At the beginning of the Scout Oath, Boy Scouts pledge to “do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law.” That’s quite a commitment, as any Scout will tell you. After all, we don’t commit to doing what is average or even better than our neighbor. Rather, we make it a point to be our best every day.
What does that look like? It depends on your circumstances, but a few common rules apply. First, doing your best is a promise to do the right thing no matter what, recognizing the future potential for good. The author Og Mandino said, “Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” Boy Scouts recognize the importance of laying a strong foundation for good behavior because it has positive, lasting repercussions for themselves and those around them.
Second, doing your best is an acknowledgement that you won’t always get it right. Whether a Scout experiences discouragement from the harsh elements of a camping adventure or disappointment from failing to learn a new skill the first time around, those feelings do not represent defining moments. Rather, Scouts pick up where they left off, better prepared to accomplish their dreams than ever before.
As Rosalynn Carter said: “You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don’t win, at least you can be satisfied that you’ve tried. If you don’t accept failure as a possibility, you don’t set high goals, you don’t branch out, you don’t try—you don’t take the risk.”
Finally, doing your best builds strong character into Boy Scouts across the country. By doing their best, Boy Scouts become self-sufficient by learning a host of preparedness skills for facing the unknown. “Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know,” noted Charles Kingsley.
Doing your best isn’t a hollow phrase. Instead, it’s a commitment to excellence in every aspect of life.