When you sign up to become a Scout (formerly Boy Scouts, but now girls are allowed too, how cool is that!) you are required to memorize a lot of stuff.
The first thing they will ask you to memorize is the Scouts' Motto: "BE PREPARED."
I remember my first day of scouting. I was 13 and wanted to go camping as much as possible. It didn't take me long to commit this motto to memory, be prepared, but it didn't answer my question... Prepared For What?
It would take me over four years to climb the Scouting ranks, to learn the lessons, earn the badges, and complete the projects to ultimately become an Eagle Scout. I learned to be prepared in the home, in the community, and in the wilderness. I didn't realize it at the time, but what I was learning was to be prepared for LIFE.
Scouting set me off on a good foot, but truly I have been continuing to learn how to be prepared for life since that very first day.
I've had to learn how to win and how to lose. I've had to learn how to deal with ups and downs of life; how to handle success and deal with adversity. And I've learned how to celebrate success and how to grieve a loss.
Life is, or at least in my opinion should be, a journey of learning. Constantly learning how to be prepared for whatever comes next.
My mom put it best when I asked her the meaning of life. She said, "Life is good news, bad news, good news, bad news, then you die. Try to help as many people as you can along the way."
Truer words have never been spoken.
When I became an entrepreneur, I set out to start a business that would allow me to continue to learn and hopefully help people. There are many ups and many downs, but through it all, our team aims to fuel and inspire those around us and continue to be prepared for whatever comes next.
I want to let you in on a secret, one of the largest national retailers in the United States has just agreed to bring Run Gum into their stores. The rollout takes place this fall, and it's now all hands on deck as we prepare for that new partnership.
What are your secrets to preparing for life's ups and downs? Do you rely on family to support you? Does exercise help to smooth out life's wild rollercoaster of emotions a bit? I know those things help me!
Would love to know your thoughts. Send me a message on Facebook.
Run The Day,
Nick
P.S. Most recently, I have been preparing my first climb of the 7 Summits. On Thursday, I leave to Tanzania, Africa to climb Kilimanjaro. While it is not as technical as some climbs, it has required the most preparation. Getting up to 19,341 feet isn’t easy. Good thing I will have Run Gum Extra Strength to Fuel me.
AND Did you know you can follow along? I will be doing daily cybercasts from the mountain via a satellite phone. Click Here to Get Updates.
