5 ways to be a SigEp and have your summer too
It’s that time of year again. As all of us close our text books and say goodbye to our classmates, roommates and our brothers, we’re also scrambling to figure out how to get things done this summer and still have fun.
Some of you might have had a chapter president give an amazing speech about making good choices this summer and taking opportunities to be a Balanced Man, which is great! What I am presenting is just some suggestions that not only have a benefit to doing them, but can be done wherever you are and whatever you are doing!
So without further ado…
1. Write it all down.
Why? There are a million articles and advice gurus who explain why writing down your goals is important. They all mention one important fact: writing down you goals increases your commitment to accomplishing your goal ten-fold.
Benefit? Summer can be a time for all of us to accomplish things that we have always told ourselves we would do during the school year but never got around to and it can be customized to wherever we are this summer.
Here is what I did:
- I wrote 3 sub-headings (ex. Sound Mind, Sound Body, Sound Spirit)
- Wrote 2–3 goals for each one. (S.M.A.R.T. goals, don’t you love hearing that?)
Extra challenge? Post it on social media and then your friends, family, and your brothers can check up on how you are doing. Telling someone else your goals bumps up your chance of accomplishing them even more!
2. Do something absolutely insane (within reason)
Why? School doesn’t exactly bring out a huge adrenaline rush for many of us and your body really does need that! Summer is that golden spot in your life where you can save up, plan ahead and do something that is 100% for you.
(I will note that if it scares you a little bit then that is exactly what you should be doing.)
Benefit? You get something to smile and reminisce about when you are stuck in the library and something to talk about during recruitment week. What new guy isn’t going to love hearing about a bunch of guys who used their summer for more than just sleeping in?
3. Come back with something for your chapter.
Why? Because when the semester starts, it is a lot easier to go with the “do what we did last year” attitude. We are the #1 fraternity because of how much we progress on a national level. Why not bring that down to our individual chapters?
I have worked in groups before that held meetings where we just throws new ideas on to a board for an hour. This is the most fun and the most inclusive time we have together.
Benefit? You get your voice heard and even if your chapter doesn’t go with your idea exactly, that idea could help add something new to your experience.
It doesn’t have to be crazy in-depth. It can be a sentence or even just a word or two. Just bring something, throw it on the board and talk about it with the bros’. Let’s get progress’n people!
4. Find your inner Frank Butterfield
“Frank Butterfield has been in the fitness industry for 30 years. Starting as a group fitness instructor and Frank created formats for athletic clubs like boot camp, navy seal bootcamp, triathlon training, core storm. He was the fitness events manager for NIKE, Inc. leading the launch of a before then unknown product category called “cross-training.” —F.B. website
He’s also a SigEp!
Why? Frank Butterfield has been challenging the bodies of hundreds of our brothers through his workouts and training's. Even though you may not be able to train with him, you can train like him.
Hopefully you guys are of sound body during the school year but if you are a little behind or need a challenge then summer is the perfect time! Do something new, do something you like, just put your body to the test and DO SOMETHING.
Just not this. That’s just not okay.
5. Love the brotherhood.
I am not saying dust of your Lifetime Responsibility of Brotherhood (LROB). or go re-read the ritual book with the Chaplain (unless that sounds like what you need, then go for it) because lets be honest, some of us don’t even know where our LROB is.
Make it a goal to find something that will strengthen your love for this fraternity and the people within it.
Why? School and the fraternity become a part of our daily routine and for me, I realized that I go through the motions without any passion because it is what I am supposed to do. Many of us don’t have obligations to SigEp during the summer. It is up to us to set the obligation for ourselves to reaffirm the reasons(s) we joined this fraternity.
Here are a few ways I think you can do this:
- Find some brothers to follow on social media.
*Not in your chapter, just type in SigEp on anything and you will come up on hundreds of brothers*
- Randomly call one of your bros and have a chat.
- Connect with an alumnus on LinkedIn.
- Share your story and tag SigEp in it!
- Make a plan to attend one of SigEp’s leadership events.
(You do not have to be on your executive committee. Never forget that.)
- Learn a SigEp song!
- If you ever randomly think of a brother just immediately text them and say hey. It sounds so cheesy and weird but I guarantee they will smile and appreciate it.
Let’s all dedicate this summer to having an amazing time but also remembering our values and love for this Fraternity.
VDBL, brothers. Have a great summer!
— Chris Glaittli, Utah State ’18
