SOU042220 Fix It

A Little Something Everyday

Most Americans have been in lockdown for several weeks now. One of the side effects of this isolation is that we begin to lose our desire to do anything productive. There is a dark cloud of gloom that sets in, and we find ourselves stuck on the couch binge-watching some TV show that we could not name the main characters even after fifteen shows.

We feel stuck in the house and therefore stuck in our life. Wake up!! This is a dangerous place to be. Scouts and Scouters are creatures of action. We were never meant to be stagnant and lifeless. Like flowing water that is trapped and made to sit still, we soon go bad and begin to stink. Time to break free and get moving again.

 “Be true to yourself, help others, make each day your masterpiece, make friendship a fine art, drink deeply from good books - especially the Bible, build a shelter against a rainy day,

give thanks for your blessings and pray for guidance every day.”

John Wooden

1910-2010

Coach

Use this time wisely. Here are some simple things to do that will get you back in action, improve your attitude, and keep you healthy.

1)      Work on Merit Badges you do not have. All badges are available online as well as councilors. The sky is the limit, and you have lots of time to get them done.

2)      Find the worksheet for the Person Fitness Merit Badge (even if you already earned it). On the worksheet, you will see an exercise plan. Follow that plan every day. If you did not receive the badge, you are doing it now. If you already have the badge, you are keeping in shape for the future.

3)      Read a good book. Find a book to your liking and spend some time every day reading it. If you do not have one at home, you can find one on Kindel (they have thousands for free), or you can access your local library online as well. Do not spend all your time playing video games or watching TV.

This will pass soon enough. It will not last forever. The goal is to come out if it a better Scout that when you went into it. You can do this.

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

SOU042020 Pay Attention

That One Thing

When we start to think about what it is we would like to do with our lives; the thoughts start flooding in. It is easy to come up with two or three dozen ideas of what we would like. The problem is, we will never achieve all of them. In fact, we will only achieve one of them.

The great American Basketball star Kobe Bryant (1978-2020), who we sadly lost in a tragic helicopter crash last January, once said, “I focus on one thing and one thing only - that's trying to win as many championships as I can.” Please note, he did not say he wanted to be the best player on the team. He did not say he wanted to be the wealthiest player league. He did not say he wanted to win the most games. He said, “…win as many championships as I can.”

 “Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there.”

Josh Billings

1818-1885

Comedian

Think about it. For him to win the championship, he will have to be continually improving his game. He will have to be at his best all the time. He must win more games than he loses. Along with that will naturally come the rewards such as fame, recognition, and wealth. Kolbe did not have to think about all those other things because he was thinking about the one thing that mattered, the result. Winning the championship.

Think again about what you want to achieve in life. This time think about the end result. What is the one thing you what to accomplish in the end. As you go through life and follow a plan to achieve that goal, you will touch on all those other things as they come along; however, the one thing is always the main thing. Keep your eyes on that, and you will not fail.

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

SOU041520 Think

Learning Preparedness

Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scout Movement, said: “The secret of sound education is to get each pupil to learn for himself, instead of instructing him by driving knowledge into him on a stereotyped system.” He understood that learning did not happen only in the classroom or from a textbook, but in every experience, a young person has in life.

                Over the past few months, we have all had some of the most exceptional learning experiences we could ever hope for. We have been hit with a pandemic that no one expected. Confined to our homes, out of school, work, and unable to have Troop meetings or even attend church together, we have had to discover a new way of doing our everyday life.

“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.”

Sit. Robert Baden=Powell

1857-1941

Founder of the Boy Scouts

This is where preparedness comes from. It is when we learn from new and different experiences, and from that learning, we prepare ourselves for the next time this same thing happens. It will happen again. Life always repeats itself. We say that we have never experienced anything like the Cronovirus before. We have. We have had several pandemics in our lifetime. The difference here is how hard it hit us and the attention it got.

Scouts and Scouters must take this opportunity to learn and prepare for the next time this type of thing happens. When faced with this challenge, we will know what to do and can quickly snap into place and be ready. By being prepared, we can lessen the damage done by unforeseen tragedy and even avoid unnecessary pain and deaths.

Preparedness comes from learning, and that learning comes from the classroom of life. For all those whose motto is Be Prepared, the class is in session.

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