DavidE

“Honesty is the best policy.” We have all heard this statement for as long as we can remember. For some of us this has been a long time ago. Honesty is the foundation for trust in any relationship to function and thrive. If you are always honest with people, it will assure they will trust you in all things you say.

Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not. Integrity is a highly valued quality. It means you are living your life based on your morals and values. Leaders consider this the most important trait to have in any organization.

It is the ability to keep going despite setbacks and challenges. It is an inner drive that says keep going, when you think you may want to quit. It is a staying power that helps you achieve your most wanted goals in life.

The ability to wait for something without getting frustrated is a useful skill and a good quality to develop for many reasons. Have you ever had to wait in a check-out line, have you ever been stuck in traffic, when your cooking was a disaster and had to start over, …

Is it true that “laughter is the best medicine”? Psychologists and physicians would tell you the answer is, yes. Laughter triggers healthy physical and emotional changes to our body. It strengthens our immune system, inspires hope, lightens your burdens, brings you closer to others, …

I am retired now, but I was reflecting on my days as a 4th grade teacher. One of the most rewarding things I did with my new students on the first day was to have them write down something they could teach me. I told them I know that I can learn from you, just like you can learn from me. It was an amazing activity. It was a way to build an instant relationship with my students and show them I cared about them as a person.

Being successful is a desire most people have no matter what their age. We often compete against others to achieve success, through sports, work or school. But what does success really mean? The definition we like to use for this curriculum is the accomplishment or achievement of an objective or goal.

Another opportunity to further develop this curriculum, “to be the best it can be”, is to have our users participate in the ongoing development of the Changing Lives curriculum. We will be creating a Resource Library that emphasizes our 36 qualities. You can help us by providing a book title to add to our Resource Library.