I wish I was a Boy Scout

I have a teenage son who has spent the last three years in the Boy Scout program.  This program has not gotten much press lately that isn't bad.  Frankly, I think that's a shame.  I had no affinity for Scouts before 2009.  Never spent a day in my life doing it.  If not for the urging of my wife (like most of the good decisions in my life) I would have never gotten myself or my son involved.  Now I am more enthusiastic about it than my son is.  I go on camp outs, I teach merit badge classes, I volunteer whenever and however I can.  I can't get enough.

One of my passions in life is teaching and leading young men to learn life skills.  I have found my sweet spot with the Boy Scouts.  I also teach a group of 7th grade boys in a Sunday School class at church every week.  There are striking similarities between the two.  Most of all I love learning from them and being able to share with them the few small nuggets of wisdom I might have learned over the years.  Mostly earned by my own stupidity, I might add.  The phrase "do as I say, not as I do" comes to mind. 

I want to spend the next two weeks digesting two of the pillars of the Scouting program.  The Scout Law this week and the Scout oath next week.  I think there are life, business, personal and who knows what other areas of our lives that could benefit from reading and studying these "mission statements."

A Scout is: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Thrifty, Cheerful, Brave, Clean and Reverent. 

I was tempted to take each characteristic and spent a week on it but thought I lose people somewhere between courteous and kind.  Even if you just take each characteristic at face value it's not a bad way to live your life.  Instead of spending the next several weeks reading my deeper thoughts about each one I would challenge you to reflect upon these one by one and ask yourself how they apply to you personally, professionally and ideologically.  I am convinced there is some gold to be mined here.

How much would your personal relationships improve from working on being courteous, kind and cheerful?  Wouldn't your customers and stakeholders be more inclined to think of you more positively (and give you more business) if you were trustworthy, helpful and thrifty?  Wouldn't you like to be known as a person who is loyal, brave and reverent.

I think you get the picture.  I think the Scouts have gotten it for a long time.  These characteristics and values don't change with the economy, the political parties or the latest technology.  Tried and true these values make us all a better nation.  God bless the USA and God bless the BSA.