Thriving & GPS Activity

Version 2/2/2012

Agenda• The Marshmallow Experiment

• The Elephant & Rider

• We all have a dream

• Building Activities

Paper Cup Activity

Debrief Questions• How did that feel?

• What strategies seemed to work?

• Do you use any of those same strategies when you are working toward a goal in the real world?

Marshmallow Experiment Video

Reach for goals by regulating your emotions and actions.

Big/Little sharing• Bigs – an example from your life when it was important to control your emotions to reach a goal?

• Why is the ability to control emotions important?

The Elephant & Rider

Action Triggers

One way to trick the elephant is to set Action Triggers for yourself.

Big/Little sharing• When does your reasoning side have a goal but you are tempted by something that is hard to resist?

• How could Action Triggers help?

Thriving and Risk Wheels

Reaching our dreams

What are your dreams or goals?

Science tells us there are ways all of us can reach our dreams!

Hoop Dreams Video

GPS: Your Navigation System

G: Goal Selection: Where am I going?

P: Pursuit of Strategies: How do I get there?

S: Shifting Gears: When the going gets tough!

Destination Postcard

Meaningful ● Realistic ● Stretching

Thriving Indicators

Which of these skills will you need to use to reach your goal?

GPS: Your Navigation System

G: Goal Selection: Where am I going?

P: Pursuit of Strategies: How do I get there?

S: Shifting Gears: When the going gets tough!

Blind Sculpture Activity

Reach for goals by breaking them down into smaller steps

Debrief Questions• What did it feel like to give and receive directions?

• What was challenging about it? What strategies worked?

• How does this relate to real life?

Big/Little sharing•Think about your Destination Postcard goal.

•How could you break it down into small steps?

Paper Cup Activity

Reach for goals by being persistent & resourceful

GPS: Your Navigation System

G: Goal Selection: Where am I going?

P: Pursuit of Strategies: How do I get there?

S: Shifting Gears: When the going gets tough!

Paper Towers ActivityDirections

• Set a goal: how high does your team think your tower is going to be?

• Build the tower with only paper. Nothing else.

• The point is to set an accurate goal AND build the tallest tower.

• The team that builds the tallest tower AND reaches its goal will win.

Debrief Questions• How did you decide what goals to set? How

did it feel when you needed to change your goal along the way?

• Why was it important to change your goal as the challenge kept changing?

• Did you have to change your strategies at any point?

• Why is it important to adjust your goals sometimes?

• Sometimes, don’t you also have to shift your strategies to reach your goal?

Big/Little sharing• What would you do if something kept you from achieving your Destination Postcard goal?

• How would you know if it’s time to adjust your goal, shift strategies, or stick with that goal?

Let’s make a plan for reaching your destination!

Recommended!1. Article: Elephant Inside of Us 2. Video: Bright Spots

www.bbbs.stepitup2thrive.org