Scout’s Honour: I Promise Myself

 

 “Promises are like crying babies in a theatre, they should be carried out at once.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

Many moons ago, I was a Girl Scout, then a Ranger in high school. I wonder why I never proceeded to the ‘disciplined forces’. . .but that’s not what I’m musing about today.

There use to be a phrase that we’d say if cornered or asked about one’s truthfulness – Scout’s honour – and mostly uttered while holding up the 3-finger salute.

Scout’s honour refers to an oath that one is being honest, or will uphold a promise or duty. It alludes to the oath taken by a member of the Scouting movement to be upstanding, trustworthy, and honest. So for example, someone asks if I’m being truthful about a situation and I respond “Scout’s honour” – I am basically saying it’s the whole truth and nothing but.

I wonder how many people can use that phrase any more. Especially in this age of relative truth and mobile phone fuelled dishonesty. But this week I’ve been thinking about a different kind of promise keeping – keeping promises to myself.

Goals, whenever they are set, are promises to ourselves. The year is coming to an end and with it, a season to take stock, close books and balance accounts. How many of us have actually kept the promises we made to ourselves? More importantly, how many will be honest enough to own up to broken promises and address their issues without passing blame or making excuses? Because hey, a winner is one who falls 7 times but gets up 8. . .or so the saying goes.

So today I dusted off a framed poem I’ve had on my wall for a while. I will share it with you and ask you to find a line that resonates with you, then go out and keep a promise to yourself.

 

I Promise Myself – by Christian D. Larson

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.

To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.

To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

 

Keep a promise today, be ingenious in your dealings, let others know you as a person of your word. More importantly, keep a promise to yourself – you will love living with a promise keeper, you.

“I feel keeping a promise to yourself is a direct reflection of the love you have for yourself. I used to make promises to myself and find them easy to break. Today, I love myself enough to not only make a promise to myself, but I love myself enough to keep that promise.” ~ Steve Maraboli