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- Set One Goal — Try to have one or two clear goals for the
season. Too many will dilute your energy.
- Inspiration — Inspiration
can come from a lot of places. I like to read, or sometimes it comes
from taking a break every other day and watching re-runs of Dallas on
the SOAP network (not that I would ever do that). Consider the inspiration
that relates to the goals that you have set; for example, Building a
Better Team Goal . . . read articles or a good book about team building.
- Create Excitement — While this may sound obvious, you have
to be deliberate about excitement, or you may not move out of the slump.
Once you have started deliberate excitement, it’s important to
build on it. Practice visualization techniques. The author, Richard
Bach, would practice by dematerializing clouds with his mind. I have
always pictured myself doing what I need to do next, and imagining the
outcome in a positive manner.
- Anticipation — Like the old ketchup
commercial, sometimes anticipation will make it taste that much better.
Don’t get this one confused with procrastination though — start
right away. Sometimes, we look forward to a particular activity or event
during the summer and want to start right away — save a goal for
later in the season that makes sense to do. Perhaps it’s something
as simple as making ice cream shakes for your entire staff during their
time off — a form of servant leadership — and another way
to motivate staff.
- Declare Your Goals — Put them up in the
camp office, and share them with your staff. You don’t need a
mission statement, just a few words that you can repeat and keep clear
in your head. A big reminder for big goals, and perhaps some pictures
of the goal for emphasis, can also be helpful.
- Make It Public — Again,
it is amazing how much support you might get from declaring goals. Or,
perhaps you share your goals with a family member or friend who will
help keep you on task and create some accountability.
- Check In Daily — Review
your goals every day, and they will be more likely to happen. Write
yourself a note for mid-summer, seal it in an envelope, and open it
when you have reached that deep blue funk. This is a great tool for
staff as well.
- Support System — Camp is never a solo effort,
so keeping out of a slump shouldn’t be either. Accountability
and inspiration need to be deliberate — so always ask for help.
- Camp Is About Beginnings and Endings — A wise camp director
once told me that there is an ebb and flow to camp. I sometimes describe
it is as a snow ball that gets bigger and bigger as it rolls down the
hill of summer. Never get in the way of the flow or you may get run
over. I have also realized that in the ebb and flow motivation can come
and go. Invest in these ideas, and it will come back.
- Never Give
Up, Never Surrender — Okay, I borrowed that from the Tim Allen
movie, Galaxy Quest (remember item number two and Dallas?). Don’t
give up, even when you’re just not feeling it. It will come back.
Eight to twelve weeks of summer will go by fast, and while there may
be some bumps, it will end. As Vince Corsaro used to say when he was
with the YMCA, “ONWARD!”
- 11. Small Bite Size Chunks — How
do you eat an elephant? If you have heard this saying, you know it also
applies to camp. Start small and work your way up. Lofty goals and grand
plans go away fairly quickly when you hit the reality of the camp machine.
(I know I said this list was a “Top 10” and there are
eleven items . . . I could add another one for
twelve, but you need your rest . . . . )
Originally published in the 2009 July/August
issue of Camping Magazine.
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