unit. My son and I went to check out the second unit. They were planning a campout. The Scoutmaster did very little during the meeting (definitely boy lead). There were several parents at the meeting, all of them with their heads down working on Scout matters (advancement chair, popcorn chair, and an outdoor coordinator). By the end of the meeting, my son said he wanted to go camping and join this troop.

I knew my son had picked a good troop, when the scoutmaster had a quick meeting with the boys. Buddy system at all times, no smell-ables in the tents, and get your tents up and meet back in 20 minutes. When I saw some of the younger boys struggling with the tent, I attempted to help them out. The Scoutmaster politely told me they would figure it out. Very cool! After the tents were up, the Scoutmaster gave the boys a half hour to explore the area with their buddy.

It has only been a week of meetings and events, but I think the boys will have some good experiences a head of them.

We have been involved with scouting for several years and have been involved in several packs and a few troops. We have seen some great units and some checkbox units. When it comes down to it, the boys are the ones that determine if scouting is going to be fun. If they get involved, they will have fun. Do your best and be prepared!

Lead by Example,

Scouter Steve

A Scout is Friendly…

Before I get started, I wanted to apologies for such a long break from my last posting. Its been quite the busy time. We’ve moved from Minnesota to Colorado. We’re looking forward to the adventures of scouting in our new region.

On one of the trips we drove through South Dakota. Pierre was one of the communities we drove through. This brings me to my topic. Just about everyone driving towards me had some type of wave as I drove by on the highway. My wife insisted I get with the swing of things and wave back to these friendly folks. As I exchanged waves, I started to think about this situation. Most of these people live in South Dakota and that is the way life is … friendly and happy. I still think they all thought I was the Governor. If you think about it a little, I was driving a white American made SUV and I was coming out of Pierre. I do not know what the Governor of South Dakota drives, but I am sure everyone near Pierre knows the Governor. My wife didn’t think so either.

This long time in the car had me thinking about all of the friendly people we have met in the past couple of years. Many of them are from the Fargo-Moorhead community and especially in the scout troop we are a part of. Being part of Scouts in general will help a young boy with being a friendly character. All you have to do is say ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’ and then smile.

My challenge to you is to say ‘Hello’ to 10 random strangers…

Lead by example,

Scouter Steve

To Keep Physically Strong

This week the main focus of my thoughts relates around part of the Scout Oath, “…To keep physically strong;”

I do not know if it was helping one of the Scouts with the swimming merit badge or preparing for a 4-mile backpacking trip, but I certainly have the bug to do more exercise than I have in the past. Therefore, this past couple of days, I picked up a Running magazine, walked every day, and took my kids out for a long bike ride through the neighborhood.

There are many benefits of doing some sort of exercise every day. A couple of the benefits that I enjoyed these past couple of days is the time to think and the time to enjoy the nice weather we have been receiving.

This is one area of the Scouting trail I need to practice better. It certainly was much easier to stay physically active and keep physically strong when I was younger. I am grateful that my kids keep me moving with scouting activities. I am certainly looking forward to a canoe trip and a backpacking trip.

The challenge I have for you this week is to take a walk through your neighborhood, go for a jog, take the stairs, or do something that you have not done in a while that involves physical activity.

Lead by example,

Scouter Steve

Attitude of Gratitude

Today, the 4th of July is a great day to celebrate and to show your gratitude to our nation’s founding fathers, and all of the men and women who have served our nation to protect our freedom.

I think we take a lot of what we have in the United States for granted. Our Constitution gives us so many rights to be free. I really like the phrase “…life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Through my scouting career, I have taken part of many ceremonies in regards to our countries traditions and codes. One particular ceremony that I have witnessed time after time is the US flag retirement ceremony. The scouts are one of three organizations approved by the Congress to perform flag disposal/retirement ceremonies. During these ceremonies, there is such a patriotic energy that comes over the participants. When the ceremony is all over and the fire has burned itself completely out, the ashes are filtered for the grommets from the retired flags. These grommets are then given to selected patriots as a gratitude gift.

The Attitude of Gratitude goes well beyond the Boy Scouts and being grateful for a free country. It goes into everyday life. We need to be grateful or thankful for the things we have. When something doesn’t go right or in your favor, you need to stop and be thankful for what is going well. For example, my dog is over 14 years old and she is very sick this past weekend. I do believe we will need to put her down very soon. I am sad that she won’t be a part of our lives; however, I am so thankful that she has given us so much over the last 14 plus years. There is always something to thankful for.

Do you have something that is bothering you or isn’t going well? Sure you do, everyone does. Don’t ponder on the bad, let’s look at the good stuff and be thankful for that. Can’t think of anything? Think a little longer, there is something…the birds, the flowers, the lake…it is simple to be thankful for something.

Challenge yourself to have an Attitude of Gratitude this coming week.

Thank you for reading my blog…lead by example,

Scouter Steve

"...wish they had made it to Eagle."

This week I came across parents of a Scout that is very close to completing his final steps. Unfortunately, his parents told me he was not going to make Eagle. My heart sank with frustration. I do not know the circumstances of this Scout’s decision. I decided to reach out to him and offer a supporting hand. He sent me an e-mail saying that scouting has taken a back burner. I hope he is one of the readers of this blog and understands that achieving Eagle is going to give him a great foundation to build his future. He only has until his 18th birthday to complete the requirements. He could actually spend 1 to 2 hours a week and complete his tasks with ease.

I have lost track of the number of people I have met that have told me that they only made it to Life Scout or another rank and many of them have said they wish they had made it to Eagle. Personally, I have benefited from being an Eagle. When I was in college, I saw an ad for a weekend clerk for a motel. I decided to apply for the position. I went into the motel and there was two older women working behind the desk. I asked for an application and filled it out. I gave my application back to the women and they asked me to wait. I watched them scan over my application. When they got down to the part of the application where I put my Eagle Award, they pointed and chatted. They then called me up and confirmed with me that I was an Eagle Scout. The next question from one of the women was “Can you start tomorrow?” That was the shortest and the easiest interview I ever had.

After college, I sent out close to a 100 resumes for jobs. I received a call for an interview. When I went into the Vice Presidents office, he told me that the only reason I got the interview was that I had put Eagle Scout on my resume. We talked for an hour, mostly about scouting. Two weeks later, I was offered a job.

My nephew, who is an Eagle Scout, joined the Navy a few years ago. He put Eagle Scout down on his paperwork. The Navy asked to see his certificate and then promoted him before he arrived to boot camp.

Another little benefit to achieving the Eagle rank is the number of scholarships that become available. The National Eagle Scout Association gives out many scholarships every year.

These are only some small and short-term benefits. The long-term affect of achieving a high award at a young age will set the foundation of character and greatness for any boy who becomes an Eagle. All Eagle Scouts are goal achievers.

When is the last time you achieved a major goal?

Yours in Scouting,

Steve

Be Prepared!

The Boy Scout Motto is "Be Prepared!" When boys first hear this motto, their first question is "for what?" The answer is always "for anything!"

This past week, our troop went up to the Northern Lights Council's Boy Scout camp, called Camp Wilderness. It is my favorite camp (out of the three I have been to). I tried to be as prepared for the week as possible. I packed extra clothes, blankets, rain gear, snacks, band aids, extra bug spray... everything I could think of was thrown in.

Throughout the week, I came across situations where I was thankful for being prepared. I also saw plenty of boys not being prepared. Most boys only brought one pair of shoes. It rained all day on Tuesday and those boys had to wear wet socks and shoes on Wednesday. They soon developed blisters.

What I realized during this week was how much the Boy Scouts teaches how to "Be Prepared." I sat through the Emergency Preparedness merit badge sessions a few times. The counselor talked about different scenarios of emergencies; including a mock drill of a disaster scene. During the mock drill the boys had to provide first aid to victims of a tornado. I also watched the canoeing merit badge sessions. That counselor talked about first aid around water activities, including CPR techniques and hypothermia. The boys had to practice getting into a canoe while in the middle of the lake.

As I drove home, I started to think about this blog and think about the topic of "Be Prepared" and I realized that other merit badges touch this topic like the Personal Management merit badge, which teaches the boys about financial obligations and to "Be Prepared" with budgets, and savings. Other merit badges such as Family Life, Communication, and First Aid continue to prepare the boys for the future.

In our troop, a pen is part of the uniform. This allows the boys to "Be Prepared" to take notes, or to have a pen ready for when they complete a requirement in their book.

I find it interesting on how much I have learned how to "Be Prepared" from scouting. Throughout my life, I always have a plan B and sometimes a plan C. Think about when you have been most successful with a presentation, an exam, an interview, a phone call, or a shopping event. Did you think through it before hand? If so, then perhaps you were prepared.

Yours in Scouting,
Scouter Steve

A Scout is ... Brave.

There are 12 points to the Scout Law. You can review the list that I posted on this blog. I try to live by these laws as much as possible. No one is perfect; all we can do is do our best to lead by example. My original intentions of this blog is to go through the laws one at a time in order. However, this past week, I have been really thinking about the 10th law, Brave. So I'll just post about what I think is coming to me at the time and how it relates to Scouting.

When I was growing up and in scouts, I would remind myself that a Scout is Brave at times I faced something I wasn't comfortable doing. My first time sleeping alone in a tent was a bit scary, and I remember how nerve racking that was. The Scout Law got me through that event.

Now that I am an adult, I still rely on the 10th law. Especially when moving across the country from Arizona to Minnesota... or taking on a new position at work where there is no manual or another person to model after.

Recently, I've leaned on this law when I created this blog. This has to be very similar to public speaking. I've told my mastermind group that this is like putting your fanny out into the wind for everyone to smack. I've stepped outside the comfort zone to share my passion of scouting and what it can do.

Another recent example of leaning on the Scout Law is committing to a special project. This past winter I was asked to be part of a book project. I leaned on the Scout Law and committed to becoming a co-author to a book about masterminds. The book is expected to come out later this month. You can learn about the book at http://www.invitingdialogue.com/. There is some excitement to be part of a great project, but it is also a bit scary. My thoughts and words will now be in print. Very similar to posting a blog.

This posting is about being brave and leaning on the 10th law. What I hope you will understand is that a Scout leans on all of the laws to get through life challenges. The Scout Law and the Scout Oath are guides for everyday decisions. If you are a scout I'm sure you can relate or have similar experiences throughout your day when times are unclear. If you're not a scout, do you have some guides that you can lean on?

Yours in Scouting... Scouter Steve.

Welcome

Hello everyone. Thank you for checking out my blog site. As always, I'm out for an adventure. I've decided to share my thoughts about the life of Scouting. With this blog, I hope to give my perception on living with the Scout Oath, Law, and the Motto.


I have quite the passion for Scouting and helping young boys go through a transformation to become adult leaders. If you are a parent, I hope you see scouting as a great way of life for your children. I hope that your son or daughter completes their adventure and achieves their goals. It seems like I have talked to friends all over the country who have children who never gave scouting a real chance. Almost all of them have said "If I had only known." Perhaps this will help some parent or some scouter out there give support to a young boy or girl to stay on the trail to achieve the highest ranks.


Something for you to think about... What would our world look like today if we had a majority of our citizens live with an Oath and Law like the Boy Scouts of America teach?


Yours in Scouting,


Steve