How do you give back?

Don Cunningham, 2001 National OA Chief, wrote this letter regarding the vision of unity and common bond that Order of the Arrow represents:

"...when Dr. Goodman founded our great and honored Order, he glimpsed a vision. This vision was his dream of unity and a common bond that drew human beings together under the same purpose. The product of this dream is the reality of the Order of the Arrow today. It is an opportunity to aim for something higher. It gives Scouts and Scouters alike the chance to go beyond the routines of their units to gain special leadership experience and give back to those who elected them. The Order is an endless cycle and its possibilities are infinite. The root of it all lies with the brotherhood and fellowship that bring members together." Click here for the whole letter

I specifically want to point out the line where Don says, "give back to those who elected them." If you're an Arrowman right now, how are you giving back to the Scouts in your troop? What can you do today to change the way the OA is viewed in your troop, so that ALL KIDS want to join and become active? It's the spirit that the OA is given that makes a difference here. Some kids I talk to are totally anti-Order of the Arrow, and I just don't get it. It's a group of ELITE Scouts, who give back the best, who serve the most, who follow the Oath and Law the best, who are the BEST role-models.


I give back through teaching merit badges at my martial arts studio. I teach Sports, Athletics, and Personal Fitness Merit Badges, and GIVE AWAY 3 months of FREE classes. I give and give and give, and only except in return that the kids I help will reach Eagle Scout and take their own oath to give back to Scouting more than they received.


Are YOU ready to make that commitment?

If you are, then I'll see YOU at the TOP!


Sensei Brian

Exploring Nature Through Scouting

"Thoughts on the Nature of Camping," a letter written by 2002 National OA Chief Clay Capp, can be found at: http://www.oa-bsa.org/resources/thoughts/thoughts_02c_camping.htm In an excerpt from the letter, Capp wrote:

"...the founders of both the Scouting Movement and the Order of the Arrow valued camping as a way to teach Scouting skills. But each Scout who has truly experienced the outdoors while camping will value camping for its own sake. True, it is in the outdoors that many Scouts learn how to tie their knots and their bandages, and first use a compass. But it is also true that the outdoors is where a Scout's self-reliance is fostered."

This is a great letter.  I have wondered myself where my self-reliance comes from.  I'm sure that my Dad being away a lot because of the military had something to do with that.  But I filled my time with camping, hiking, outdoor skills.  I camped every weekend for a year straight during my Sophomore year of high school and then staffed Summer Camp that Summer.  I really DID develop a sense of self in the outdoors.  I gained confidence in my ability to survive in the wilderness and thus gained confidence in my ability to help MYSELF. 

Look for the answers yourself first.  Explore.  Make mistakes.  But through this process I think I learned to rely on myself too much.  I forgot that it's ok to ask for help.  Never forget that many people have been through what you're going through RIGHT NOW.  Use their wisdom.  They want to help...but you need to ask first. Whether you're a kid having relationship problems or an adult having money problems, you must always remember to "ASK for help BEFORE it's TOO LATE!"

See you at the top,
Sensei Brian

The True Meaning of Brotherhood

Rich Moore, 2003 National Vice Chief for the Order of the Arrow, shares his thoughts on brotherhood. Click here for the whole letter:

"...we commonly use this word "brother" in our Order, but what does it mean? Why is it that the chief addresses us as brothers? Why is it that we feel the way we do, about these people that are not even related to us? I suppose it all started when we stepped forward and chose to undertake that Ordeal. That Ordeal weekend, we spent a great amount of time cheerfully serving our camps and communities, cheerfully serving each other. As the day progressed, we started to think differently about one another, we began to feel true brotherhood. That night we were bound together in this brotherhood, and then we heard, at the end of our Ordeal ceremony, an exclamation from our chief: "My Brothers!!! I congratulate you..." Is this what makes us brothers? "


When my wife and I moved to San Diego we had no family and no friends here. We were on our own. And we felt it, too. Starting over. But what makes your brother your brother? Is your brother your brother just because you share the same parents? The article above says it well: your friends become your family through the spirit. We're attached to each other through our spirits and attitudes, through our experiences together. The bond of brotherhood is enhanced when you experience hardships together, work through challenges together. This is where the sum of your abilities becomes greater than the individual parts.

Five years after moving to San Diego my wife and I are martial arts instructors. We still technically do not have any family here. But what we DO have are brothers and sisters, cousins, and mothers through the students we work with. We have closer relationships with some of our students than with our TRUE brothers and sisters. The Order of the Arrow allows you to have the same experience. The Ordeal will tie you to each other forever, so long as you maintain the relationship. The Brotherhood will confirm your commitment to the ideals of the Order of the Arrow. Your Vigil, the most important, is about self-discovery and will anchor your spirit to your true path. The bond you will have with your Vigil Brothers will be beyond words...it really shouldn't even be discussed with another person...it's the spirit of the thing that will tie you together. The depth of understanding yourself.

See you at the top!

Sensei Brian

How's Your Attitude Eagle Scout?

Clay Capp and Riley Berg, the 2002 National Chief and National Vice Chief, respectfully, composed a great letter on the role of cheerful service in our lives. Click here for the entire letter:

"...step back for a moment and think about the role cheerfulness can play in our lives. It, as one of the three tenets of our Order, does not diminish the role of the other two, but it is being addressed here because the other two are much more frequently treated in our lodge activities. Lodges organize themselves to do service to their councils, and the OA sends crews each summer to Philmont and Northern Tier to give service to our National High Adventure Bases and to national camping. There are events that stress brotherhood, like a lodge fellowship, and NOAC. But cheerfulness is an attitude that pervades all those things. Service can be done without a smile, and true brothers will stand by you no matter the mood – but these things, all things, are so much more fulfilling when you do them cheerfully.


Not only does a positive attitude lift your spirits and the task at hand, but it lifts up those around you also. Think about how many times a simple smile, a pat on the back, or a kind word has made you feel better about what you’re doing. The same can easily be done for others; it just takes the willingness to try – to go about the work of our Order and life, with the mindset that those who have the greatest power to motivate, to help others to a level they may not have imagined, do it with kind words, and genuine smiles. The amount of service possible and the strength of brotherhood are multiplied when cheerfulness is present as well.



Cheerfulness does not mean that everyone is constantly in a good mood. What it signifies is the continual commitment to life, the constant vigilance with which cheerful people face the world and problems in a way that transcends simple optimism. It is not merely an external quality; it is the deep and abiding quality of working toward the good things in life, of maintaining a positive spirit “even in the midst of irksome tasks and weighty responsibilities,” of not letting surmountable barriers prevent us from our fullest potential of brotherhood and service."


I especially love the last paragraph. Cheerfulness really is a commitment. You control your response to stress and drama. Your attitude, spirit, cheerfulness will determine your result. What happens when two tigers fight? One leaves injured and the other dies. Cheerfulness allows us to move softly when things are hard, or hard when things are soft and unclear. When stress hits you hard move like a snake. Move around the problem and look at it from a different angle. The first component of rank advancement, and of your advancement in any area of life, is ATTITUDE!

See you at the top!

Sensei Brian

How to Measure Your Success

In a letter titled, "Thoughts on Servant Leaders and the Great Outdoors," 2004 National Vice Chief David Dowty wrote:

"...leaders are meant to be authors of great ideas and wild dreams, taking a simple problem and applying a unique form of creativity to imagine the possibilities. As the dream takes shape, a leader must also determine and define for themselves and for their group how success will be measured. If we only defined success as achieved after we had reached and perfected our dreams, no one would ever feel that deep sense of accomplishment. Never knowing the taste of victory can demoralize and dishearten those you serve. Within little goals and aspirations can a group find the will and energy to continue serving their ultimate purpose; it is through those "baby steps" that Mother Nature perfected the natural world and that we will come closer to reaching our own summits."

At a young age this Scout realized that many of us set massive goals, fail, and then fall into a depression that keep us from setting further goals, from trying to be the best we can in all ways.  I learned through managing a martial arts studio that setting huge goals is a way to set yourself up for failure.  Set REALISTIC goals, that require work, but are achievable.  I set the goal to reach 100 students after my first full year of studio management.  I knew this was possible based on my past successes.  I reached that goal by December of that year, a full month early.  I set smaller goals along the way, of course, so that I could celebrate my smaller successes and feel good about my work.  Do you set rewards for reaching your goals?  You need an incentive to be successful.  "When I get an A in Math, I get a Nintendo DS."  Or, "when I reach 100 students, I will take a vacation to Hawaii."  Once you reach that goal you might not even want the prize!  But then it's YOUR choice, because YOU earned it through your hard work, planning, and motivation.

Do yourself a favor and write down your 10 goals for the year.  They can cover any area of your life, from family relationships, school, to Scouting.  Write a time frame for when you want it done (be realistic), and also (most importantly) have a PRIZE!  Review your goals daily, tell others about them, and take consistent action!

See you at the top!

-Brian Colwell

Commitment to Order of the Arrow

Seth Mollitt, 2005 National Vice Chief of the Order of the Arrow, wrote the following in a letter titled "Thoughts on Commitment to the Order of the Arrow". Click here for the full letter.

"...over time, however, our dedication can begin to fade. As we grow older and become busier with school and work, the things that at one time seemed so important to us begin to get pushed to the background by new opportunities and activities. As commitments pile up, it becomes easier and easier to skip the occasional lodge weekend; it becomes easier and easier to detach ourselves from the organization to which we once felt so connected. 
 

When I was twelve, I almost quit the Scouting program. School and friends distracted me, and the things that had once seemed so important began to fade. Luckily, I did not quit. I found a way to rekindle my dedication to the Order of the Arrow, and so can anyone else who may find his enthusiasm waning. Every year we are provided with innumerable opportunities to renew our commitment to the Order and to servant leadership through programs like OA Trail Crew, OA Wilderness Voyage, OA Ocean Adventure, NOAC, National Leadership Seminars, and Scoutreach Mentoring. I challenge all of you to take advantage of these opportunities."

Service to others IS a great way to bring energy back into your life.  I almost quit Scouting at one point myself.  But I didn't: and I went on to earn Eagle Scout, Vigil, and the Founder's Award.  I almost quit teaching the martial arts on 3 separate occasions as well.  Twice before I had my own studio and once when I left United Studios.  I'm glad I never quit, though.  I'm successful, happy, and surrounded by people I love and who love me back.  The tenacity of the Tiger is what we all need to push through the fog and dirt and muck, to succeed.  Most people quit JUST before they break through, just before they reach their goals.  That's because for any goal worth reaching there is a PRICE to pay.  Maybe you have to sacrifice your weekends working on your Eagle Project.  Maybe you can't hang with your buddies and skateboard for 3 hours during the week because you need to sacrifice that to have more study time.  Making the right decision is rarely easy in this case.  Peer pressure can push us all over the place.

Begin with the end in mind.  Then DO NOT allow yourself any other result but success.  If you take consistent action towards the end result, the end will be there before you know it!
For more help on setting and achieving YOUR goals shoot me an email at www.welovekempo@gmail.com.

See you at the top!
-Brian Colwell

Order of the Arrow Reminds Us to Honor Our Roots

2003 National Chief for the Order of the Arrow , Nick Digirolamo, wrote a letter titled, "Thoughts on Tradition," from which the following excerpt was taken.

"...ceremonial work has helped me to gain a better understanding of our Order. When I was a new Arrowman attending my first Lodge conclave, an older member of the Lodge approached me and asked if I would help out with a ceremony. I jumped at the opportunity to hang out with the older guys, and I found myself portraying Allowat Sakima later that night in the pre-Ordeal ceremony. I was not very prepared for the role and, admittedly, I was nervous about being the "little guy" in the midst of three seasoned ceremonialists. I was even more intimidated by the amount of candidates and brothers whose eyes were glued on me for the longest 3 minutes of my life, as I recited what lines I could recall from the script." Click here to view the full letter.

The Order of the Arrow isn't just about cheerful service to others, or about maintaining the spirit of Scouting. The OA follows many of the Native American traditions as well. But why? Why all the regalia and ceremony? Why do Vigil members receive a special Native American name?

I love the history of the Native American people, their dance and regalia. Their tradition and culture. Without the Order of the Arrow I would never have taken such an interest, that's for sure. The OA allows us to explore a culture that many of us find very foreign. My family made all their own regalia, danced in the Pow Wow. I learned about different styles of dance and the meaning of different feathers. It's tradition that many kids today miss out on. They miss out on their own history and we're now an i-phone culture. Slow down, go back to the roots. Explore your family tree. Learn what you don't know about your family and maybe you'll discover something about yourself as well!

See you at the top!

Sensei Brian