Personal Responsibility

 

Taking personal responsibility is more than just admitting when you are wrong or made a mistake. We will look more at that when we talk of excuses. Scouts learn that taking responsibility means you take charge of your life. It is, in fact, the only thing you can take charge of. Jim Rohn said, “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.”

As a Scout, you understand that if you are to achieve your dreams, you, not anyone else, must make it happen. You are the one who sets the goals, makes plans, takes action, and makes adjustments along the way. It all boils down to you, and if you do not do it, it will not get done. As Pastor Robert Schuller says, “If I am going to succeed, it is up to me.”

“The happiest people in the world are those who feel absolutely terrific about themselves, and this is the natural outgrowth of accepting total responsibility for every part of their life.”

Brian Tracy

Author

 

I have seen far too many people waiting for success to happen to them. They look to other people to help them; they look to God to bless them, they look to the government to subsidize them, they look to their circumstances to improve for them. It is not in any of those things. The key to success has been and always will be you. Les Brown said, “If you take responsibility for yourself, you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.” How hungry are you?

This does not mean you are on your own. People and circumstances help you along the way, but you have to be “on the way” for that to work. Even God will not bless your efforts if there are no efforts to bless. Scouts know you cannot steer a train that is not moving. On the other hand, you cannot stop one that is moving. You are the engineer here; you make the choices.

Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts, said, “An individual step in character training is to put responsibility on the individual.” The responsibility to achieve your dreams is on you. Make it happen. See that you take action, set the course, and start moving. It will not happen on its own. The time is now! You have all you need because you have you.

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

SOU081020 The Impossible

 

Following the Rules

How many times have you been told to break the rules? I am sure it has been hundreds of times. I will be the first to say that some rules need breaking. These are usually the ones we create ourselves, follow because “it is always done this way,” or are there to have a rule. However, I will also say that breaking the rules just because they are rules is foolish.

There are many rules or principles in life that are there to be followed. Not to be restrictive, but because they work. There are rules of the road for driving, rules or directions for cooking food, so you don’t poison yourself. The world has many rules that are wise and important to follow. Author T.S. Eliot wisely said, “It’s not wise to violate rules until you know how to observe them.”

“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a teamwork,

 a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”

Vince Lombardi

1913-1970

Coach

 

Scouts understand that there are rules for success that need to be followed. These rules, as all ethical rules do, leave a great deal of room for you to adapt them personally, but the basic principles are the same. Albert Einstein said, “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” How can you succeed at anything if you do not know the rules of success? It is both useless and foolish on your part to attempt to.

Every area of endeavor has its set of rules that make it successful. Novelist Truman Capote said, “Writing has laws of perspective, light, and shade just as painting does, or music. If you’re born knowing them, fine.  If not, learn them. Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself.” Scouts learn that there is great freedom in rules. We understand that by following the principles, you can achieve your goals with the least effort and most effectiveness.

Remember that the rules for success are not made up along the way. Author Dale Carnegie said, “The ideas I stand for are not mine. I borrowed them from Socrates. I swiped them from Chesterfield. I stole them from Jesus. And I put them in a book. If you don’t like their rules, whose would you use?” Excellent question, whose would you use. Want to be a successful person? Listen to successful people.

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

SOU080520 Learning New Tricks

Understanding Authority

Scouts like to lead. That is just the way we are. We know where we want to go, and we tend to take off and go there. The reality is that we are not always in the place to lead. Sometimes we have to follow someone else, and as conductor Leonard Bernstein said, “The most difficult instrument to play in the orchestra is second fiddle.”

Here is the fact that all Scouts and Scouters must learn: Before you can be a good leader, you must be a good follower. People who always have to be the leader tend to be challenging to deal with, mistreat their followers (if they have any), and get very little done. The correct understanding of a team comes from being able to effectively and positively take the role of both leader and follower as needed. We must remember, as author Michael McKinney said, “Followership, like leadership, is a role and not a destination.” These roles often change, even within the same team.

“Obedience to lawful authority is the foundation of manly character.”

Robert E. Lee

1807-1870

Statesman

 

As a Scout, your top priority is the success of the team. That means you work with others on the team to use your strengths to the highest good. That may mean that someone else is best suited to lead in a particular project. When that happens, you should be able to move into the follower role and respect the leadership of others. A good leader will know when they need to follow, and when they need to lead.

To some degree, we all are following someone. As Bob Dylan said, “You’re gonna have to serve somebody.” We have bosses, leaders, customers, or other authority figures we must submit to. Despite what we are sometimes told, following is not a bad thing, and it in no way denies you of your independence. A truly free person knows that with freedom comes responsibility. We all have our parts to play, and the Scout knows they are the example in whatever role they play. Retired Air Force Colonel Phillip S. Meilinger said, “Do your job quietly, confidently, and professionally, and trust your colleagues will do likewise.”

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

SOU080320 Who Said That