I was a Boy Scout. My brother was, too. My father was the troop Scoutmaster.

Being a Scout was fun and educational. I learned a lot about working with other people being a Scout.

Among the things that have stuck with me from that time is the Boy Scout Law. A Scout is:

• Trustworthy
• Loyal
• Helpful
• Friendly
• Courteous
• Kind
• Obedient
• Cheerful
• Thrifty
• Brave
• Clean
• and Reverent
  

I can still (almost!) recite them from memory.
When faced with making a decision about how to respond to a situation, it helps to remember all the choices you have. Aligning your responses with the benchmarks in the Scout Law makes it more likely that you will be developing character. Character is “moral excellence and firmness,” per Merriam Webster.

Character is the product recognizing that a choice exists and making the right choice. The right choice is often harder to implement than the alternative. However, it is worth making that choice because you are what you do and what you say.

The people in my life who inspired me and helped shaped my character were basically living by the Scout Law, even though they may have never seen it. You know people like that. I believe your life is better knowing more people like that.

We each have the option of becoming someone of whom people say “What character they have.” Live your life making choices that embody the points in the Scout Law and people will say that about you.

The alternative, frankly, is unacceptable.

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Editor’s Note: Winans focuses on the Boy Scouts, but for those of you who were Girl Scouts, you might find value recalling that group’s law:

I will do my best to be

• honest and fair,
• friendly and helpful,
• considerate and caring,
• courageous and strong, and
• responsible for what I say and do,

and to

• respect myself and others,
• respect authority,
• use resources wisely,
• make the world a better place, and
• be a sister to every Girl Scout.