If I’m willing to incorporate the nuggets of wisdom learned from Scripture, SEAL training, naval commanders and leadership gurus to equip and engage Emerging Adults to create habits that will lead to a flourishing life, why not throw in the Cowboy Creed as well? My friend, Woody Williams, shared on social media that his Sunday School teacher communicated the Cowboy Creed with the class in a discussion about the legacy of one man’s life and how he attempted to live by the tenets of the creed. Woody’s post intrigued me enough that I went in search of the creed and jotted down what I discovered. There are a few variations depending on which source you read, but the underlying premise is the same to them all:
Live each day with courage.
Take pride in your work.
Always finish what you start.
Do what has to be done.
Be tough, but fair.
When you make a promise, keep it.
Talk less and say more.
Remember that some things aren’t for sale.
Know where to draw the line.
Respect women [all people].
The Cowboy Creed, in a simple and concise way, captures the essence of what, at least in my mind, outlines the best way to navigate a flourishing life. A flourishing life is one that requires courage, along with a Habit of Resilience, because you are certain to face difficult obstacles, and a real enemy, that will knock you off balance. Our Creator designed us with unique gifts and talents that He desires we use to the best of our ability, especially through our chosen vocation and careers. This means that we should always do our best work even in the Mundane and Monotonous or when we honestly feel like quitting.
As I move down through the list, I am drawn to the fact that a person who follows these tenets could be described as a person living a life with integrity, what we might say is a person of character. In his book Integrity, Dr. Henry Cloud points out the importance of our character in relationship to our success, whether personally, professionally, or spiritually, but rarely is this issue addressed in formal education. “For example, when in your business training or education did you ever take a course on ‘how to lose well?’…we don’t get courses that teach us to develop those aspects of character. When we do, however, begin to focus on them, then we see people begin to soar to the heights that their abilities should have been taking them all along.” This is the desire I have for all of my students, and for anyone in my life, to soar—to flourish.
Andy Stanley’s message on the topic of integrity emphasizes the importance of having a foundation that guides our character, and for Christ followers this foundation is Scripture. Without some type of groundwork, we are at the whim of our opinions and feelings. For me, the Cowboy Creed mirrors what we read in Scripture, and I’m willing to bet that a wise theologian could assist me in connecting at least one verse of Scripture to each of the tenets listed above.
In addition to integrity and character development, I see many other connections to the Cowboy Creed and the Habits of a Flourishing Life, and I don’t have space to share them all in this one post; however, I do want to close with one that I feel challenged by during this Season of Life, and that is to talk less and say more. As an educator who is quite comfortable talking about her discipline at length, I am finding myself challenged more and more to embrace A Listening Life and to develop a mindset of Appreciative Inquiry with my students and colleagues, which appears to be in alignment with not only Scripture but the Cowboy Creed as well. So, I guess I’m off to work on my cowgirl character, how about you?
Do you know a person who lives out the tenets of the Cowboy Creed well? If so, please share about them in the comments below so that we can all learn about the importance of character in the legacy we leave behind.
References:
Cowboy Connection. (2013). Cowboy creed. Retrieved from http://www.cowboyconnection.org/the-cowboy-s-creed.html
Stanley, A. (2021, August 8). “Your Integrity. Our World. Part 1: The Inescapable Ought.” [Audio podcast]. North Point Community Church. Retrieve from https://northpoint.org/messages/your-integrity-our-world/the-inescapable-ought
Flourishing @ Life 