Daniel Boone, Pathfinder

When I was a kid I used to watch the show Daniel Boone. Every week Daniel and his pals would battle injustice prior to and through the American Revolutionary War. No matter what happened Daniel could count rely on his wits, strength, skill and friends to win the frontier for the settlers around Boonesborough.

One of the greatest woodsmen in American history, Daniel Boone, really did fight hostile Indians, allies of the British and  settle with his wife in Boonesborough, KY. Well, sort of settled. You see the people of that settlement blamed Boone for losing their money because of land speculators.

Boone was a simple man who was stated that the components to a happy life were, "A good gun, a good horse and a good wife." And dog on it he tried. He and Rebecca had six kids, but events kept pushing him west. He had little formal education and distrusted those who wrote contracts and could mot simply make a deal with a handshake.

Though great and getting things started, Boone was not a great manager. The folks who had followed him over the Cumberland Pass through the Appalachian Mountains to settle in a town named after their leader expected more from him than he could deliver.

Boone put his life on the line numerous times protecting settlers from the Indian advances. He was shot, captured, tortured, his daughter was kidnapped, and he survived. What he could not survive or at least tolerate was the expectations of those around him for things he could not deliver.

Kentucky lost Daniel Boone to what is now West Virginia and later Boone made his way to Missouri where he ended his career. Many years later his body was exhumed and taken back to Kentucky. Now, it seemed, they wanted him.

Boone was not a tragic figure--he was a hero, not just because of his fighting skills, but because he knew his place in the world. He knew what he wanted and what he disliked. He should be a hero to us because he sets an example to us. Here are some lessons from the life of Daniel Boone.

You had better appreciate people for what they can do rather than what you wish they could do. The settlers  Boonesborough learned this the hard way.

By blaming others you may lose a valuable asset. Who would have thought that Daniel Boone would leave the town named after him? Daniel Boone!

Don't try to be what you are not. Daniel was an explorer, hunter, and protector...not a businessman.

Never give up on your dream... Daniel Boone kept moving west, even in his eighties he was still living the life he wanted.

So how about you? Will you learn from Daniel Boone? Here's a tip--find what you are good at, what you love, and invest your time in that. Instead of attempting to be all things to all people, be yourself, be great, be like...

Daniel Boone

Don

P. S. The settlers would never have made it over the mountains had Daniel Boone not found the Cumberland Gap. He was their guide. If you need a mentor, a guide--go here!