1 in 9: Making Room For Change

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In our daily lives it is easy to lose sight of what our purpose is. We wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, go home, eat dinner, go to bed and do it all over again.  Day in and day out, our routine becomes a part of us, and sometimes the mundane work of repetition is what inhibits our ability to be creative or create  new things.

What if we changed our way of thinking and rather than woke up each day and wishing for the day to already be over, if we could live in the  moment for once? What would it look like if we took the time to learn new concepts and applied them in our daily lives?  What would our day be like if we took the time to enjoy our food and company and engulfed ourselves in meaningful conversations?  What if we didn’t wish for our day to end just as we awoke, but rather embraced what may come as far as challenges and struggles that help us to build our character and well-being as a problem solver and deep thinker.

This is what we call CHANGE.  Change is good and you go first.

When we started 1 in 9, we asked each of you to watch the TedTalk video on Minimalist.  After viewing the video, we asked all of you to start a journey on making small changes in your daily lives that would lead to the value of others and yourself.  Each week we encouraged you to take larger steps into making each week thoughtful and meaningful and most importantly mindful in what you do.  A habit only takes 21 days to for it to stick.

  1.  What activities stuck out to you the most and why?
  2.   What were you able to take away from the TedTalk Minimalist and 1 in 9 activity that you can continue to apply as a leader?

Answer the questions in the comment section below.  Respond to one other person for full credit.

Remember, live for the moment, not the memories and you will find happiness, value, and purpose in your life.

What is TRUE Happiness?

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What is True Happiness and How Do We Find It?

After watching the movie Trolls, there are some amazing leadership lessons that come from it, here are 3 from

3 SOFT SKILLS LESSONS FROM WATCHING “TROLLS”

by

soft skills lessons from Trolls

 

 

 

 

 

“You have eat a Troll to be happy” – What?  What a silly concept!  Why would the Bergens believe such a thing?  Then it dawned on me the metaphor and parallel to our lives.  We all grew up with a lot of concept about happiness, such as

  • We need to make a lot of money to be happy
  • We need to be married to be happy
  • We need to own a house to be happy
  • We need to be promoted to be happy

How is that different from the Bergens in Trolls?  We may think their belief – “need to eat a troll to be happy” – is so ridiculously silly.   How can the young Bergens king believe completely that he will never be happy, given the Trolls all escaped?   Well, maybe our beliefs about happiness are also silly and fabricated.  Do we really need any of those things (house, money, promotion, spouse) to be happy?    I have learned, happiness does not depend on any people, circumstance, achievement, or thing.  The Trolls movie is teaching us the same wisdom in a fun and easy way to understand.  It’s brilliant!

Soft Skill lesson 1:   Self awareness

  • Do you know what your concepts of happiness at work and in life are?
  • Jot down 1 or 2 and then ask yourself – what if they are not true? What if you can be happy right now?

“I don’t sing, and I don’t relax. This is the way I am, and I like it. I also like a little silence.”  This is a quote from Branch who was the Troll that lost all his bright colors and was always worried about the attacks from Bergens.   Do we know people like that in our lives?  Those who are set in their ways? Does any of the following sound familiar?  Are you like this?

  • I am already 30, I don’t want to try that. That’s for “young” people
  • You can’t teach an old dog, new tricks
  • I don’t do that. It’s too …. (fill in the blank – hard, silly, time consuming, …)  It’s just not my thing
  • I am too old to ….. (fill in the blank)

As we get older, many of us, have a deep rooted belief that we cannot change any more.  That is absolutely NOT true! The only reason we won’t learn anymore is if we mentally stop ourselves from doing so and believing in these types of “limiting concepts” like the above.

Soft Skill Lesson 2 – Growth Mindset.  We can learn anything and everything until the day we die.   It’s important to surround ourselves with friends and colleagues with growth mindsets.   We can inspire them to learn more and they can inspire us to do the same.   Branch only was set in his way because of a sad event in his childhood.  He needed Poppy to convince him it’s okay to be who he really is again.

King Gristle:Do you really think I can be happy?
Poppy: Of course! It’s inside you! It’s inside of all of us! And I don’t think it. I feel it!

We are all born with the right and the power to be happy.  What an empowering concept!  It was inspiring to see Poppy’s self confidence as she convinced the King that he can be happy too, without eating any Trolls.  Poppy saved her entire race from centuries of persecution, because she was convinced she can do it.  Has she done it before? no.  Did she know how she was going to do it?  no.  Yet, she just knew it.

Soft Skills Lesson 3 – Self Confidence.   We often think confidence is something we have to earn, only after we achieved A, B, or C.  It’s the opposite.  Only when we choose to be confident, can we achieve the most amazing things that we would have never imagined. So choose to be confident in yourself!  You have the power to do it.  When you do, not only can you contribute more to this world, but you can also inspire others to do the same.  This is what Poppy did for King Gristle.

Taken from https://bemycareercoach.com/soft-skills/soft-skills-lessons-trolls.html

 

After watching Trolls, answer the following questions.

  1.  What does the song “True Colors” mean to you when it comes to leadership?
  2. What if we all walked around campus showing our true colors? What would it look like, feel like, sound like? What would that mean for our campus’ climate and culture?  How can we change or what can we do to fix this?
  3. What did the Bergens learn about happiness? How can we apply that to our own lives?
  4. What other leadership lessons or concepts were you able to learn about after viewing the movie?  Here is another link to some other sources about Happiness and the movie Trolls.

How Far I’ll Go

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How Far are you willing to go to LEAD others?

In the movie Moana, there are multiple leadership lessons that stick out to us as leaders, here are just a few of those that we learned taken from

13 Leadership Lessons And Quotes From Disney’s Moana

A Reel Leadership Article
1. The success we seek isn’t always success:

As we begin Moana, we hear her grandmother share the story of Maui (voiced by Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson) and how he successfully stole the heart Te Fiti. Only after he steals the heart does he realize his idea of success is wrong.

Darkness overtook the island and he lost his magical abilities to transform. He also lost the heart of Te Fiti to the bottom of the ocean.

Without a clear knowledge of what we’re doing, we can chase after the wrong idea of success. We’ll go after what looks like success:

Fame

Fortune

Followers

Only to end up realizing we’ve been chasing the wrong thing the whole time. Make sure you know what success truly looks like before you pursue it.

2. Gramma Tala:

Someone will have to go

I loved this line by Moana’s (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) grandmother. The island was in trouble and she realized it. She also realized someone needed to go and retrieve the stolen heart. Without it, hope was lost.

Who will it be in your organization? Who will stand up and lead?

My guess is that it should be you. Do it.

3. Great leaders protect:

Even in her infancy, Moana was a protector. We see that early in the movie when she covers a turtle and guides him towards the ocean waters.

She kept him safe and out of the view of the birds who wanted to eat him.

That’s something great leaders do. Great leaders protect those they lead.

4. Fear holds you back:

Once a great voyaging tribe, the islands on Moana’s island no longer traveled on the sea. They stayed safe and cozy on their island.

If ever someone had the CRAZY idea of leaving, they would tell them they would perish by pushing off into the waters. They held those who had great vision back.

When we let fear take hold in our lives, it does the same thing the villagers did. Fear holds us back.

Know that fear only holds you back because you listen to it. With a proper examination of the situation, you can tell whether or not you need to fear.

If you don’t have to fear, move forward.

5. Moana:

Sometimes our strengths lie beneath the surface

Hei Hei was a scraggly looking rooster. He didn’t always go towards the food and something seemed a bit off about him.

Yet Moana knew there was something special with Hei Hei. She believed his strengths weren’t based on his looks. He had something deep down in him.

You might not be the best looking man or woman in the world. You might struggle to speak publicly.

Still, you have strengths just beneath the surface. You are wise beyond your years. You can see patterns no one else sees. Or maybe it’s the fact that you can bring people together like no one else.

You have a strength. Find it and cultivate it.

6. Bang the drum:

Before Moana was able to find out the true history of her people, she had to do something. Moana had to beat the drums on the sailing vessels she found.

Once she did, she was treated to the knowledge of how her people used to be voyagers.

Leadership requires you to take action. Beating the drum was Moana’s stepping stone.

You have one too. Find your drum and beat it.

7. Gramma Tala:

Who are you meant to be?

A great question all leaders should ask themselves.

8. We struggle to start leading for various reasons:

For Moana to take her voyage, she would have to leave everything behind. Including her dying grandmother.

She wrestled internally on whether or not to leave before she settled on setting sail.

What’s holding you back from beginning your leadership journey? Is it negative thoughts or a family member?

Wrestle with the issue and then lead!

9. Moana:

We can voyage again!

Because of the fear of what layout on the ocean, Moana’s people gave up voyaging. They wouldn’t leave their island.

Moana realized that this didn’t have to be their truth forever. They could overcome their fear and voyage again.

The present may not be as glorious as the past. With your help, you can restore your organization to it’s former, or even better, glory.

10. Find the right motivators:

After finding Maui, Moana couldn’t get Maui to join her on her journey. That is until she found the right motivation.

Maui’s tattoos told stories. One of those tattoos showed Maui being worshiped by people. Moana caught onto this and played up his desire to have the praise of people.

She found his motivator.

You have to do the same thing. You need to look at your people and find out what moves them.

11. Moana:

Teach me to sail

Moana had the heart of a learner. She desired to learn how to sail and voyage like those from previous generations. And she wasn’t too proud to ask to be taught.

Do you have the heart of a learner? Don’t be afraid to ask a mentor or friend to teach you what you need to know.

12. Know your purpose:

We see Moana’s struggle from the beginning of the movie until it closes. She knew her purpose and had the desire to live it out.

When it came time to step up to the plate, knowing her purpose made all the difference.

Seek out your purpose. Discover what God made you for. Then live your life in His will.

13. Practice your craft:

Maui, with the assistance of his fish hook, had the ability to transform into various animals. Over the hundreds of years he didn’t have his fish hook, he forgot how to control his abilities.

With practice, Maui was able to regain the ability to shapeshift.

Practice your craft. Whether that’s writing, public speaking, knife making, or some other form of art. The more you practice, the better you will be.

 

After reading through these 13 leadership lessons, answer the following questions.
1.  What characteristics make a great leader?
2. Pick 3 characteristics from the above list you created that you feel are the most important to being a great leader.  Explain why each is important.
3.  What characteristics of a leader does Moana show in the movie?
4.  What is one major lesson that stuck out to you in the movie?  What was it and how can that lesson help us be greater leaders within our school and community?
5.  Pick one quote from the movie,  what does it mean and how can we apply it to our own leadership knowledge?
Information taken from http://www.jmlalonde.com/leadership-lessons-quotes-disneys-moana/

Method to the Madness

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As we head into the new year, it is important to spend time reflecting on ourselves as leaders and as a  council.  It is safe to say that without reflection, we can not begin to see where we are going or where we have come from. Reflection can be key to evaluating process, setting goals, fixing problems and finding solutions. More importantly it can be a great tool to evaluate ourselves more closely to be able to grow as great leaders.

Please answer the following questions and limit the writing to about 1-2 paragraphs for each question.  Always make sure to answer the WHY.

 

Part 1:  Please answer and type the following questions, print, and enclose in an envelope and seal. You will turn this in to me on Monday, January 11th.

We will read these and share the last week of school.

1.  Are you pleased with YOUR participation in the meetings and activities that the council and your class has hosted?

2.  What grade would you give YOURSELF for the first half of the year?

3.  What will YOU do to improve your COMMITMENT to the council?

4.  In what areas do you think OUR council needs to improve?

5.  What do you believe is OUR greatest accomplishment so far this year?

Part 2:  Please answer and type the following questions for Part 2 and 3 on the same page and turn into class by Monday, January 11th.

1.  What characteristics describe you as a leader?

2.  When people refer to you as a leader, what do you hope they are saying or thinking about you?

3.  I want others to consider me a leader because…?

4.  People who are considered leaders should be expected to…?

5.  My definition of a leader is…?

6.  My definition of leadership is…?

7.  My philosophy of leadership is…?

Part 3:  Please answer and type on the same page as part 2.  This is due by Monday, January 11th.

For the remainder of this school year…

1.  What is one personal goal you have?

2.  What is one academic goal you have?

3.  What is one council goal that you will initiate?

Where do we go from here?

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Think about where we have come from and where we still have left to go. Aside from the current reflections of the council, this is normal this time of year for us to sit and reflect, review from the beginning of the year, and continue forward with the idea that there is still so much to learn and there is still so much left that can be achieved by you, if you give it 100%.

Think about our philosophy as a council:

Our philosophy is that a leadership program must have substance and meaning. We are developing a program that changes the school and the students for the better, not just a program that makes the school “more fun.” Assemblies, dress up days, decorations, and any other activities for that matter are not the central focus of the program. Rather there is a more holistic approach of looking at the ENTIRE NEEDS of the student body and trying to address what those needs are. For example, there may be a need to increase school spirit, but just as important might be the need to address academic integrity, drug or alcohol use, bullying, stereotyping, cliques, and even racial tension.

More importantly, how about feeling like you have purpose in a school of 3,392 students. It becomes very difficult to say an assembly, activity, or dress up day is going to make that person feel more like they have a purpose because we hosted that activity for them. Meaning, we need to think about every individual and how they matter and how being a friend and just talking to someone is a way for us to find out what others purposes are and how they might feel a part of the Cougar Family.

It is our hope to empower students to look at some of these significant issues and work with school staff, students, and other leaders in addressing them. Going hand in hand with this is the philosophy that the leaders are serving their peers.   “True Leadership must be for the benefit of the followers, not the enrichment of the leaders.”- Robert Townsend

It is important that we take a look at our core philosophy again, and go back and see if our goals are meeting this. If not, then what could we change about our yearly goals, monthly goals, weekly goals, and daily goals? What is it we truly exist for? To make kids happy with events, activities, and decorations? How do we even know if that was our goal or if we are meeting that? Meaning lets get to the deep core and root of why high school can be scary and daunting at times and really address the ENTIRE NEEDS of the students on our campus and our COMMUNITIES NEEDS as well.

In order for us to move forward and continue to be a great council, we need to evaluate our goals and potentially change them. We need to evaluate our methods of leading and potentially change them. To continue our growth in leadership, we need to constantly strive to want to learn about topics that will challenge us to be better than we already are. We have so much left to learn and so much left to give. All of us play a significant role in helping our school achieve 100% Coronado pride, community pride, student pride, we want everyone to have pride in themselves. “Leadership is action, not position.” –Donald H McGannon

I hope you are all well rested and ready to come back to take ACTION! Go Cougars!!

“Did you ever know that you’re my Hero?”

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Who is that person in your life that is your HERO?  Each day we look up to someone who truly makes a difference in our lives in some way or another.  It could be the person who stood up for someone who was bullied, it could be your mom for all her sacrifices she has made for her family, it could be all the millions of people who have served our country in some way or another so that America can be free.  Your definition of a hero could be different then the definition of a hero for someone else. What is your definition of a hero? So, who is your hero in your life and how can you show them or tell them that they are doing the things or they have the characteristics that you look up to and would like to emulate?

During the song, the lyrics indicate that the person that Bette Midler is singing to is the person that doesn’t get much recognition and is sometimes seen walking in others shadows, despite them being the actual strength to her.  What else does the song say that is important and what does it mean?  Sometimes there are heroes in our lives that go unnoticed and it begins to diminish their emotional connection to society and how they have purpose and how they have provided.  In what ways can we pay tribute to those unsung heroes and pay tribute to their contributions and guidance in our daily lives?

Music provides the best outlet to life.  It also provides the most motivation to how we act and how we find courage for who we are.  Music can define alot of who we are and what type of personality we exhibit. What artist or song gives you inspiration?  How does the songs’ lyrics provide guidance and what leadership motivation or advice could you get from that one song that you love?  You are going to play 30 seconds of the song in class and answer those questions.  The song choice must be clean and edited.  Selection of a song may be the one that defines your personalty, or how you are currently feeling, the way you get pumped up for a game, event or special occasion, it could just be your favorite song right now because you relate to it.  Think long and hard, and take the time to pick the best song for you and be ready to answer WHY!  

In Order to Live a Good Story, You Must Write Your Own!

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The Book Of Life

Choosing your own path to follow, can lead you down many roads in your life.  Which will you choose? How will you decide? What influences you to make that choice?

We have all experienced it before; tough decisions that can change your whole outcome in life.  So, which one do you choose to follow and how do you decide?  Here are some great tips for deciding What YOU Really Want in Life and how you can continue to live a positive, impacting life no matter what the outcome is.  It all begins with YOU and Your CHOICE.

Live Your Own Positive Life and Live a Good Story.

  • Start Small- Figure out what it is you really WANT and what it is you NEED.  If you know that you want to change the world, first figure out who can help you, what specifically is it you want to do (find something you are passionate about), and set small goals in order to achieve what you want to do.
  • Weed Out The People In Your Life Who Are Living Worse Stories- Figure out who is helping you and influencing you in a positive way, if they aren’t contributing to your life somehow in that manner, then you don’t need them in your story.
  • Find People Who Are Living Good Stories- Find the people in your life who are living up to the expectations that you would want for yourself or already have for yourself.  Are you making it a point to follow them, lead with them, learn with them, and live with them?  Most people you already surround yourself with, are most like you. If you don’t like who you are or some of the habits you have formed, change who you surround yourself with and see the difference.  Remember to surround yourself with positive people daily.
  • What Is Your Role In Their Story?- What is your current role in other’s lives?  Are you striving to find out how you can include yourself in other’s lives and how that will help benefit both of you?
  • Be Willing to Impact Their Life- What kind of impact are you currently making in their lives?Are you making a positive impact daily? Are you constantly challenging them to be better than they were before?  Are you making it a point to reinforce good performance daily?
  • Be Willing to Make a Scene- You need to be willing to make a scene in order for them to learn.  How are you finding those teachable moments with others and really making it a point to focus on the certain areas that need to be talked about in order to make a difference in someone’s life.

 

Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart, embarks on an adventure that spans three fantastic worlds where he must face his greatest fears. During that time he is faced with many choices that he must make that will impact his future and the future of others around him.

In the movie, Maria tells Joaquin to ALWAYS FIGHT FOR WHAT’S RIGHT and for Manolo to ALWAYS PLAY FROM THE HEART.  What does each mean and Why is the advice she has given to both of them important for a leader to follow? How can we as Student Council members ‘always fight for what’s right’ and ‘always play from the heart’?

After viewing the Lego Movie and Book of Life, we have focused on the 4 main characteristics that are important in order to be a TRUE HERO:

  1. Courage to Live
  2. Selfless
  3. Lead From the Heart
  4. Be an Individual

Why are all four of these points important to leadership and How can it help us each and every day on our campus and in our community? Give me an example of How each of these can play a role in our daily lives.

Throughout the movie, there are many other leadership lessons that take place, What other lessons stand out to you most and Why?  And Why are those lessons important in life and being a leader?

 

 

What Starts Here, Changes the World: Goal Setting 101

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Goal Setting can be hard if you have never done it or don’t know anything about it, but taking the time to set goals weekly, monthly, yearly, and beyond, can truly be a life changer.  Understanding ‘What is Important and What Really Matters’ are a part of the small steps to taking action in setting your own goals.  Those goals can relate to relationships, sports, education and academics, health, and even your everyday life, such as being a leader.  Take a moment to reflect on the important things that really matter to you and where you want to see your life going.  That is all it takes to set a goal.  Once you know what you NEED in life, you can start to set goals in order to achieve them.

At the University of Austin Texas, Admiral William H. McRaven from the Navy Seals, was able to address the class of 2014 and their achievement in graduation. During his speech he refers to the many lessons learned from the Navy Seals that relate to his everyday life and will hopefully be of value to the generation that is moving forward.

Here are 10 lessons to remember if You Want to Change the World. 

1.  If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.

2.  If you want to change the world, find someone to help you paddle.

3.  If you want to change the world, measure a person by the size of their heart, not the size of their flippers.

4.  If you want to change the world, get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.

5.  But if you want to change the world, don’t be afraid of the circuses.

6.  If you want to change the world, sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.

7.  So, if you want to change the world, don’t back down from the sharks.

8.  If you want tot change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment.

9.  So, if you want to change the world, start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud.

10.  If you want to change the world, don’t ever, ever ring the bell.

What are you willing to do to change the world?  What heartaches, memories, triumphs, disasters, and shear joy have your experienced in trying to change the world?  What lesson are you willing to focus on a little more in order to change the world?

What does each lesson mean and how does that relate to you and student council, and WHY are each of these lessons important when setting goals?

How to Keep Your Adviser From Burnout

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Most advisers commit to advising a student organization because they want to be involved and help develop and educate the students who are involved with the program.  Sometimes it does get busy or stressful and the demands of being an adviser can sometimes feel overwhelming on top of their other responsibilities.  Overwhelmed advisers could become crabby and cut back on the “extra” things that your organization could do, leaving it curtailed if your adviser becomes overloaded.  As a student leader you can take steps to help your adviser from burning out and staying focused on being involved.

1.  Step Up: Don’t rely on the adviser to do everything for you.  You are a capable student leader and you can accomplish things for yourself.  It’s a student organization right?  The adviser is there to offer guidance and support, not do the work of the organization. The more active you are as a student leader, the more competent you will become and in return gain trust with the adviser to get jobs done on time.

2.  Follow Through on Responsibilities:  One of the biggest things that will keep your adviser from stressing out is to make sure you as a student leader, do what you say you will do.  Sure, everyone slips up once in a while, but the adviser shouldn’t have to go along following you, making sure that everything gets done.  Officers, Executives, and Representatives are all key members in the organization that should follow up with chair people and other members who have taken on tasks to do for the group.  Ask how they are progressing and provide help, support, and resources if they need it.

3.  Put Things Back:  Advisers are prone to having students walk off and leave class with the paint, scissors, tape, stapler, markers, and other supplies left out for the adviser to clean, find, put back, and organize.  Constantly having to search for things, clean items,  and organize them can drive anyone crazy! Make an effort to clean supplies, and put them back when you use them and remind your peers as well.  Take on the job of organizing the back supply closet or paint area, labeling everything so the group knows where everything is at and where it belongs to help keep those items in their place.

4.  Be Sensitive to Schedules:  Before asking if the group can sponsor an activity or host an after school meeting or event, check to see what else might be going on in the adviser’s schedule so as not to overload their calendar or prevent them from their own tasks and duties or leaving school to continue on with their day.

5.  Find the Humor:  When things get stressful, tell everyone a corny joke or do a silly activity to get everyone laughing.  Try to find the humor and fun in all situations and laugh at mistakes instead of getting angry or upset.

6.  Build in Time for Fun:  It’s easy to get burned out on boring meetings and hard work all the time.  Find some fun ways for your member’s and adviser to have some fun together.  Plan a social event with no other goal in mind than just to relax, have fun and boost the energy and mood level!

7.  Express Appreciation:  The quickest way for someone to get burned out is to feel unappreciated. Be sure to let your adviser know that their efforts with the group are noted and appreciated.  Don’t wait until the end of the year to give a token of appreciation- it might be too late by then!  Try some of these ideas throughout the year:

*During the year when the adviser has to stay late because it is a particularly busy week for the group’s activities, line up some parents to bring in casserole dinners the adviser can take home so they don’t have to cook dinner for their family when they get home late after a long day.

*Have all members of the organization write a quick note of appreciation to the adviser for something specific that happened during an event your group sponsored.  Put them all together and give them to the adviser in an envelope. Or, create a poster with everyone jotting down a few words of thanks in different colors of markers.

*Ask parents of members to write an email to the principal (and cc: the adviser) expressing their appreciation for the adviser’s work.

*Nominate the adviser for recognition and awards programs in the adviser’s field.

*Just say Thanks!  Sometimes the simplest thing is all that’s needed to make the adviser feel his or her time is being well spent.

Excerpt from ‘Challenge’ by Herff Jones and Leadership Logistics, 2015, Vol 18 #6