What do you need to Shine?
Over the past couple of weeks I have learned that for me to shine I require time, space and freedom to think. Those are the things that help me live consciously, be creative and to see beauty and meaning in life's small pleasures. When I am living consciously I can see a dandelion, attend an Easter Egg Hunt, or meet a group of women and I can automatically hone in on what makes it special.
When I am rushed my mind has no time to roam, no freedom to think and, my perspective becomes myopic. I see is a dandelion or an Easter Egg Hunt and all the color has been stripped from them. I notice nothing special and see only black and white.
My nemeses are:
Noise
Clutter
and an erratic schedule.
They strip me of my creativity and they make me negative and impatient. They leave me longing for:
Quiet
Order
and the comfort of routine.
Visit us in the Comment Section and tell us what you need to Shine. And, while you are at it, tell us if you're out of sorts (like I am, right now) or if you're feeling pretty shiny.
Shining off until tomorrow...
Yesterday I told you about the program Heather, Cheryl, Misty, and I are implementing in a local elementary school this fall. The program is titled, What's Your Shine? and the goal is to help young people realize that they are a contribution; that they were born into this world with a unique set of talents and interests and that discovering them is the first step to living a happy life.
I also mentioned that today we would use your help in developing our program offerings.
The purpose of today is to get your most creative and most inspired thinking about how we can - given our established parameters - engage students in discovering and claiming their Shine (strengths, hobbies, interests, natural talents). And in believing that everyone's got 'em!
Below is a list of our parameters, in no particular order:
The budget is $3,000; there are ten months to the school year; the first month will be an introduction to the What's Your Shine? program and the last month will be a wrap up celebration; 90% of our program will be disseminated through the lunch room; that means we can decorate it how we want and use the table chairs and wall space in whatever way we see fit; the cafeteria staff (5-8 people) has volunteered to help in whatever way they can, as long as it does not interfere with the efficiency of their work. The majority of the pictures in the collage above were taken during one of our school visits.
That's a lot of information to digest. Take a break before reading more...
The remaining 10% of our message will be communicated using the following venues: once a month, a small section in the parent newsletter; one week each month, a display case at the school's entrance; the support of the school's art teacher and maybe the opportunity to have students complete a Shine project or two during their art class; once a month, a morning announcement over the P.A. system; we have the support of PTA and, should the program's reach expand to other schools, we would expect it to be implemented through a PTA member or committee.
There is a little more to know before asking you to jump in and give us your best thinking.
Ray Wattson is our mascot and will serve as the primary tool for communicating our message. One last thing. We cannot expect teachers to build "What's Your Shine?" into their curriculums. Passive, but engaging implementation ideas are of particular interest.
I'm willing to compensate your best thinking, because that's how critical your creativity is to the development of our program. So, I'll make a deal. If you submit an idea that we end up using, you will be rewarded with a surprise gift from the House of Shine (and a spot in our Hall of Fame).
On your mark, get set, go... to the Comment Section and give us the best of what you've got.
Shining off until tomorrow...
For the past few months Heather, Cheryl, Misty and I have been working with a group of local teachers, administrators, and parents to develop a program for elementary school kids. Our goal is to help young people realize that they are a contribution; that they were born into this world with a unique set of talents and interests and that discovering them is the first step to living a happy life.
Think School of Shine instead of House of Shine and instead of teaching all ten principles we are focusing on just one - Use Your Strengths.
We affectionately call this program,What's Your Shine?
Students attending the school where we are piloting the program have not had the benefit of visiting our website over the past few years, so we are starting at the very beginning and defining what we mean by Shine.
Strengths
Hobbies
Interests
Natural Talents
Everyone's Got 'Em
Tune in tomorrow and discover how you can help develop a portion of the program. In the meantime, visit us in the Comment Section and tell us... What's your shine?
Shining off until tomorrow...