No Excuse

 

Scouts and Scouters must avoid this pit-fall with all they have in them. It is the pit-fall of making excuses. The great botanist and educator George Washington Carver once said, “Ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.” A Scout does not want to find themself in that number.

We have talked before that we all make mistakes, bad choices, or just plain screw-up. I would love to say it never happens, but it does – often. The key to success, even in times of failure, is to own up to it and make no excuses for your actions. We can always find a reason why something went wrong, or we fell in some way, and some of those reasons can be pretty good. However, you will never recover and get back on track with an excuse. There is an old analogy that says, making excuses is like making sausage – it is the skin of the truth stuffed with the meat of a lie.

“Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want to,

when all they need is one reason why they can.”

Willis R. Whitney

1868-1958

Chemist

 

Scouts learn that excuse-making never solves the problem, and therefore you never move on. I have seen people stuck in the same spot emotionally just because they hold on to an excuse. Scouts must own up to mistakes, confess they're wrong and do what is needed to make it right and move on. That is known as the responsible thing to do.  It is the right thing to do.

Businessman James Cash Penney (J.C. Penney) said, “I do not believe in excuses. I believe in hard work as the prime solvent of life’s problems.” The only way to correct a wrong is to do what is right. For the responsible person of integrity, there will always be forgiveness and a willingness to move on when confession is made and a pure heart to take full responsibility for our actions. Telling others excuses are as bad as lying to them, and no one likes to be lied to. The 17^th Century clergyman and historian Thomas Fuller was correct when he said, “Bad excuses are worse than none.” 

Scouts are people of honor. No excuses, not hiding from responsibility for our actions, we face our faults head-on and make them right again. That is a great power.

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.   © 2020 John Patrick Hickey