Tell the Truth About the Fish

There's an old joke about fishing stories getting bigger every time they're told. It's funny because it's true, and mostly harmless when it's about a fish. But that same instinct — to round up, to stretch the truth a little to look better — shows up in places that aren't harmless. On your merit badge requirements. On whether you actually did your homework. On what really happened on the trail. Practice telling the truth about the small stuff, especially when a bigger story would sound better.