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
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
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
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
Saturday, June 13, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
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
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
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