Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Life lessons from a former Girl Scout


Recently I've been thinking a lot about how my experience in Girl Scouts has helped shape who I am today. Above all, I think Girl Scouts taught me to have confidence in who I am and what I do. It helped me believe that I can achieve anything if I put my mind to it. I thought it would be fun to share my top 5 Girl Scout lessons that I learned in grade school and continue to use as an adult. 

#1 Be Prepared.
This is the official Girl Scout motto and an extremely valuable lesson to learn. Being prepared requires you to really think about what you are about to do and plan ahead. Whether I am vending at a craft show or going out dancing, I always try to 'be prepared' and think about the things I may need while I'm  out. That way I don't get stuck feeling too cold or too hot, out of cash or wearing the wrong shoes. 

#2 Do A Good Turn Daily.
The official Girl Scout slogan, Do A Good Turn Daily means do something nice for someone else every day. Getting in the habit of thinking about the needs of others is, of course, a necessary and much appreciated skill. My mom was my Girl Scout leader growing up and I remember she always stressed that we should do something helpful or nice for people without being asked. If you see a dirty kitchen floor, grab a broom and sweep it up. If you have a friend who's struggling with something in their life, offer to help! Having the ability to anticipate the needs of others and offer to help is something I try to aspire to.

#3 Be A Sister To Every Girl Scout.
This is a big one; a lesson that I think is probably the most valuable. Be A Sister To Every Girl Scout means sharing, trust and friendship among women. Learning this lesson as a young girl is what I think helped my sister and I get along. Don't get me wrong, we still had our normal sibling fights, but growing up we shared everything and did everything together. I don't remember ever feeling threatened by us doing (and even wearing) the same things. In our society, I think women are more often encouraged to compete against one another, especially in our world of the internet and reality television. But friendship and cooperation among women is an extremely powerful thing. Together, I believe us girls have the ability to create magic, inspire others and even change the world!

#4 Use Resources Wisely.
Use Resources Wisely means to be conscious of what and how much you consume or throw out. As a human and citizen in our world, I think it is very important to consider our environment and do our part to keep our planet clean and beautiful. This means getting in the habit of recycling, not littering or taking more than you actually need. Above all this lesson taught me to love and respect our our Mother Earth and truly appreciate the beauty of nature. 

#5 Make The World A Better Place.
Making an impact on our world can seem like an impossibly huge task, but I believe it's the little things that really make the difference. Just taking the time to reflect and think about what you do before you do it, is an invaluable skill. I'm a big believer in 'thinking before acting'. If you are able to step back and consider how your actions will affect those around you, you are more able to make good decisions that can help and inspire others to do the same. 

1 comment:

Sweet Pea said...

Love this post! *sis*

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