Personal Growth at Camp and in LifePosted by Beigette Gill on December 15, 2020

At Fernwood Cove a core value is Personal Growth, each of our core values help guide us in how we operate. One of the most special times of day at camp is assembly where we gather, sing together and the directors share daily words of guidance. These words of advice allow campers to work towards personal self-improvement and becoming their best version. Some of the topics include how to advocate for yourself, introducing yourself to someone you don’t know, explaining Random Act of Kindness (RAK) and complementing others on their character.

Personal growth and self-improvement are a passion of mine. As 2020 is coming to an end I have been reflecting on what has helped me through this time. The three simple concepts that continue to help are: To Show Up, Be My Best-Self, and Be in Service.

Show Up

I often have multiple obligations each day.  Consequently my first priority is to show up to everything that I have committed to. At summer camp we have a saying “Early is on time, on time is late and late is not acceptable.”  To truly embrace this concept of showing up  I incorporated being early. Additionally, I also included being organized and prepared. Prioritizing this has been key, with the combination of our busy lives and information overload it is not always easy. However has proved to be so important.

Be My Best-Self

Determining character strengths is integral when deciding what “My best-Self” means. Understandably, this is very different for each person.  To be at my best every day is simply impossible. Therefore, each day I assess where I am at physically, mentally and emotionally. I recognize that my best may be different based on how rested I am and how well I feel. Taking all this into account, I put forth my best effort to incorporate self kindness, compassion, focus on listening, being engaged and present in the moment during my conversations and interactions with people. Certain days I’m better in different areas, but I feel it’s important to keep an awareness on being “my best self” on a daily basis.

Be in Service

Contributing to something greater than myself and how I serve others has been important to me. For the past year I have been the president of Maine Summer Camps. In this volunteer role I have utilized the first two concepts; to Show up and Be my best-self. By contributing in this way to serve others and the Maine camping industry it has helped provide me with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

As we transition into the new year I hope you find something useful in this blog.  Furthermore, providing you with something valuable to share with your children.