Optimism is the most powerful of the children of positivity (experiencing the world and expressing oneself in positive terms). Its siblings: gratitude, enthusiasm, cheerfulness, hopefulness are other attitudes that not only improve the way we experience our lives, they set into motion actions and reactions that dramatically improve the likelihood of success as well as happiness. People react positively to …
Character may determine our fate, but character is not determined by fate. The quest of an honest parent: Strive to be the person you hope your children think you are.
There’s no doubt that our character has a profound effect on our future. What we must remember, however, is not merely how powerful character is in influencing our destiny, but how powerful we are in shaping our own character and, therefore, our own destiny. Character may determine our fate, but character is not determined by fate. It’s a common mistake …
Recent Activities at Josephson Institute
What’s new and exciting at Josephson Institute? Here’s an update: Proposal for Colombia. I worked on a major proposal to the Secretary of Education of Bogota, Colombia. They are seeking bids on ways to help them initiate a comprehensive values education program in their 400 or so public schools. The idea is to integrate into their academic program the teaching …
Something to Think About: Why Are Young People So Cynical and What Does This Say About the Future?
Agree or disagree? “In today’s society, one has to lie or cheat at least occasionally in order to succeed.” This is a fundamental and revealing question on our surveys about personal ethics and integrity. Most interesting is that the level of cynicism is closely related to age. In an online survey on integrity (with 16,000 responses) we found that 43 …
MEMO From Michael
It’s been a busy month for us as we adjust to our new, very lean staff resulting from the downsizing last month. If you value what we do either personally or what we are doing for the world, please, please consider making a donation here. I know these are difficult times for everyone, but even $5 or $10 could make …
Critical Educational Outcomes: Model Standards for Academic, Social, Emotional, and Character Development. Making the Common Core easy.
This week we completed a monumental project: Critical Educational Outcomes: Model Standards for Academic, Social, Emotional, and Character Development. These standards, the first-ever effort to integrate all major educational outcomes, form the backbone of the new CHARACTER COUNTS! 4.0, a fully integrated school improvement and student development system any school can use. If you are an educator, please print them out and share …
POSTER & POEM: True friends (more than A-Z)
TRUE FRIENDS … are good companions, people you enjoy doing things with, but they are also people you just enjoy being with. are who you want to be with to have a good time and the ones you have to be with when you are having a hard time. (Take our survey to find out whether you are a true friend.) …
We All Need to be Appreciated
The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated. – William James Expressing appreciation with words, a smile, or a hug costs so little and means so much. It can make a day or even change a life. — Michael Josephson
Think Outside the Box
Here’s the original test about thinking outside the box. The task is to connect all nine dots with four straight lines without lifting your pen from the paper or retracing any of the lines. Duplicate the dots on a piece of paper and try it. Solution on next page.
POSTERS: Ideal Employees and Employers A to Z. Take our survey and rate yourself.
Are you an ideal employee? Take our survey and rate yourself.
OBSERVATION: Do we really need investigative journalism? I think so.
WOW!!!! I just heard that The Washington Post Co has agreed to sell its newspaper assets, including its flagship daily, to Amazon Inc founder Jeff Bezos for $250 million. In the journalism world this is an incredible event. The Post has been
I’M A TEACHER: I MAKE LIVES By Michael Josephson
(Derived with permission from “What Teachers Make” a poem written by Taylor Mali. To see Mr. Mali’s original version visit www.taylormali.com) The topic of education came up and a business executive proclaimed the problem is with teachers, after all, “those who can do, and those who can’t teach.” A man next to him said, “I’m a teacher and you don’t know …
True Friendship A-Z by Michael Josephson
True Friendship: From A-Z By Michael Josephson Accepts you as you are Believes in you Celebrates your successes Defends you Encourages you Forgives you no
The Myth of the Little White Lie
So-called “little white lies” are not so little. Anytime someone discovers that you lied to them, for whatever reason, they ask themselves., “What else has he lied to me about?” And this seed of doubt can grow big enough to destroy trust. The ultimate test
QUOTE: When you are in a hole, stop digging.
Why does it take so many people so long to learn that “when you are in a hole, stop digging”? Sometimes you mess up. When you do it’s best to fess up. Trying
OBSERVATION: Ignorant people can be both wise and kind and they are worthy of respect for the qualities they have, not contempt for those they lack.
I was surprised how many people responded to the posting on my What Will Matter Facebook page. It was a picture and quote from Aibileen Clark, a black maid in the movie The Help: “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” I added this line: “Grammar doesn’t matter nearly as much as the sentiment – one that every parent and …
QUOTE & OBSERVATION: “No one ever said on their deathbed ‘I wish I’d spent more time at the office.’ ” — Harold Kushner
Be careful that you are not giving up today something valuable that you can never get again.
POSTER & QUOTE: What you allow, you encourage.
There are no limits unless you set them and if there are no limits, there’s no respect. This is a lesson every parent, teacher and boss ought to learn. — Michael Josephson
“You is Kind. You is Smart. You is Important.”
Grammar doesn’t matter nearly as much as the sentiment – one that every parent and every teacher should express to every child. Xanax online https://www.rpspharmacy.com/product/xanax/ “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” – Aibileen Clark (from The Help) Buy Levitra 20 mg
OBSERVATION: Hard Times Test Our (My) Principles and Character
Life continually tests our principles and character with unanticipated twists and turns. Right now my convictions about positivity and gratitude are severely tested by economic pressures causing the nonprofit Josephson Institute to sharply reduce staff (from 32 to 16) and re-think how we can continue to pursue our mission in a world where schools have no funds for our program …
Be ready – Be strong – Be better
You will never know how strong you are or how strong you can be until you lose something or something you really care about. Adversity can bring out the best or worst in us.