Our Chalet Hike ... Ummmm ... Sort Of! (aka Tiny Choices)

I'd love to hike at "our chalet" in Switzerland (one of the Girl Scout World Centres) ... but since I can't just pop over there and take off into the mountains, I figured I'd take my chalet mug on a hike to the high regions of the second story wing of the Girl Scout Service Center in Tulsa and get some coffee. 

This counts as part of the Live Healthy, Lead Healthy fit challenge, right?  I'm in training, by the way, for the 20 week challenge that I will begin on Saturday with our huge kickoff* in Chandler Park.  And by "in training" I mean "actively procrastinating."

A while back, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to restore honor to my languishing blog and, more importantly, hopefully inspire some of the other adults in our GSEOK (Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma) family to give the fit challenge a chance. 

Suddenly, I hear a large choir of famous voices singing in my head, "give health a chance," while they ... [oh - I shouldn't talk about voices in my head? Excuse me!] I digress!

In all seriousness, maybe you're like me. Maybe the whole subject of being "fit" is already challenge! There are several reasons why it is for me, but here are my main three:

• I'm out of shape.
• I don't enjoy exercise.
• Time is a huge issue.

My secondary reasons?

• I'm out of shape ... and can't stand how I look in shorts or athletic wear of any kind, especially when it involves sweating. I can only with great self-talk and bravery wear yoga pants (which ARE worth it for the comfort factor, at least) outside of my dwelling.
• I don't enjoy exercise ... at least for the sake of exercise. It's slightly like torture. However, if there is an element of expression involved or any kind of creative appreciation? It's a whole different story. I love dance - especially modern dance - but for now it is held hostage by the previous point. But hiking with a camera? I'll happily sweat all day! Kayaking at sunset? I'll out-paddle everyone else. Therein is another challenge. None of those things are doable in the hours I have available....
• Time is a huge issue ... the issue of all issues for everything in my life. When do I think I will have any time to do things I'm already supposed to be doing? Or is there such a thing as vaccum pilates or dusting yoga? How about laundry aerobics? Maybe then I'd get all of it to happen.

And that's just exercise! We didn't even begin with food.  Overwhelmed yet? I am. Maybe that's where I find my key.

I'm already overwhelmed. How do I take a fit challenge? Maybe it will be a little like my "chalet hike" today.  Want to hear the success story?  Of course you do!  It's because I made tiny choices:

• I purposely chose to go to the farthest location for coffee (plus - there's SPECIAL coffee there).
• I took the stairs instead of the elevator ... twice. (Did I mention there's special coffee? Mmmm.)
• I had a little fun on the way, which is documented in photos above for your entertainment:
• Where's Waldo/Ingrid moments (there are three)
• Noticing little things along the way like "stick people in peril"
• Scouting out healthy options around me to inspire me to look for more

Each of these are tiny choices that were doable in the moment. I didn't have to wear yoga pants! If that weren't exciting enough, I was able to conquer the other two challenges as well. I found ways to make it enjoyable and do it in my available time, adding only a couple of minutes to something I was doing already.

What tiny choices can you make? I'm thinking stairs and taking the long way are working for me. 

Next?  I may conquer something huge .. like ... drinking water!

*Have you signed up to join us in the park ... for free?  Do it here: LIVE HEALTHY, LEAD HEALTHY KICKOFF
*How about the fit challenge? It's only $10 and includes a workbook, t-shirt, pedometer, and cool incentives along the way!  Sign up for that here: FIT CHALLENGE

Growing Up A Girl (Scout)

Remembering moments with my daughter makes me think about how fast time is flying through our fingers. This photo seems like yesterday ... but it was taken over a year ago.

Today as I picked her up from the airport after her annual summer visitation in Ohio, she wasn't in cowboy boots. She was in Converse with black leggings and a tuft of a tulle skirt sporting a band tee and feathers in her hair (all the rage now).

It was likely her last trip as an unaccompanied minor. It means that she's be jet setting on her own now. It also means that I'm not ready to watch her grow up much more!

But it will happen. Ready or not, I'm a mother of a young girl growing into a young woman. Thankfully, I'll have a string of opportunities this year to be part of the adventure (some near, some from afar) as she takes those steps - not only as a girl, but as a Girl Scout.

In a world full of questions and environments that are so different than my own when I grew up, I am thankful for the steady path of Girl Scouting: courage, confidence, character, and making the world a better place. It's a legacy and a future wrapped into the adventures she and her Girl Scout friends are creating today - and she doesn't even realize it!

And, admittedly, I feel weak as I face the future. But the sense of community I'm growing in as a mother of a Girl Scout is something that strengthens me. We can grow together here. And that thought makes me smile.

Character Is A Choice

What I think is unique about character is that it doesn't have to be an inborn trait. It can be taught, learned, embraced and expanded. There is no underlying fundamental talent that is needed for character to take root in a person's life. You don't have to have a "green thumb" to make it bloom and grow. Ultimately, it is a choice.

(For anyone really interested in my long train of thought ... feel free to keep reading. These are just thoughts that have traveled through my mind. No professional or personal platforms are intended. I was simply energized by the thoughts a book had sparked and wanted to capture it while it was fresh.)

Late last night, I started reading Delivering Happiness by the CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieh. I wasn't expecting to do anything more than just enjoy another perspective. But at page 159, I had to stop and capture a few thoughts as it relates to "corporate culture" of Girl Scouts.

The first solid thought came from a discussion of core values and if they are truly meaningful. Can people name them or the company mission? Can people live them? I truly believe the Girl Scout mission is a catalyst because it's what I envision for my daughter ...

"Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place."

How about in the workplace? I had always had a blind embrace of it as an employee with more of an arm's length view - it was what we were doing for the girls. But today I started thinking. How does our mission affect the professional work environment? While all three "C's" seem like prerequisites with a view to making the world (and our work environment) a better place, character seemed to be the number one element that I see affecting our own "corporate culture."

We may be actively making the world a better place ...
We may be courageous and confident in what we are doing ...
But are we embracing character? Are we transparent? Do we own our own mistakes? Do we talk behind the backs of others? Do we disagree and sabotage? Do we bottle up frustrations? Do we circumvent due process? Do we really respect one another? Better yet, do we truly respect authority? Or are we satisfied with tolerating and venting when we come to roadblocks? Do we collaborate to solve issues? Do we put ourselves aside for the progress of our collective abilities to serve girls and volunteers? Do we have an open forum both personally and professionally? And do we still honor others with what is said behind closed doors?

Then I read an excerpt on page 158:

"Integrity was a value that had been suggested by some employees, but I made a conscious choice to leave it out. I felt that integrity would come from us actually committing to and living up to our core values in everything we did, not just referring to them when it was convenient."

I've had that thought in the Girl Scout world before when it comes to leadership and self-esteem (it comes organically through opportunities to exercise the mission) ... but I had not thought about it in terms of our mission specifically. My mind immediately went to the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Character is much like integrity ... it is a value that comes from us actually committing to and living up to the Promise and Law, our "core values" if you will.

The Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try:

To serve God and my country,

To help people at all times,

And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be

honest and fair,

friendly and helpful,

considerate and caring,

courageous and strong, and

responsible for what I say and do,

and to

respect myself and others,

respect authority,

use resources wisely,

make the world a better place, and

be a sister to every Girl Scout.

Let's be honest (and fair) ... we are certainly human. There are days where exhaustion can take over and it's hard to be friendly or helpful. Situations arise and depending on the reactions, one more negative outburst can drain the last reserves. Considerate and caring responses can become feigned, a burden, or simply non-existent.

So what do we do? How do we respect ourselves and our limits while respecting others and authority? Maybe it is summed up in our last three lines ...

1) Use resources wisely. Whether personal resources, company resources, material resources ... it all applies. Do I have enough internal bandwidth to address a challenging situation within the ideals of our Girl Scout Law? If not, maybe I need to evaluate my resources ... gain understanding, get a fresh perspective, identify solutions and what we have or need to address it, and when better prepared, have that open discussion to make something positive happen.

2) Make the world a better place. Am I contributing to my world? My world can be a variety of elements - work culture, family, community, etc. If I am about to tear something down, is it with the aim of making it a better? Identifying the purpose within each action is huge in my mind. And in this case it's the guideline to know if it's a candidate to be part of the mission or not.

3) Lastly ... be a sister to every Girl Scout. What does this really mean? I'm not sure that I'm the best one to even attempt a description. I never had a sister! But I always wished I had one and frequently imagined what life would be like with a sister. I wanted someone to share life with on a daily and continuing basis. So what do sisters do in my daydream? Work together, play together, help each other, be honest even when it hurts, apologize when relationships go awry, and ultimately know that we're in it for the long haul. A sister is forever.

Diversity and Legacies

It does my heart good when I hear about inspiration and encouragement that simply relies on the human experience. Neither age nor race should play a discriminating role in the impact a person's life can have on the future of a girl. And I'm proud to say that I have found Girl Scouting to truly be a place where that is demonstrated.

Take Dawn and Dorothy, for instance. Dawn (left) grew up in McAlester with Dorothy (right) as her troop leader. At a recent event to honor Dorothy, the thanks and the stories that poured from Dawn's heart brought both laughter and tears. Dawn is NOT the outdoor type and as a girl had a hard time spending time away from home. Dorothy always encouraged her and always let her go home when it got to be too much ... time and time and time again.

Because of Dorothy's open encouragement, Dawn continued to take steps as she was ready, and eventually she made it through a night, and a weekend, and she has even successfully camped. But it wasn't just about staying overnight. It was about developing those core leadership skills - courage, confidence and character. The wisdom of patient leadership is what Dawn needed. And as a result, she had more than just a successful experience as a Girl Scout. She is now a professional Girl Scout staff member along with Dorothy! And maybe even more importantly, she is guiding her own daughter on a similar path in Girl Scouting to discover her strengths and master them one step at a time.

Dawn and Dorothy are both women who embody the Girl Scout Mission of making the world a better place ... one step at a time, one girl at a time. These women make me proud to be a Girl Scout, too!