A Great Lesson

If I have learned anything from my involvement in the Scouts it is the old saying, "Leave it to the experts."  Who are the experts?  The boys are.  Scouting is meant to be a boy lead program.  I have seen many events, projects and games, led by adults, fail miserably and end up not very fun at all.  I have also seen young boys, some only between 11 - 15 years old, teach, lead and demonstrate difficult tasks and make them fun and exciting.

                So why is this true?  Is it because the boys make no mistakes and know exactly what they are doing?  Not at all.  In fact, boys are likely to make many more mistakes than adults.  Here is the difference, when a boy makes a mistake they learn from it, correct it and are not afraid to go back and do it over.  They do not expect perfection from themselves nor is perfection expected from the boys they are working with.

                Adults, on the other hand, think we must get it right every time.  It is important that everyone know we know what we are doing and to make a mistake is to show you are weak, lacking and dumb.  Where do we get these silly ideas?  For the Scout, the important things are learning something new, doing it right and having fun.  For the adult, it is mostly ego and power.

“The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.”

– Dale Carnegie

(1888-1955) Author / Speaker

                Success-minded people have much to learn from the young.  Those who are learning for the first time, those who are discovering their abilities and talents and those who are willing to fail to achieve the results they want.  Scouts learn that to do their best is more important than being the best.  A lesson we all need to apply to our daily lives.

                Spend time with kids and learn from them what really matters in life.  Learn that a mistake is only a lesson in doing things differently.  Learn that you can be the best by doing your best, not the other way around.  Learn that there is fun in every task, discovery around every corner and an adventure waiting for you each morning.  Do this and you will have true success in life.

                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.

Scouting Out of Uniform is a personal blog based on the lessons learned from Scouting that relate to personal development and success principles and is not an official site of The Boy Scouts of America. John Patrick Hickey does not represent or speak for the Scouting program; however, he does completely support and encourages Scouting for both young and old. John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Personal Development 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 www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2019 John Patrick Hickey

SOU 1911 The Real Teacher

Oh Happy Day

Sometimes happy people can make you wonder.  There are those people who are happy all the time, no matter what is going on in their life.  What is up with that?  Some may think that these people have a screw loose or that they do not face reality.  The truth is, they really are the ones facing reality.  They know that whether they are happy or sad, it is their choice.  They choose to be happy.

                Facing the world with an attitude of happiness is not a denial that bad things are happening.  Happy people choose their attitude and take control of their lives.  People whose moods change as the circumstances they face change allow the world to control them.  It is easy to feel bad and to allow stress and sadness to control your life.  You must be strong to be happy.  Only those who believe that they have the power to control their feelings can face life with a song in their heart.

                How does one get this power?  First, you must make the decision that you will not allow life to get you down.  Happiness is not a fleeting emotion, it is always a decision we make.  We are not happy that bad thing may happen, but happy despite it happening.  When you choose to see the positive in life you will be amazed at just how much positive there is to see.  Life is full of adventure, discovery, and wonders that, when paid attention to, will thrill your heart.

                The eighth point of the Scout Law says: “A Scout is cheerful. A Scout looks for the bright side of life. He cheerfully does tasks that come his way and tries his best to make others happy, too.” (The Boy Scout Handbook), Scouts know that cheerfulness is a deliberate action, and one they promise to follow.

“A Scout smiles and whistles under all circumstances.”

– Sir Robert Baden-Powell

(1857-1941) Founder of the Boy Scouts

                The way to enjoy a happy life, just like a Scout, is to act like it.  Keep a smile on your face.  You can keep happy by developing the habit of standing up straight, look up and not down and keep a smile on your face.  Mark Twain once said, "If you keep smiling you will feel better and others will wonder what you are up to."

                Lastly, keep your thought positive and creative.  Face each day as a new opportunity to succeed and to move closer to your dreams.  In short, happiness is in your control.  Others cannot give it to you, nor can they take it away.  Be happy just to be you.  Share that happiness with others and you will see it grow.  If you have the choice - and you do - choose to be happy.  It's more fun!

                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.

Scouting Out of Uniform is a personal blog based on the lessons learned from Scouting that relate to personal development and success principles and is not an official site of The Boy Scouts of America. John Patrick Hickey does not represent or speak for the Scouting program; however, he does completely support and encourages Scouting for both young and old. John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Personal Development 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 www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2019 John Patrick Hickey

SOU 1910 A Person of Character

Lead the Way

You are an example.  Whether you are working, playing, teaching or going through daily life.  Others are always watching you and people do notice - despite what we may think - people DO notice what we do.  At work, people will see your work habits, if you are on time, do what 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.

                In Scouting, we help Scouts learn how to be leaders. They know that they are the ones who set the pace for the group. If part of the group, they do their best so that the whole group becomes better. Scouts know that they are not just Scouts at the Troop meeting, on a camping trip or doing a good turn. They are Scouts all the time. Scouts know that what they say, do and how they work is a reflection on Scouting. They are a Scout all the time, in uniform and out of uniform.

                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.

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

– Sir Robert Baden-Powell

(1857-1941) Founder of the Boy Scouts

                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.

                Think of the wisdom of the famous American anthropologist, Margaret Mead, who said: “Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.”  

                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.

Scouting Out of Uniform is a personal blog based on the lessons learned from Scouting that relate to personal development and success principles and is not an official site of The Boy Scouts of America. John Patrick Hickey does not represent or speak for the Scouting program; however, he does completely support and encourages Scouting for both young and old. John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Personal Development 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 www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2019 John Patrick Hickey

SOU 1909 The Law

Is Everybody Happy?

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.

                The eighth point of the Scout Law states: A Scout is cheerful. He smiles whenever he can. His obedience to orders is prompt and cheery. He never shirks nor grumbles at hardship. To be cheerful and positive is not living in an unreal world where you pretend that everything is okay. It is rather the ability to stay positive in the midst of hardship and trial. It takes great strength and courage to be a cheerful person.

“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

                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 are 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.

Scouting Out of Uniform is a personal blog based on the lessons learned from Scouting that relate to personal development and success principles and is not an official site of The Boy Scouts of America. John Patrick Hickey does not represent or speak for the Scouting program, however, he does completely support and encourages Scouting for both young and old. John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Personal Development 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 www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2019 John Patrick Hickey

SOU 1908 The Oath

Habit Replacement

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 about 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.

                Of course, the best way to deal with habits is to make them good ones from the start. In Scouting, the constant practice of the Scout Law and Oath are there to help establish the habits of good behavior and the understanding of the right choices from an early age. If we can get young people to learn to create good and healthy habits in their lives, these habits will only get stronger over time and negative habits will have no room to grow.

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

– Sir Robert Baden-Powell

(1857-1941) Founder of the Boy Scouts

                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 your 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, talking 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 must 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.

Scouting Out of Uniform is a personal blog based on the lessons learned from Scouting that relate to personal development and success principles and is not an official site of The Boy Scouts of America. John Patrick Hickey does not represent or speak for the Scouting program; however, he does completely support and encourages Scouting for both young and old. John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Personal Development 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 www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2019 John Patrick Hickey

SOU 1907 The Good Name

SOU 1905 Be Happy

A True Friend

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 friends are wealthy.  As a former 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.

                The fourth point of the Scout Law states: “A Scout is friendly. He is a friend to all and a brother to every other scout.” This lesson is not just so boys get along, it is a key principle of life. If we can see the world as our friend, we begin to treat people differently and in turn, they will treat us differently. Always remember the wise words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The only way to have a friend is to be one.”

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

– Sir Robert Baden-Powell

(1857-1941) Founder of the Boy Scouts

                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 sourpuss?  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

                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 of 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 kind of 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.

Scouting Out of Uniform is a personal blog based on the lessons learned from Scouting that relate to personal development and success principles and is not an official site of The Boy Scouts of America. John Patrick Hickey does not represent or speak for the Scouting program, however, he does completely support and encourages Scouting for both young and old. John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Personal Development 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 www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2019 John Patrick Hickey

SOU 1904 No Excuse

SOU 1903 You Choose

Clothes Do Matter

One of my grandchildren's favorite games was to 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 must live the role you are going for?  That is when the costume becomes a uniform and a uniform means business.

                Uniforms come in all shapes 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, they 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.

“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

                We have seen that once dress codes were removed from schools, students grade averages went down.  When you dress to achieve, you do better than those who do not.  Simple fact.  Being a dress for the job we are doing affects 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.

                Boy Scout founder, Sir Robert Baden-Powell, believed that the uniform gave a boy the sense of discipline, responsibility, and belonging. The importance of the Scout uniform was not just for the boy, but also for the leader who set the example. Baden-Powell said, “Show me a poorly uniformed Troop and I’ll show you a poorly uniformed leader.”

                Success-minded people know that to do their best they must look their best.  This does not mean that you wear formal attire 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.

Scouting Out of Uniform is a personal blog based on the lessons learned from Scouting that relate to personal development and success principles and is not an official site of The Boy Scouts of America. John Patrick Hickey does not represent or speak for the Scouting program, however, he does completely support and encourages Scouting for both young and old.  John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker, Personal Development 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 www.johnpatrickhickey.com.   © 2019 John Patrick Hickey

SOU 1902 Be the Example