There are
few things more unpleasant than lukewarm.
If food is just lukewarm it always tastes bad. Water that is lukewarm never satisfied your
thirst. It is the same with people,
those who never make a commitment or are willing to step out and make a stand,
are just "lukewarm" about everything, and never become much more than
what they are.
Scouts and other success-minded
people are those who have a temperature.
They are hot when they need to be hot and cold when they should be cold,
but they are never lukewarm. That is
what it takes to achieve success in life.
You must be committed and willing to do something worthwhile. When it comes to making a decision, you are
in or you are out, no successful person has ever lived in the in-between.
“There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either IN or OUT. There's no
such thing as life in between.”
– Pat Riley
Coach
Being IN
One of the keys to success is
the ability to commit and then stay with it.
Success is hard work and there is no place for someone who is walking
the fence as to what they want in life.
Scouts know what they want, what it will take to achieve it and then
they take action! No excuses. No wishy-washy
trying to make up their mind. No
"let's wait and see" type of thinking. Successful people are in and in for the long
haul.
Throughout their time in
Scouting, Scouts always have something more to achieve. A new rank to reach. A
new merit badge to earn. There is always something more they can do to move
forward. The same is true in life. As a success-minded person, you will always have something new to strive for and to
achieve. You never come to the end of your abilities until you are taken away
from this life altogether.
Being Out
We tend to think of being out as
a bad thing, but it is not. In the
process of making decisions, you must know if this is something you want and
are willing to work for or not. If you
are deciding to take action that will not take you closer to your goal, it is
not what you wish to do or is something that is contrary to what you know is
right, then you must decide to be out.
Success comes with the ability to make the right choices. Not all
choices are a go-ahead, sometimes they are to say no and back off. I think of the words of the author, W. Somerset Maugham, "It's a funny
thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often
get it."
Scouts learn that sometimes;
even good things can be the wrong choice to make. Your friends may be getting
together for some fun – some good fun. You, however,
have made a promise to help someone with a project. You need to decide as to
what is the right thing to do. Of course, the Scout will keep his word and
fulfill his promise. He knows that he can go with his friends another time, but
he can only be true to his word once.
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
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