Yes, I know. I misspelled ‘responsible.’ I was trying to get your attention. Hope it worked!

What I should have titled this post would have been ‘response-able.’ But, the title mashup is one of my new favorite words – along with gratitude, attitude, courage, and kind.

Huh?

‘Responsable’ might be best described as the ability to choose your reaction in any situation. Think that is important? Let’s try it out in a few situations….

The camper sleeping above you is feeling left out –always holding back from the group, super quiet, and often looking down. What’s the proper response from you?

Your counselors have asked you twice to clean up your area because it’s three minutes before flagpole. Do you a) ignore them and keep jawing with your buddies, b) keep jawing with your buddies and clean up as quickly as you can, or c) tell your buddies that you can’t speak anymore until you get it all done.

Today’s your day to wakeboard and you’ve been waiting since last summer to try a new trick. As you walk out of lunch, you see the clouds coming. And, as you start walking to the dock, those clouds open up – no wakeboarding today. What do you think?

The Lab

Camp affords you the best of all worlds to become more responsable.

You live in an environment this safe, engaging and so much fun. You are surrounded by mentors and leaders who want only the best for you. And, because you are literally surrounded by people from all over the world all day long, you have a lot of chances in which to learn.

Every day, you will have a number of chances to choose your responses. Some responses will be perfect. Others may need a little work. The trick is to take a few moments each day to think about your responses throughout the day, learn, and determine to do better where needed.

We all get to choose our responses to any and every situation. And, you can be calm and thoughtful in just about any moment.

In order to be that way, you first have to understand that your thoughts shape and color your every experience. Secondly, if you have the mental agility to see things from new perspectives. And, to make it stick, you just need to be mindful of your responses throughout the day.

You can become more responsable – it just takes a little work each day. But, don’t worry – it’s worth the effort!

We all enjoy spending time at the campfire. Campers and staff laugh and celebrate surrounded by friends. We enjoy a pleasant evening by Sly Lake and watch a fire crackle away. And, we learn. It’s the only time each week we are teaching in a way that is ‘overt’ or, as some might say, in your face.

But, do you think that’s the only time we are ‘teaching?’ Of course not. Our campers and staff learn all week long – in the studios, on stage, in dining hall, on the courts. These activities are a ton of fun and led by people who really know their stuff.

Walking around camp seeing everyone totally engaged and going is one of my favorite things to do. Anyone looking will see how much the kids enjoy the activities. One activity our campers don’t love? Doing their morning chores.

The Wheel of Growth

The infamous chore wheel can be found in every bunk. Names on the inside of the wheel, chores on the outside. Move it one tick each day and you’ve got your new responsibility – sweep or take out the trash or help on the close line, etc.

Of course, you always have to make your bed and tidy your area… but you already knew that. What you may not know is that these chores are instrumental to the future lives of our campers.

Don’t take my word for it. In one of the longest studies ever conducted, researchers at Harvard found a lot of important information – the importance of close relationships and the power of doing chores.

Doing things around the house (or bunk, in our case) was directly related to respondents being successful in work and well-adjusted in life. And, the earlier these chores started, the more positive impact they had on the respondents.

Does this mean you have to do your chores to be a successful, well-adjusted adult? No, but doing chores will certainly help you in a lot of ways.

You become better at seeing that you have a direct impact on those around you. You begin to realize that no job is too small or ‘beneath’ you. And, by doing those jobs, it may help you appreciate those who do them for you later in the life. Don’t forget ‘work ethic’ – rolling up your sleeves and getting it done – improves over time and with use. Plus, you get an emotional and build confidence because you’ve been helpful to those around you.

See? There are a lot of great reasons to do your chores. So, next time we spin the Chore Wheel remember… it’s for your own good!

Have a great weekend!

I read just about everything Seth Godin puts out. He’s a thinker, writer, and all around generous person. I highly recommend him to anyone who wants to get something interesting in their mailbox every week.

He recently wrote about this idea of being noticed vs. being missed. Which would you want more?

Getting Noticed

In today’s culture, it seems we all want others to notice us. Our Instagram feed is full of dolled-up pics, our facebook pages show our best ‘wow’ moments, our snaps… ok, I don’t snapchat but I imagine there is a lot of ‘look at me’ going on there, too.

You can notice me  for a lot of reasons. I can be the best at my sport, my art, my trade. Or perhaps I’m the best looking (ok – stop laughing… it’s just an example….) or most fit or fastest or strongest.

There are a lot of ‘positive’ ways to get noticed. And, there is a flip side….

A lot of times, babies and young children cry or yell to get noticed. It’s a pretty common thing since they literally do not have the words yet. This behavior doesn’t necessarily stop as we age. Act outing. Speaking too loudly or too long. We hit or we demean or something else just as negative.

Both of these approaches – both positive and negative – have something in common: they are all about me. I want the attention. I want your notice. And I’m working hard to get it.

You want to know the problem with this ‘getting noticed’ approach? It doesn’t leave a lasting impression. Instead, it leads to replacement.

Being Missed

Want to play a different game? It involves humility, self-control, generosity, humor, empathy, gratitude, and helpfulness.

By helping others before yourself, you leave an impression. Making someone laugh or paying attention or being faithfully present or serving someone other than yourself…. When reaching out to those in need, you become something more than just a kid or a staff member or ‘a number.’ You become someone people miss.

Do this enough: Sure, they will notice you… but they’ll also remember you.  Have a good weekend!