Yesterday I had the great honor of spending some time with, who I then thought could be, the world’s oldest living girl scout. I wasn't very far off. At my office, the large meeting room is turned over to a local girl scout troupe a couple of evenings a month for their meetings and activities. Their assistant scout leader, who as a young girl was herself a girl scout, never misses a meeting. And, even though she gets about with the assistance of a walker, her mind is as sharp and focused as ever. At age 100 she still commands the respect of her troupe. That’s what you call long term commitment!
Dedication, determination, commitment, persistence, all those words go into the same funnel of "sticking with it". What does it take to develop that kind of long term commitment which is demonstrated with unfailing dedication? Belief, and faith. Belief in what you are doing, and faith that the intended goals and outcomes will be borne out.
The odds are against the 100 year old girl scout leader ever living to see any of the girls in her troupe blossom into adulthood, but she has seen it happen before. It happened to her, so she has a strong belief in the teachings and experiences of scouting and what they can do to shape life outcomes for young girls. Because of this, she has faith that what she does with these girls will make a positive difference in their lives. Because she has a strong belief, and faith, she is able to continue, even at age 100, with commitment.
When we can clearly define what we strongly believe in, we can act with faith, demonstrating a firm commitment that can span and influence multiple generations to come. I challenge you to begin a list of your strongest beliefs, the ones on which you will act, based on faith, without question. Review these occasionally, updating them when you feel strongly enough to change how you act and direct your life.
Based on your list of beliefs, begin to act in faith and along paths that will give you opportunity to support, and promote those beliefs. Before long, you will be amazed at how easy it will become to make decisions that you can live with. At best, you will see that your decisions, which are consistently based on those beliefs, lead to long term outcomes that consistently are in the right place for your greater benefit, and also for those whose lives you touch. At the very worst, you will leave this world, having stood for something. And that’s the lesson I’ve learned from the 100 year old girl scout.
Post Script: After writing this post I researched a bit and found that the oldest living girl scout in South Carolina just turned 105 years old. Unless there has been an untimely death, the oldest in the world is 110.
Surround yourself with people who love you, work that you love, and a cause that you believe in.
Post Script: After writing this post I researched a bit and found that the oldest living girl scout in South Carolina just turned 105 years old. Unless there has been an untimely death, the oldest in the world is 110.
Surround yourself with people who love you, work that you love, and a cause that you believe in.
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