Saturday, October 29, 2011
Think About It...
The most destructive habit | Worry |
The greatest joy | Giving |
The most endangered species | Dedicated leaders |
Our greatest natural resource | Our youth |
The greatest “shot in the arm” | Encouragement |
The greatest problem to overcome | Fear |
The most effective sleeping pill | Peace of mind |
The most crippling disease | Excuses |
The most powerful force in life | Love |
The most destructive pariah | Gossip |
The most incredible computer | The human brain |
The worst thing to be without | Hope |
The deadliest weapon | The tongue |
The two most powerful words | Can do |
The greatest asset | Faith |
The most worthless emotion | Self-pity |
The worst thing you can lose | Self-respect |
The most satisfying work | Helping others |
The ugliest personality trait | Selfishness |
The most beautiful attire | A smile! |
The most prized possession | Integrity |
The most contageous spirit | Enthusiasm |
The most powerful communication | Prayer |
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, October 28, CHALLENGE: Day 3
Reach for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land amongst the stars.
~ Brian Littrell
Friday's Challenge: Use positive words (let go of negative talk) and
refrain from using profanity (for a full 24 hours).
The best thing about today's challenge for this writer: Awareness. Awareness about how easy it is to use expletives without thought. Awareness of how many negative thoughts and chatter take place in my mind. Awareness how easy it is to fall into "negative traps" - and this, from someone who feels that most of the time she's a pretty positive human being!
I didn't meet this challenge completely. However, my awareness is definitely heightened, which is a very good thing.
How about YOU?
Were you able to maintain a positive attitude? Speak positive words? Refrain from using expletives?
What did you notice about yourself? About others?
Hopefully, the last three days gave many of us an opportunity to change up our habits, meet some new people, become more aware of our thoughts and actions, and feel a part of the TPA community in a new way.
Thank you to everyone who participated in one, two, or all three of the challenges. Enjoy your weekend, and come visit the H.O.P.E. Crew table outside the Zelman Monday before school and at HS lunch to let us know how you did on this week's challenges.
Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.
~ Robert Schuller
~ Brian Littrell
Friday's Challenge: Use positive words (let go of negative talk) and
refrain from using profanity (for a full 24 hours).
The best thing about today's challenge for this writer: Awareness. Awareness about how easy it is to use expletives without thought. Awareness of how many negative thoughts and chatter take place in my mind. Awareness how easy it is to fall into "negative traps" - and this, from someone who feels that most of the time she's a pretty positive human being!
I didn't meet this challenge completely. However, my awareness is definitely heightened, which is a very good thing.
How about YOU?
Were you able to maintain a positive attitude? Speak positive words? Refrain from using expletives?
What did you notice about yourself? About others?
Hopefully, the last three days gave many of us an opportunity to change up our habits, meet some new people, become more aware of our thoughts and actions, and feel a part of the TPA community in a new way.
Thank you to everyone who participated in one, two, or all three of the challenges. Enjoy your weekend, and come visit the H.O.P.E. Crew table outside the Zelman Monday before school and at HS lunch to let us know how you did on this week's challenges.
Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing flawlessly.
~ Robert Schuller
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Thursday, October 27, CHALLENGE: DAY 2
Today's challenge: Talk to/reach out to someone at TPA that
you have never spoken to before. Learn their name and a little bit
about them.
It can be intimidating to reach out and speak to someone you don't know - even if you pass them by every day on your own school campus. Without a concrete reason, it can feel awkward to walk up to someone and say, "Hi, my name is so & so. What's your name?"
For some of us, this challenge may not have been difficult at all. In fact, for some, it was probably relatively easy. But for a good number of us, that was probably not the case.
Why is it considered odd, and even uncomfortable, to do something that seems, on the surface, so simple?
What is our fear when it comes to putting ourselves "out there," and extending ourselves?
What do we think will happen if we reach out - for no specific reason except only to reach out?
Do we sometimes choose to not extend ourselves because it takes a little more effort than we want to give?
What if reaching out to someone in a friendly way ended up being that person's only positive contact the entire day? Would it make a difference in your choosing to make the effort?
Did you meet today's challenge?
Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)
By Diana Ross
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
(Just try)
Take a little time out of your busy day
To give encouragement
To someone who's lost the way
(Just try)
Or would I be talking to a stone
If I asked you
To share a problem that's not your own
We can change things if we start giving
Why don't you
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
(Just try)
If you see an old friend on the street
And he's down
Remember his shoes could fit your feet
(Just try)
Try a little kindness you'll see
It's something that comes very naturally
We can change things if we start giving
Why don't you
Reach out and touch
Why don't you (Why don't you)
Reach out and touch somebody's hand
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
you have never spoken to before. Learn their name and a little bit
about them.
It can be intimidating to reach out and speak to someone you don't know - even if you pass them by every day on your own school campus. Without a concrete reason, it can feel awkward to walk up to someone and say, "Hi, my name is so & so. What's your name?"
For some of us, this challenge may not have been difficult at all. In fact, for some, it was probably relatively easy. But for a good number of us, that was probably not the case.
Why is it considered odd, and even uncomfortable, to do something that seems, on the surface, so simple?
What is our fear when it comes to putting ourselves "out there," and extending ourselves?
What do we think will happen if we reach out - for no specific reason except only to reach out?
Do we sometimes choose to not extend ourselves because it takes a little more effort than we want to give?
What if reaching out to someone in a friendly way ended up being that person's only positive contact the entire day? Would it make a difference in your choosing to make the effort?
Did you meet today's challenge?
Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)
By Diana Ross
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
(Just try)
Take a little time out of your busy day
To give encouragement
To someone who's lost the way
(Just try)
Or would I be talking to a stone
If I asked you
To share a problem that's not your own
We can change things if we start giving
Why don't you
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
(Just try)
If you see an old friend on the street
And he's down
Remember his shoes could fit your feet
(Just try)
Try a little kindness you'll see
It's something that comes very naturally
We can change things if we start giving
Why don't you
Reach out and touch
Why don't you (Why don't you)
Reach out and touch somebody's hand
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Reach out and touch
Somebody's hand
Make this world a better place
If you can
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, October 26: CHALLENGE DAY 1
Only through our connectedness to others can we really know and enhance the self. And only through working on the self can we begin to enhance our connectedness to others.
- Harriet Goldhor Lerner
Challenge 1: No Facebook today - for the WHOLE day (24 hours)!
For some of us, this was easy: Some of us don't have a Facebook page,
Some of us only check our Facebook once in a blue moon.
For some of us, it just wasn't a big deal: Some of us only check our Facebook
here and there, and/or go without checking it for days at a time.
But, for many of us daily checkers and posters, going without for a day
brought to our attention what a habit Facebook has become.
So...
Which category do you fall under?
Did you meet the challenge?
What was it like not checking Facebook for a day if you are a daily user?
Did you practice communicating by other means? i.e. texting, telephone?
Do you believe Facebook is a positive way to communicate? Negative?
Both? Neither?
Monday, October 24, 2011
Red Ribbon and Not My Kid Week
The H.O.P.E. Crew met today with their focus being on Red Ribbon and Not My Kid Week. Alexa Muniz helped jumpstart our session by preparing a Power Point presentation which included PSA videos on internet safety, bullying, and texting while driving (graphic – please click on the link at your own discretion). This segued us into a discussion about each of these topics which gave us the opportunity to look at our own past actions and think about our responsibility to ourselves, to others, and to our community.
We concluded our meeting by deciding to put forth three challenges this week to the TPA community at large. Wednesday through Friday, students and faculty will be given the opportunity to take on one, two, or three challenges to help increase our personal awareness as well as the affect that our behavior has on our own selves as well as others.
The challenges are as follows:
Wednesday, October 26: No Facebook for a day –
24 hours free and clear of posting, reading, and checking our own
page or that of others’.
Thursday, October 27: Talk to/reach out to someone at TPA that
you have never spoken to before. Learn their name and a little bit
about them.
Friday, October 28: Use positive words (let go of negative talk) and
refrain from using profanity (for a full 24 hours).
H.O.P.E. Crew members will pass out information about the challenges
on Tuesday, October 25. Students and faculty will have the opportunity
to sign up and participate in one, two, or all three of the challenges on
Wednesday morning outside the Zelman Center. While we would like
everyone who participates to do this for the value of simply doing it to
better themselves and the community at large, those who meet their
challenge goals, will be recognized on Monday, October 31.
We concluded our meeting by deciding to put forth three challenges this week to the TPA community at large. Wednesday through Friday, students and faculty will be given the opportunity to take on one, two, or three challenges to help increase our personal awareness as well as the affect that our behavior has on our own selves as well as others.
The challenges are as follows:
Wednesday, October 26: No Facebook for a day –
24 hours free and clear of posting, reading, and checking our own
page or that of others’.
Thursday, October 27: Talk to/reach out to someone at TPA that
you have never spoken to before. Learn their name and a little bit
about them.
Friday, October 28: Use positive words (let go of negative talk) and
refrain from using profanity (for a full 24 hours).
H.O.P.E. Crew members will pass out information about the challenges
on Tuesday, October 25. Students and faculty will have the opportunity
to sign up and participate in one, two, or all three of the challenges on
Wednesday morning outside the Zelman Center. While we would like
everyone who participates to do this for the value of simply doing it to
better themselves and the community at large, those who meet their
challenge goals, will be recognized on Monday, October 31.
Friday, September 30, 2011
First Post and Our First Meetings
The H.O.P.E. Crew founders have been busy putting together our inaguaral meeting and putting together our theme for the month of October: Community - specifically our TPA school community.
Our first meeting is set for Monday, October 3 from 3:00-4:00 PM. We are still trying to pin down a room, so please check with H.O.P.E. Crew members on Monday to find out where we will be meeting this first go-around.
While we may be changing our meeting day to accommodate more people's schedules, October meetings will continue to be on Mondays.
Typically, each month will center around a theme (November's will center around Gratitude). Each week we will focus on the theme through a different venue. The first week of the month will be center around inspiration (an activity, a speaker, a reading); the second week will be discussion-based. We will do some kind of service work in the third week, while the fourth and final week of the month will be geared towards something multi-cultural.
Here is the schedule for October (COMMUNITY):
Monday, October 3: Inspiration - What inspires you about our school? What do you aspire for our school or aspire to do as a member of the TPA community?
Monday, October 24: Service Work - Red Ribbon Week: No Use of Illegal Drugs: kicking off a week of awareness at our school!
Monday, October 31: Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Learn the history and meaning of this holiday and celebrate with food and art
Come be part of the solution! All positive and respectful minds and bodies are welcome.
Hope to see you at one, two, or all three October meetings!
Our first meeting is set for Monday, October 3 from 3:00-4:00 PM. We are still trying to pin down a room, so please check with H.O.P.E. Crew members on Monday to find out where we will be meeting this first go-around.
While we may be changing our meeting day to accommodate more people's schedules, October meetings will continue to be on Mondays.
Typically, each month will center around a theme (November's will center around Gratitude). Each week we will focus on the theme through a different venue. The first week of the month will be center around inspiration (an activity, a speaker, a reading); the second week will be discussion-based. We will do some kind of service work in the third week, while the fourth and final week of the month will be geared towards something multi-cultural.
Here is the schedule for October (COMMUNITY):
Monday, October 3: Inspiration - What inspires you about our school? What do you aspire for our school or aspire to do as a member of the TPA community?
Monday, October 24: Service Work - Red Ribbon Week: No Use of Illegal Drugs: kicking off a week of awareness at our school!
Monday, October 31: Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Learn the history and meaning of this holiday and celebrate with food and art
Come be part of the solution! All positive and respectful minds and bodies are welcome.
Hope to see you at one, two, or all three October meetings!
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