You First

“The Scoutmaster teaches boys to play the game by doing so himself.”

– Sir Robert Baden-Powell

(1857-1941) Founder of the Boy Scouts

You are an example.  Whether you are working, playing, teaching or going through daily life.  Others are always watching you and people do notice - in spite of what we may think - people DO notice what we do.  At work, people will see your work habits, if you are on time, do more or less than you are asked to do.  At home, they notice how you treat those who you are closest to and the respect that you give to others.  At play or relaxing with friends, they notice the way you behave, the language you use and the things you do for fun.  There is no escaping it, you are an example.

                Success-minded people understand that true integrity is what you do when no one is looking.  Why?  Because it is part of who you are as a person.  It is hard work to behave properly in front of everyone.  It takes focus and energy to be cautious about what you say and do so as to set a good example.  It is not hard at all when that person you want to portray is really who you are.

                Mark Twain once said, "If you always tell the truth you don't have to remember anything."  That applies to our behavior as well.  If you are a person of good character, integrity and kindness you do not have to pretend for anyone.  It should always be just who you are.

                Want to live in a better world?  Be a better person.  Want to work with people who do their best, give more than expected and strive for excellence?  Be that person.  Set the standards for those around you.  Not to brag or look down on people.  That is the opposite of what I am asking you to do.  Be an honest and real success-minded person who others can follow and see how it is done.

                Never accept the excuse, "Well, no one else is doing it.  Why should I be the one to be the example?"  You are an example no matter what you do, so why not be a good one.  You notice when people behave badly, cheat, lie and get out of work.  Why would you think people would not notice when you do it?

                In the end, success-minded people believe they are here to make things better.  They know that they may be just one person, but they are a good one.  They understand that by being one less problem to the rest of the world they have shown the path to success.  And if we all strive to be the best we can be, we have made a massive change that will improve the lives of many.

                You matter!  You matter to the world and to yourself.  Remember to be your best, love God, have good manners, achieve the unknown and change your world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Life Coach and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey

Make Someone Happy

“The most worth-while thing is to try to put happiness into the lives of others.”

– Sir Robert Baden-Powell

(1857-1941) Founder of the Boy Scouts

As the old song says, "Make someone happy / Make just one someone happy / And you will be happy too."  That simple truth slides by so many people.  Look around you, how many people do you know who are not happy?  Do you see friends and family who are hurting, distressed, worried or discouraged?  We live in difficult times and unhappiness has become a way of life for people.

                You now have an opportunity to become a hero.  Make someone happy.  That may seem like a big order but it really is very simple.  Here are a few ways you can spread some happiness wherever you go and make someone's life a bit better, not to mention that you will enjoy it too.

Smile At Everyone

                Nothing is easier than a smile.  As you pass people on the street, in the office or store, give them a simple smile and move on.  No need to talk or stop what you are doing, just smile.  Those who are having a bad day will see that someone is happy.  I am not saying that their life will change just because you smiled at them, but you never know.

Speak A Few Kind Words

                When you find yourself standing with someone you never met, or waiting in line, smile at them and say something encouraging and kind.  What I have often seen are people standing in line and one says to the other, "What is the problem that things are moving so slow?"  That is not encouraging.  All that does is spread the anger.  Talk about things that are positive and uplifting.  Not as hard as it sounds.

Be Helpful And Enjoy It

                Open a door for someone, help them with their packages, or allow them to step in front of you in line.  Little kindnesses do so much to help lift the spirits of others and show them you care.  None cost you anything and the rewards are endless.  Simple acts of kindness are a wonderful way to spread a bit of happiness.

                It does not take a lot of effort or time to make those around you feel you care and to make them happy.  The great side benefit of all this is that you will be happier in the process.  It is impossible to make others happy and not become happy yourself.  Try it and find out.

                You matter!  You matter to the world and to yourself.  Remember to be your best, love God, have good manners, achieve the unknown and change your world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Life Coach and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey

Breaking Old Habits

“Correcting bad habits cannot be done by forbidding or punishment.”

– Sir Robert Baden-Powell

(1857-1941) Founder of the Boy Scouts

For many years I have worked with people who have struggled with habits and addictions of all kinds.  Not just the big stuff like drugs, alcohol and the like, but everyday habits like laziness, negative thinking and anger.  These may not be the things you think of when you talk of bad habits, but they really are the worst because they are so accepted.  It is the little habits that keep us from achieving the success we desire.

                How does one break these habits.  It is easy to say, "Just quite" but it is a different story when you try to do it.  Many of these habits have been part of our behavior for so long we do not know what to do without them.  Here are a few simple, yet powerful steps that you can take to remove these habits and begin living a life of victory and freedom.

Don't Stop Things, Start Them

                Here is the key to many behavioral changes that do not work.  We focus all our attention on stopping the behavior we want to change.  The problem is you cannot live in a vacuum and must replace that behavior with something, so what do we fill it with - the old behavior.  Rather than worrying about stopping something, think about what you want to do in its place.  Example: You have the habit of procrastination and you want to be productive instead.  What do you have to do to be productive?  What will your life look like if you were productive?  Focus all you attention on that and start to apply what you find right away.  You do not have to stop procrastinating at all, you only have to start to be productive.

Feed Your Brain Good Things

                Dr. Robert H. Schuller said, "You are what you think about all day long."  That is a deep and powerful truth.  Feed your mind thoughts and information about the person you intend to be.  Note: who you INTEND to be, not hope to be.  Be mindful of the things you watch, listen to and read.  Keep the information you feed yourself to that which builds you up, informs you and makes you better.

Keep A Positive Attitude

                You will go nowhere if you are negative and discouraged all the time.  Be positive and enthusiastic about who you are becoming.  You will never be perfect, but you should always strive to be.  Look at your behavior as the things you can do, not what you cannot do.  Do not see the removal of old habits as restricting yourself, but rather for what it really is, freeing yourself.

Start Living Your New Life

                Take a minute and think about what it would be like to live the life you want to live.  What would you be doing?  How would you feel and act?  What would you be thinking about, taking about and engaging in?  Now, start to do it.  This is not a fake it till you make it, it is living as you choose to live.  Do not buy into the lie that you have to first have a better job, different living situation, more money or things like that.  What gives you the life you want to live is inside you, not outside you.  Go for it now and be excellent in all you do.

                You matter!  You matter to the world and to yourself.  Remember to be your best, love God, have good manners, achieve the unknown and change your world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Life Coach and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey

Discovering Greatness

“The spirit is there in every boy; it has to be discovered and brought to light.”

– Sir Robert Baden-Powell

(1857-1941) Founder of the Boy Scouts

You were born to do great things!  I know that this kind of statement can ruffle some folks feathers.  Some think that it is prideful and arrogant to think you can be great.  Some feel it is a lack of spirituality to see greatness as a gift from God.  Some find it as a challenge to the fact that they really do not want to achieve anything in life.  It still remains a true statement, you were born for greatness.

                How do I know this?  Well, let me tell you what I believe to be true.  You were created for a purpose.  No human is on this planet, or ever was, who is not here by deliberate action of the Creator.  God has no quotas to fill and He does not have a storehouse of souls He needs to empty out.  You were put here deliberately and for a purpose.  Whether or not you fulfill that purpose is up to you, but the purpose is there with your name on it.

                God is a great God.  In His great wisdom He choose you to do something that fits into His master plan for all humanity.  If that is so, and I believe with all that is in me that it is, them that purpose you were created for is great.  With the Creator of the universe behind us, how can it be anything less?  Therefore you were born for greatness.

                This leaves you with a few choices.  You can choose to believe that you have a purpose and move to discover what that is.  You can work to achieve your purpose and live in the greatness you were created for.  Or, you can choose to believe that you were a random act of biological events that mean nothing and you are therefore taking up space and have nothing to achieve.  The choice is yours, it always has been. 

                You were made for great things.  You can do whatever you were created to do in life.  It is no mystery that you need to solve, you know what your dreams are.  It is nothing that you don't want to do, it is really the very thing that gives you meaning.  Why not go for it?

                If the Creator of all things loved us so much and believed in us so deeply as to give us a task in His plan, doesn't He deserve excellence from us in return?  Can we do anything less than the very best we can do?  Be great, it was what you were created to do.

                You matter!  You matter to the world and to yourself.  Remember to be your best, love God, have good manners, achieve the unknown and change your world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Life Coach and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey

Anything For A Friend

“To get a hold on boys you must be their friend.”

– Sir Robert Baden-Powell

(1857-1941) Founder of the Boy Scouts

Friendship is one of the undervalued treasures of life.  When you have friends you have all the elements that are needed to achieve success.  There is support, guidance, encouragement and help.  Those with few friends are poor, those with many are wealthy.  As one time Presidential candidate, Hubert H. Humphrey said, "The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it."

                Knowing this profound truth, why do so many have a difficult time developing and maintaining friendships?  The most common mistake about friendship people make is to think it is about them and how their friends treat them.  Friendship is always about our friends and how good a friend we are to them.

                Let me share with you a few key elements to a good and solid friendship that you can apply to your life.  These will make you a better friend and will increase your ability to gain more friends.

Have A Positive Attitude

                Nothing will repel friends faster than a grumpy and moody disposition.  Who wants to be around a sour puss?  Those who gain friends are those who are pleasant and cheerful.  People like to be around happy and positive people.  They want to feel encouraged and excited about life and your attitude can make that happen.

Care For Others

                The selfish and self-centered do not make good friends.  They spend all their time thinking about themselves and what they want and what others think of them.  A good friend cares about other people more than for themselves.  They know how to listen, to encourage and to enjoy the hopes and dreams of others.  A good friend does all they can to help their friends achieve and grow.

Laugh Freely

                One of the most valued qualities about friendship is the ability to laugh together.  People love to have someone in their life who they can have fun with, laugh with and just flat out enjoy.  Yes, it is important to have a friend to walk through the difficult times with, but you do not, or should not, live in the difficult times.  Even then, when you are stressed and facing challenges, nothing works better to relieve that stress than a good laugh.  Be a friend that people can laugh with as well and cry with.

Excel In Loyalty

                Friends are people who you can depend on to be honest, trustworthy and loyal.  We need people in our lives that we know will never betray our trust or cause us harm.  Those who think of themselves first cannot be loyal because loyalty is the very act of thinking of others, and what is best for them, first.  Be the person others know they can depend on to keep their secrets, support their dreams and be there when they need you.

                You matter!  You matter to the world and to yourself.  Remember to be your best, love God, have good manners, achieve the unknown and change your world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Life Coach and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey

Ready For Anything

“Be Prepared...the meaning of the motto is that a Scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise.”

– Sir Robert Baden-Powell

(1857-1941) Founder of the Boy Scouts

Of all the principles taught in Scouting, none are more important later in life that their motto, Be Prepared.  No matter what line of business or trade one goes into, no matter where in life you find yourself, to be prepared is to be ready for anything.  Things happen in life, that is a fact.  Some are good and some not so good, but only those who are prepared for what life gives them will come out on top every time.

                So, how does a person become prepared in life?  How do you get ready so that noting will take you by surprise?  Here are a few tips to help you be ready for anything:

Think Ahead

                Baden-Powell called this, "Previous thinking out".  That is to think about what is, could be and has before come your way.  In the business world this is thinking through a project or task before you start.  What could happen - good or bad - that you can be ready for?  Do you need to bring extra equipment or supplies?  What kind of materials do you need for the task and have them ready.  Learn to leave nothing to the last minute.  The person who is prepared saves time, money and a lot of frustration.

Know Your Stuff

                Whatever you job or responsibilities are, know them inside out.  Always be a student in the field you work in.  Know the products, the materials, the techniques and the language.  If there is a question, have the information in your head or on hand so that you will not be delayed trying to find it.  The person who knows his or her stuff is ready for anything.

Learn New Skills

                One of the things taught in Scouting is that you are always learning new skills.  It could be to build a fire, tie a knot, set up a camp or build a bridge, but you are ready with the skill if you need it.  Look at your job and think about what skills it requires and why.  Learn new skills all the time, even if they are not "what you do".  The more you know the better equipped you are to be useful should the need arise.  The more useful a person is the more secure their position.

Know Where To Go For Help

                Back when I worked in the area of customer service, there was a rule I insisted all my staff follow.  When asked a question they could not answer, they were to immediately go to the person who did know the answer and get it.  Someone always knows the answer.  Find out who in your profession knows what you do not and go to them when you need to.  To search for someone with an answer takes time and energy, but for the person who knows where to go ahead of time, they will never be at a loss.

              

             You matter!  You matter to the world and to yourself.  Remember to be your best, love God, have good manners, achieve the unknown and change your world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Life Coach and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey

Dress The Part

“A costume is something you put on and pretend that you are what you are wearing.  A uniform, on the other hand, reminds you that you are, in fact, what you wear.”

– Eunice McGarrahan

Presbyterian Clergy

One of my grand-children's favorite games is dress up.  My wife and I one year stocked up on Halloween costumes when they went on sale right after Halloween.  That kept them going for some time.  Dress up is fun and good for the imagination.  But what about when you really have to live the role you are going for?  That is when the costume becomes a uniform and a uniform means business.

                Uniforms come in all shaped and designs.  For the business person it can be a man or women's suite, for the cook it is their jacket and hat, for the first responder it would be the uniform of whatever department they were in.  Uniforms help us to know what a person does, they bring with them a degree of respect.  When you see a person in a uniform you know what they do and you expect certain behaviors from them.

                Uniforms do something more as well, the make the person wearing them feel their job.  When you are dressed to do work, no matter what that work is, you feel more confident and prepared.  Your uniform gives you a feeling of authority and skill.  People who dress for their jobs do better, feel better and look better.  Those who wear anything they feel like to the office do not do their best.  Studies have found that office workers, like students, who dress down perform at a lower level than their fellow workers who dress in a professional manner.

                We have see that once dress codes were removed from schools, students grad averages went down.  When you dress to achieve you do better than those who do not.  Simple fact.  Being dress for the job we are doing effects us emotionally and physically.  This is the reason the standards are so high for those in the military, first responders, medical professionals and of course, Scouts.

                Success-minded people know that to do their best they must look their best.  This does not mean that you wear formal wear every day, but it does mean you are clean, neat and look professional.  By taking the time and effort to look professional, you will feel better, people will treat you as a professional and you will have the confidence to be the best at what you do.  It does not take a lot of work but it has a whole lot of benefits.

                You matter!  You matter to the world and to yourself.  Remember to be your best, love God, have good manners, achieve the unknown and change your world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Life Coach and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey

The Good Turn

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.”

– Napoleon Hill

(1883-1970) Author

It is easy for the pursuit of success to become a very self-centered journey.  One of the key elements to achievement is to have a burning passion for your goal.  It is what you think about, work for and plan your life around.  Because of the strong attention we give to achieving, we can forget that there is another key, without which we cannot arrive at real and lasting success, that is others.

                It is a paradox of life, but very true that the more you give the more you get.  It is in helping others to succeed that we can truly succeed in our own life.  Selfishness and self-centeredness will not lead to a successful life no matter how hard you try.

                This truth is stressed in the Boy Scouts through their slogan: Do A Good Turn Daily.  The Scout Handbook defines it this way: "That means doing something to help others each day without expecting anything in return."  That ending is key, "...without expecting anything in return".  Success-minded people are to help other, do good deeds and not expect to gain from it.  As coach John Wooden use to say, "You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who can never repay you."

                Success-minded people should keep their eyes open to opportunities around them each day to do something for those they come in contact with.  This can be as simple as opening a door for someone or giving an encouraging word to a person who is struggling or it can be as involved as being a mentor to a young person or helping out on a project.  The size and scope of the deed is not the issue, it is the intent and attitude that makes the difference.

                The act of doing good deeds will soon become a good habit in your life.  You will find that you do kind things for people without really thinking about it.  This will transform your life to the better and bring success on a level that you never thought possible.  There is no getting away from it, the more you give the more you get.  It is a law of nature and does not change.

                You matter!  You matter to the world and to yourself.  Remember to be your best, love God, have good manners, achieve the unknown and change your world.

John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Life Coach and proud Scouter. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books, training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2014 John Patrick Hickey