Advancement - One Step At A Time Minute

This Minute is meant for Scouts BSA.

Take 10 seconds to answer this question to yourself:
'Why am I in Scouts?'
(time off 10 seconds on your watch.)

Would anyone like to share one reason with the troop?

Common answers are: To Camp, It's Fun, and To Be an Eagle Scout.

If one of your main goals is to become an Eagle Scout, then picture this. Let's say that where I am standing right now is the Scout rank. Over there (about 15 feet away) is the Eagle rank. I'm going to reach that goal.
(Stretch your foot toward the goal as far as you can, do the splits. :-) That doesn't work, so keep your feet where you were standing, lay down, and stretch your hands as far as you can toward the goal. Still doesn't work. Ad lib that you're trying as hard as you can to reach it but its too far away. Stand up. Take a running jump to see how far you can go. Still don't make it.)

As you can see, I just can't make it - the Eagle rank is too far away. I can give up - OR, I can adjust my goals. Instead of shooting for Eagle right now, I will shoot for Tenderfoot rank by [September 1 or whenever]. (Take a big step forward to Tenderfoot.)
Then, I'll learn more skills to reach 2nd Class by [February 1] - step forward. Then, 1st Class. Then, Star. Then, Life.
Finally, I can reach that goal I couldn't get to when that was all I was interested in.

A Chinese saying is, 'A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.' Know where you want to go and start stepping.

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You could ask a Scout or Tenderfoot and an Eagle to help you by standing 15 feet apart and having the Scout try to reach the Eagle.