Staying Connected

Common ways we connect with family, friends and co-workers.

With Easter just passing, I thought I would do a quick post on connecting.  My family (brothers and sisters, plus all of the nephews and nieces) live across several states.  We have been like this for years.  When there is a fairly big event, we all try to get together.  One year many of us flew over to the East Coast to watch our niece graduate from Clemson.  Before that, we had flown to Boston to watch a nephew graduate from Boston College. 

With this Coronavirus and the Stay-at-home orders, it took us this long to think of a way to celebrate with everyone remotely.  So I used Zoom to connect with everyone this past Easter.  I think it was the first time for some to use their laptop camera.  We even had our mom on by dialing in to listen and talk.  The picture below is the crew from our view.

I have been doing conference calls with co-workers and customers for years from my home office.  Up until now, it was unique.  Now just about everyone I connect with is working from home. 

There used to be a background noise etiquette.  Such as... you shouldn't have your pet barking or making noise.  Kids knew the rules to not disturb me when my office door was closed.   Now, anything goes.  I hear lawn mowers, garbage trucks, kids yelling, and TV playing in the background. 

I am also seeing more and more people getting use to using the camera for a video conference.  Digital transformation is happening at a very fast rate.

Our Scout Troop is holding weekly meetings via Zoom and other conferencing tools.  I think it is very cool how we can adapt fairly quick.

Ok... until next time...

Be Prepared!

Scouter Steve

Ceremonies Matter

I've written about Ceremonies before.   I believe the event of the ceremony is important for a couple of reasons.

First, the person participating in the ceremony gets a marker or milestone.  If they have completed a step, the ceremony helps them take it in at a conscious level and sub-conscious level.  This is also the same for something that they begin.  So a wedding ceremony would be an example of a ceremony that kicks-off a phase.  Let's think about the psychological impact for the participants.  They have that celebration moment.  It helps them realize the importance of the accomplishment.  It gives them the specific title they sought out to achieve, like "Eagle Scout" or "Graduate".   You might have heard of the Impostor Syndrome.  This is when someone is granted a job or responsibility and they don't feel like they deserve the position or the job.  In most cases, the individual does deserve the job and are very capable of performing that job.   So if you think about this, perhaps in your own situation, you can see how this would help with someone's confidence.

The second main reason is not so much the participant, but for the spectators.  When I go to Eagle Scout Ceremonies or Court of Honors, I like seeing the younger Scouts in the audience and participating or helping with the ceremony.  It's having the younger scouts see an older scout make it to the goal line.  This gives them a visual that someone can achieve the goal.  This is the same for Graduation.  The younger scout can actually say "Wow... I want to do that too"  or "If that guy can do it... I can do it."   

Take ceremonies seriously,  if it is for you, congratulations.  Remember there is a bigger impact to your mindset.  Additionally, there is an impact to your guest or others that are invited.

My friend and I had this as a topic on the Steve and Steve Show.  Take a look at the show.  Don't forget to subscribe as I talk a lot about Scouting on the show and it helps get our message out.

Until next time,

Be prepared!

Scouter Steve

Gratitude goes a long way...

Thought I would hit on this topic a little bit today.  Since there is a lot of negativity and uncertainty with this COVID-19 thing.

If we start our day giving thanks that we woke up and are still on the correct side of the grass, that will help us start the day off in the right direction.  It is easy to jump into the complaints or get sucked into world events on the news. 

When you are not feeling good about the situation, you have to stop and give thanks for anything that comes to mind.  That will help shift your mind to positive things around you.  This could be for the weather, the birds outside, the cookie you just ate, your kids, your spouse, your car, the cup of coffee or whatever you see next.  Find something to be happy and thankful about... keep going until your mood shifts.

In The Steve & Steve Show, I talked about a Gratitude Rock. I give these little rocks out at Scout meetings to the scouts and give them an understanding on how to use it.  Check the show out.  This one is a favorite.