Your Best Life: A Class to Increase Self-Esteem And Self-Belief

The specific topics that will be covered are:
- Why there are stories in our head about ourselves that we listen to and how they got there. 
- The role in our brain in this process (reticular activating system).
-  Figuring out who we want to become.
- Steps to take in order to become that person. 
- How to identify negative thought habits and how to replace them with positive ones.

Our class will cover these topics through lecture, individual activity, and sharing. 

Class Breakdown:
5 min:
 Each student will be asked to select a character from a book, movie, etc. that they admire. They will have three minutes to write down every characteristic about this character that they admire. 
- A few students will share their character and attributes. 

10 min: 
We will discuss why humans are so drawn to stories and why they inspire us. Then I will explain how we are the heroes in our own story and that we are in charge of how that story is written. 
- I will explain how through our lives we begin to create stories about ourselves. Sometimes they are wonderful and helpful "I am good at math" "I am hard working". Other times they are detrimental and harmful such as "I am lazy" "I am ugly" "I am stupid". 
- We will discuss the part of the brain that is wired to reinforce the stories we tell ourselves (Reticular Activating System).

10 minutes: 
- Next we will write out attributes that we want in ourselves. If someone were to read a story about us, what were the attributes they would list the main character as having? 
- We will discuss how each morning we get to choose who we are. 

10 minutes:
- Sometimes when we take steps towards becoming better, we may take two steps forward but one step backward. This can be so discouraging and may cause us to give up on moving forward at all.
- As the students continue to write out the character they want to be in their own lives, I will share a story about a volcano that shows them why we decide to keep moving forward even when we slip backward too. This is the story that your student will be telling you all about when you ask them about this class!

10 minutes:
- Now that the students are reengaged, entertained, and inspired, we will review the Reticular Activating System and the role it plays in the stories we tell ourselves in our heads. 
- We will discuss briefly affirmations and taking control of how we speak to ourselves in our minds.
- We will discuss the "power of one" and how we can choose to take one action towards becoming the hero in our story.

5 minutes:
- I will teach AM/PM schedules to the students to give them concrete action steps to take away from this class.

5 minutes:
- Some students will share their "power of one" and how they are going to being changing tomorrow.

I can't wait to meet your students and begin teaching them how to become the hero in their story!