Important Note
Make sure you are using the most recent version of the Eagle Scout Workbook and Eagle Application. These change a lot!
How to Write Your Life Statement (ehow.com)
Life Purpose and Ambitions
Things to Consider
- Begin your personal statement by describing what your ambitions are for the future and what you believe your purpose in life is. If you already know what you want your life to be about, this may be easy. For others, it may seem like a difficult task. Get advice from friends, family and teachers but when it comes time to write it down, it should be your ideas. Find a quiet place and give it some serious thought. Try writing a rough copy just for yourself, jotting down what comes to mind, and exploring what you want and don't want your life to be about. Use the ideas you discover in the rough copy to create a good copy for submission.
- After describing your life purpose and ambitions, list the positions you have had that demonstrate leadership skills. These may be positions you've had at school, church, summer camp or anywhere else. For example, if your teacher asked you to help a younger child with his reading, this could be something to include. If it's hard to remember, think about any time you did more than what was expected of you, when you took additional responsibilities or when you were able to help someone in need.
- In addition to leadership positions, include any honors or awards you received. This doesn't have to be a separate section; add them when you describe your leadership positions. Like everything else in your personal statement, these should be the things that matter to you most. If you won first prize at the science fair, this may be something you want to include. If you spent an afternoon getting a lost dog to its rightful owner, you probably didn't get a trophy -- but perhaps the smile of gratitude was an honor to you just the same.
Things to Consider
- The Boy Scouts of America doesn't say how long a personal statement should be or how it should be written. It's important the statement is in your own words and it reflects an honest effort. If you don't think something is important, you don't have to include it. Spelling and grammar are important, so approach a personal statement as you would a school paper. Use spellcheck if you are writing it on a computer. If you want to write it by hand, make sure it's neat and legible. Read it over a couple of times to make sure it's your best work