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First impressions are lasting. Remember your first week of high school? Even returning students walk back in with open eyes to see if we've "grown" over the summer. Since we don't want to disappoint them, my challenge to you this school year is to Share:
Share Your Gratitudes
and
Share the Power
Sharing Your Gratitudes
In the last Teaching Tips we saw Shawn Achor's TED video on how 3 NEW Gratitudes a day "opens up all the learning centers in the brain." That has to be good for test scores and stimulating discussions!
 | | Shawn Achor: The happy secret to better work |
So why not start every class (and staff meeting and board meeting ) with Gratitudes? You could use different games each day of the week:
Mondays - Beach Ball Grats: Hit the ball into the air. Whoever touches it shares a gratitude.
Tuesdays - Alphabet Grats: Yell out a letter of the alphabet and everyone shares something they're grateful for that begins with that letter.
Wednesdays - People Grats: Who is someone in your life you're grateful for today and why?
Thursday - Me Grats: What is something about yourself you're grateful for today?
Friday - Free for All Grats: Whoever stands up is agreeing to be in a competition. They have to share a Gratitude within 2 seconds when it's their turn or they have to sit down. NO repeats!
Are you Getting the (Gratitude) Picture?
Sharing the Power
Meanwhile, remember that 8 to Great is an Empowerment curriculum. Students can't have more power unless we have less. Take a deep breath, knowing not everything will go perfectly and remember that it never does. Think of giving choices as putting money in your "EmPowerment Bank Account." If you give real choices, you'll be able to withdraw from that account ( make a rule and have it followed) with greater cooperation and teamwork. Here are some phrases we see used in 8 to Great schools:
"In 8 to Great we treat you as adults. You are making adult decisions every day, so we're going to teach you a course that is being taught to CEO's all over the world. If you start using the concepts, you'll find yourself happier, more energized, and more successful at whatever you try. We guarantee it. "
"In 8 to Great we don't tell you what you 'should' or 'shouldn't' do. Instead we teach you processes, like the one-sentence process successful people use when making decisions. The 8 to Great model is, "Don't should on yourself and Don't should on others." If I ever use the words "You should," "You need to," or "Now I need you to," please let me know. You don't need to change for me. I will simply give you opportunities to choose."
"In 8 to Great we offer choices. Where you sit, if you want to participate in the activities, etc. will be your choice. This is your class, and like life, you'll get out of it what you put into it. So, with that said, today let's decide if there are any rules you'd like for this class. Here are some from previous classes:
"Confidentiality: What's said here stays here."
"It's always okay to ask for what you want."
"It's okay not to participate as long as you don't disturb the group."
"It's okay to sit on pillows as long as we bring them from home and put them away at the end of class."
"We always start the class with music we choose as long as it doesn't offend anyone."
Who wants to propose these or other guidelines so we can vote on them? (Post those rules that get a majority vote somewhere in the room for future reference. Remind them they can revise them later in the semester if they choose.)
Shift happens. Whether you're starting a year or starting a meeting, make your firsting lasting. When you share your gratitudes and share the power, you'll be able to "shift" into high gear for an even more fabulous year!
- MK
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8 to Great is now an eBook, and you could win one!
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We're delighted to announce that 8 to Great is now an eBook on Amazon.com and iTunes. If you'd like to win one (and watch it free for one month), simply write a book review on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com and let us know when it's completed. It's E-asy,
E-njoyable, and E-nlightening!
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Trainings begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 5:30 p.m. each day. All attendees receive 65 activities for use in the classroom or at work, meet phenomenal people, and upon completion, will be certified to train this program anywhere in the world! 
