Leader vs. Boss
People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. . .
The leader works in the open, and the boss is covert.
The leader leads, and the boss drives.
~ Theodore Roosevelt
At Least Buy a Ticket
A man finds himself in serious trouble. His business has gone bust and he's in dire financial straits. He's desperate so he decides to ask God for help.
He begins to pray... 'God, please help me. I've lost my business and if I don't get some money, I'm going to lose my house as well. Please let me win the lottery.'
Lottery night comes, and somebody else wins.
He again prays... 'God, please let me win the lottery! I've lost my business, my house and I'm going to lose my car as well.'
Lottery night comes and he still has no luck.
Once again, he prays... 'My God, why have you forsaken me? I've lost my business, my house, and my car. My children are starving.
I don't often ask You for help, and I've always been a good servant to You.
PLEASE let me win the lottery just this one time so I can get my life back in order.'
Suddenly there is a blinding flash of light as the heavens open. The man is overwhelmed by the Voice of God, Himself....
'Mister you need to work with Me on this.... Buy a ticket.’
Cute story, but it has a strong message. Have you done your share of the work, creative problem solving and gone the extra mile to achieve your goals?
Dali Lama's Instructions for Life
Instructions for Life
Written by Dali Lama *
These instructions were developed from the Dali Lama’s lifetime of prayer and contemplation. The Dali Lama has dedicated his life to promoting the human values of compassion, forgiveness, tolerance and self-discipline.
1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great
risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
§ Respect self
§ Respect others
§ Responsibility of all your actions
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful
stoke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back,
you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation.
Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle to the earth.
16. Once a year, go to someplace you have never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each
other exceeds the need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give away in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with the same reckless abandon.
* from the Dali Lama’s website
For more free Teaching Moment ideas please
go to www.TeachingMoments.com
10 Ways to Help YOUR Teachers
Your teachers want you to succeed, but YOU have to help them.
They teach you about a particular subject like science, math or English. And they do much, much more.
In combination with your parents, teachers show you how to take responsibility, how to get along with others, how to handle stress, how to improve your communication skills and how to believe in yourself. They teach you how to manage your time, how to set goals and how to make better personal decisions. So how can you help them?
10 Ways to Help YOUR Teachers
- Listen—really listen—in class
- Improve your note-taking skills
- Take part in the class discussions
- Review your subject notes before class
- If necessary, change your seat assignment
- Do an extra-credit project
- Ask questions
- Double check your homework and test material before handing them in
- Hand your homework in on time
- Two days before a test, do some additional studying in that subject area
Teachers have goals, called lesson plans, for each of their classes. For example, how do you teach students about the metric system if they have never been exposed to the concept? A lesson plan is a step-by-step breakdown of how the teacher plans to accomplish this task. Then, how do teachers measure how well you are learning the material?
You guessed it. Tests, quizzes, class participation and term papers are the tools they use to measure their success. They tell the teacher if your class needs further review or can move to a new topic.
Here’s the key. The above ten rules will help your teacher succeed. The bonus is that you will succeed also.
Ideas for Implementation:
- Take one item for the week and work to improve in that area.
- Show your teachers what you are doing and ask for their help.
- Ask a student who is good in note taking to give you a couple of pointers.
Please visit www.TeachingMoments.com for more life skills
ideas to help children succeed.
A Debt Repaid - A Great Human Interest Story
A Glass of Milk
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way
through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.
He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his
nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.
Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! . She thought he looked
hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and
then asked, How much do I owe you?"
"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to
accept pay for a kindness."
He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but
his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and
quit.
Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local
doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they
called in specialists to study her rare disease.
Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name
of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he
rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his
doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.
He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her
life. From that day he gave special attention to her case. After a long
struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for
approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill
was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would
take the rest of her life to pay for it all.
Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the
bill. She read these words ..."Paid in full with one glass of milk"
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God,
that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."
There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the water
comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place. And, after all, isn't that what life is all about?
(This was sent to me over the Internet without an author's name.)
10 Steps to Better Grades
Dreams are your “door opener” to opportunity. The key is turning the dreams into a plan and then taking action on the plan. When used properly dreams are a springboard to your future success. They are your tools for self-exploration and will provide you with ideas, enthusiasm, and determination. How to turn your dream of higher grades into positive results: 1. Dreams increases inspiration - Challenge to actively think about getting higher grades. 2. Inspiration increases ambition - Challenge to dedicate yourself to getting them. 3. Ambition increases desire - Dare to ask someone to help you. 4. Desire increases enthusiasm - Dare to think positively about getting higher grades. 5. Enthusiasm increases motivation - Dare to tell others about your excitement. 6. Motivation increases planning - Dare to clearly define your challenge or desire. What grade do you want? Which subject? 7. Planning increase goal setting - Dare to write down your goal, add specific action steps and a completion date. 8. Goal setting increases determination - Confront to move closer to your goal by completing your action steps that move you closer to your goal. 9. Determination increases action - Dare to take positive action on your dreams. 10. Action increases results - Congratulate yourself on a job well done. You are a WINNER! Make sure your dreams are telling you that on a regular basis. Suggestions for implementation: 2. Finish this statement: My actions today will ___________. Questions for discussion: 2. Which item needs some additional attention on your part? 3. How can your friends help you?
1. If dreams are the door opener to opportunity, then what can you do to ensure your dreams are positive? Discuss your ideas with your family or friends.
1. Of the ten items listed above, which do you think is the most important?
Lying Hurts You and Others
From Jonathan Wallace’s article on lying where he discusses the negative influence lies have on our everyday life. Below are excerpts from his article:
I hate being lied to. Short of violence, it is the worst thing you can do to me…. The reason that I hate lies is because, like you, I wish to navigate carefully through life, and to do so I must be able to calculate my true position. When you lie to me, you know your position but you have given me false data which obscures mine.
Lying is theft. When you tell me something which I take to be true and as a result I invest my time, or my money, or even my care, you have stolen these things from me because you obtained them with false information.
Lying creates inequality. Since you also do not like being lied to--I have never known anyone who wanted to be deceived-- you have acted as if there were two classes of humans: you, with the right to lie, and everyone else, who must be truthful to you so that you too will not lose your way.
Lying treats people as means to the end you wish to accomplish, and not as ends in themselves.
…..A leader is like a flag: we want to know what he stands for in order to salute him. We want him to take our side, solve our problems, treat us as people rather than chattel, and be responsive to our opinions. His honesty is the cornerstone of the structure; if we catch him lying to us it is impossible to be confident he is carrying out the rest of his mission.
Truth stands as an absolute value, the glue which binds the rulebook. "When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful," says St. Augustine
.
The full article can be read at: http://www.spectacle.org/0500/lies.html
Questions for Discussion:
1. Do you agree with Jonathan Wallace’s thoughts on lying?
2. Has someone’s lies affected your life? Explain.
3. Do you think people can trust what you say and do? Explain.
For other life skills ideas for discussion please visit www.TeachingMoments.com
Money and Materialism
Nathan Dugan suggests that to combat the media’s constant “Buy Now, Instant Gratification” messages that we should change some of our spending patterns.
Most of us reward ourselves when we get a new job, a promotion or a pay raise. Dugan argues that we should change the prospective.
Instead of a me-centered award system change perspective to an award- me- and others focus. In that system if you received additional money for whatever reason you divide it this way:
§ 1/3 on self
§ 1/3 to savings
§ 1/3 on others
Mr. Dugan argues that everyone wins with this new approach. You are reward for having done a good job, someone less fortunate receives a helping hand and you have money for a potential rainy day.
Makes sense.
Will I do it? Will you?
---
from a radio interview between Nathan Dugan and Krista Tippett on the National Pubic Radio show "Speaking of Faith."
---
www.TeachingMoments.com
Self Control for Teens
“The only thing we can control is ourselves.” Anonymous
Are you in control of your life?
Here is a short quiz to give you some perspective on how your thoughts and actions influence your world.
Self-Control Quiz |
I control how I react to situations and events. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control who I associate with. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control what I choose to read. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control what I do. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control what I think about. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control the positive or negative relationships I’m in. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control what I eat. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control my perspective of the future. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control my positive or negative self-talk. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control my goal setting, determination and enthusiasm. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control how I react to others. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control what I learn and which new things I will try. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control what life lessons my failures teach me. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control how I view new opportunities and change. Yes_____ No _____ |
I control how I handle anxiety and frustration. Yes_____ No _____ |
As you can see you, have a lot of control - if you choose to take advantage of it.
Here is a suggestion to help you positively take control of your future. Each week highlight one of the fifteen quiz statements and work to improve that area for the full week. The next week choose another topic and work on it. Continue this process until you have completed all fifteen topics. Repeat as needed.
This is YOUR life, YOUR goals, YOUR success!
You are a WINNER!
Transforming Yourself
"The distance isn't important; it is only the first step that is difficult." Marquise du Deffand
"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still." Chinese Proverb
"There is always room at the top." Daniel Webster
"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever." Lance Armstrong
"If you want to hit your mark, you must aim a little above it; every arrow that flies feels the attraction of earth." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
These quotes come from the Jan/Feb 2006 edition of Men's Health Magazine
