# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There's no singular way to be a great leader, but there are some skills all leaders possess. Here are eight skills you should work on to improve leadership.

Originally Posted: Nov 9, 2019

What makes a great leader? Not everyone has the qualities to take on a tough job that's non-stop yet immensely rewarding. You need to begin developing strong leadership skills in high school and college so you can take them into the workforce and beyond. Many students have already created a simple mind map to chart which skills they want to work on and how, but here are eight characteristics students need to focus on to become tomorrow's great leaders.

1. Responsibility

One of the most challenging aspects of being a leader is that it comes with a great deal of responsibility. You need to position yourself as someone others can depend on. You need to be the person who can complete tasks when given them. Take the initiative to change things around, and speak up if things aren't working as they should. If you want to be a leader in life and at work, you need to demonstrate that you can not only do the job but handle the pressure of being in charge. Show your superiors you can remain positive even when the chips are down, and if things go wrong-as they inevitably will-you can learn and adapt.

Related: Leadership in High School: What Does It Mean?

2. Hard work

People around you need to see that you're ready to put in the hard work it takes to be a leader. This doesn't mean working longer hours or giving up on having a life. Working hard means working smart-you see a problem and work on it. You don't shy away from the tough tasks just because they're challenging. You are ready to push yourself. Hard work doesn't mean saying yes to everything; that isn't the best use of your time. If you don't know how to do something or can't take on another task, don't be afraid to say no.

3. People skills

Leaders communicate with people regularly, so your interpersonal skills need to be top notch. You need to make people around you feel like they're appreciated and they can speak to you when they need to. Make people feel comfortable and inspired. You have to lead by example, and that's important in how you handle people. Understand that everyone has different personalities; you can't treat everyone the same and expect the same results. Give people the space they need to shine, but be close enough to realize when somebody needs you. You have to strike a delicate balance in the ways you engage with people. It will take some practice, but this is an important part of being a leader.
Related: Careers for People Who Want to Work With People
4. Confidence

A leader needs to be confident in everything they do, especially the decisions they make. You can't second-guess yourself. You won't instill a sense of trust in your team if you do. Of course, confidence comes with practice and experience. But there are a few ways you can build your confidence throughout your student life. Learn to make a good first impression with the people you study and work with by sharing ice-breakers at a meeting seminar. These could be jokes or personal anecdotes that put people at ease and help them engage with you. Building your confidence and exuding that confidence when you're around your classmates and teammates will lift everyone up and make you a better leader.

5. Perseverance

Being a leader means not giving up at the first hurdle. This is particularly difficult considering how much students are expected to accomplish. There are more hurdles in the paths of students than ever before, but you have to persevere in the face of adversity if you want to be a leader. This doesn't mean persevering when a task is futile-that is another waste of time (and not a good quality to have as a leader). Instead, perseverance is more about facing the odds and striving to come out on top no matter what. The "never say die" attitude is infectious and will prop up everyone around you.

6. Resourcefulness

As a leader, you'll find yourself in unexpected situations. In such circumstances, your resourcefulness will come in handy. You need to show how resourceful you are throughout your college career and beyond if you're going to be a good leader. Use your imagination to problem-solve in different situations, and always look for solutions instead of what has gone wrong. Your creativity can make you stand out from the crowd of students who also want to be tomorrow's leaders. When people see how resourceful you can be even in the most difficult situations, you can start making strides toward becoming a leader.

Related: Boost Career Advantages With These 5 Liberal Arts Skills

7. Analysis

Leaders also need to be highly analytical. Don't settle for approximate results when you're trying to make a decision. You need to know the facts and understand their context so you can make a decision that may potentially affect everyone who works with you. Though it's important to be analytical, you should also be open-minded. Listen to what others have to say about the facts-they may color your impression of the matter. If you're working on a project, conduct a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, which will help you look at the positives and negatives of your plan and how you can improve. As often as possible, get the hard statistics so you always have something to back up your decision-making process.

8. Positive attitude

Nobody likes a negative person-not in college, not at work, and definitely not in their life. As a leader, it's your duty to be positive. You're in charge of other people who are following you and being inspired by you. If you're negative about something, that feeling is going to spread. You need to be a ray of sunshine among the dark clouds-in your class, on your team, and in your friend group. Show people that things aren't as bad as they think. Look for the good in the world and share it with everyone. Be the one who initiates team-building activities to bring people together and make your working environment more convivial. When things do go bad, look at the lessons you can learn from it-don't dwell on the mistakes. Keeping a positive attitude will raise your mood and the working environment around you, making you an effective leader.

Related: Becoming an Exemplary Student Leader
Find great schools for student leaders using our College Search tool.
These eight skills will help you become the leader you need to be. Though you can't acquire these skills overnight, with time and practice, you can become the leader you want to be and make a difference to the people and places you encounter in school and beyond.

Like what you're reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we'll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
8 Leadership Qualities All Students Should Have

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There's no singular way to be a great leader, but there are some skills all leaders possess. Here are eight skills you should work on to improve leadership. Find the perfect college and scholarships to pay for it. Join CollegeXpress-it's fast, easy, and FREE!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Are Habits of Mind? - The Institute for Habits of Mind

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For Teachers Ever find yourself doubting whether you are creative? Many people assume that creativity is a rare commodity that someone is either born with or not and that it is reserved for the elite among us: artists, writers, and composers, or the likes of Miles Davis, Steve Jobs, or Frida Kahlo.

# data[].attributes.body
Employee Assistance Program

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
6 Practices for Work-Life Balance in a Pandemic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Whenever I teach mindfulness to teenagers I try as best as possible to incorporate the use of metaphor. I find that with teens (let alone people) metaphors access a different part of a person's ability to relate to information.

I often ask the youth I work with how they'd define mindfulness. For those I haven't work with long, it's not uncommon for me to hear definitions like "relaxing," or "taking deep breaths." While these experiences can be a part of practicing mindfulness, they're by no means requirements. This is one of the biggest misconceptions about mindfulness I hear. That mindfulness is about relaxing and calming oneself down. I believe most of the misconception comes from the practice of mindfulness meditation (as we'll review in a bit) and particularly mindfulness of breathing meditation. Awareness of breath occurs in several types of meditation. In mindfulness, we use the breath as an anchor; we bring our awareness to the breath as a way to keep it in the present moment. When thoughts, feelings, or other experiences arise, we simply and non-judgmentally note those thoughts and then return our awareness to the present via the breath.

In more concentrative forms of meditation (i.e., single-pointed awareness), the breath is used as the sole and single point of attention. There is a more of a strict attitude of keeping attention on the breath and practicing the discarding of everything else. And moreover, in relaxation-based meditations, the breath is often used as a focal point: taking slow deep breaths is oftentimes instructed to activate the parasympathetic nervous system's relaxation response, which in turn produces a feeling of calm and relaxation.

At least sometimes.

It makes sense that mindfulness gets conflated with these other practices when I think about the wonders of using the breath as a tool in meditation. But for us teaching mindfulness to youth and other populations, it's important to be able to articulate just what mindfulness is and what it's not or we run the risk of those we teach not fully understanding the true liberating power of mindfulness. For example, what happens when we try to relax and we can't? What happens when we try to meditate and our thoughts are moving at 100 mph? O often hear people say "I can't meditate, I have too much on my mind." Or youth I've worked with will say, "I have ADHD, I can't sit still and meditate." Well, they're right if we're only defining mindfulness and mindfulness meditation as trying to be calm and serene. People can in fact get good at calming themselves down with training, but that's a complex discussion for another post and misses the power of mindfulness.
Mindfulness: The Lion Mind
The metaphor of the Lion Mind as a way to describe mindfulness comes from Larry Rosenberg's book, Breath by Breath. I learned about this metaphor while working at the Mind Body Awareness (MBA) Project where we taught mindfulness and emotional intelligence skills to incarcerated and marginalized youth. I recently started volunteering for MBA again at the juvenile detention center where I started the meditation program roughly 10 years ago. It dawned on me that at the time of writing this post I've probably used the lion mind metaphor over a thousand times at this point. I've even added my own tweaks and twists and incorporated the metaphor into my MBSAT Curriculum.

The metaphor is simple and only takes a minute present. I hold up a pen or meditation bell (the stick used to strike the bell), and tell the group to imagine it's a bone. If I'm standing in front of a dog and I wave the bone in the dog's face side to side, and then toss the bone a few yards away, what will the dog do? "Chase the bone," the group often yells back. But what if I'm standing in front of a lion. And I wave the bone in the lion's face from side to side, and toss it a few yards away. What will the lion do? "Eat you!" is often the resounding response. The fact is that the lion may eat me. The lion could eat met. But the there's a fundamental difference between the mind of the dog and that of the lion. The dog has tunnel vision and can't see beyond the bone. It becomes simple: If I control the bone, I control the dog's reality.

Of course, it's fundamentally different with the lion. The lion sits upright as I wave the bone, eyes looking beyond the bone and directly at me. The lion has poise, understands the bone is just a small piece of a larger reality, and therefore has much more autonomy. The lion can go after the bone, can sit there and stare at me, can eat me.

The "bone" is what gets related to our experience. When anger arises, what type of mind, the dog or the lion mind, do we employ? When we're extremely anxious, are we chasing the bones of worrying thoughts, or sitting with autonomy? Sometimes we can get caught up in the bones of our own stories, thoughts, images, sensations, and emotions.

By remembering the image of the lion sitting there and being present and non-reactive, we remind ourselves of the state of mind we're trying to cultivate with mindfulness. Not necessarily relaxed, but present, with a non-reactive and non-judging attitude. That's what awards us with the true power of mindfulness. To face whatever "bones" get thrown our way.

I often follow up the metaphor with a discussion with the youth about what particular "bones" are relevant in their life presently. What are the triggers they are dealing with most? That makes the metaphor real and applicable. It takes the focus away from meditation, which is easy to conflate with relaxing or trying to calm down, and points it toward the symbol of the dignified lion being non-reactive and poised. I then use the lion mind terminology as a language thread throughout the rest of my work with the group or individual. It's more help than the word "mindfulness," which often is abstractly accessed by youth, for remembering the actual concept and practice of mindfulness.

When I check in with youth about situations they've been struggling with I can say, "What mind were you in? The dog mind or the lion mind?" and they understand exactly what I'm talking about. That is ultimately one of the goals in teaching mindfulness to teens; that they remember and understand what mindfulness is so they have more of a chance of actually employing it when most needed.

I highly recommend taking from this metaphor what you like, tweaking it if necessary, and catering as much as possible to the unique needs of the youth you work with.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Cultivating the Lion Mind: A Mindfulness Metaphor that Sticks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Whenever I teach mindfulness to teenagers I try as best as possible to incorporate the use of metaphor. I find that with teens (let alone people) metaphors access a different part of a person's ability to relate to information. I often ask the youth I work with how they'd define mindfulness.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A safe place to chat anonymously, get support, and feel better.

Hi, what would you like to do today?

Helping others makes us feel good

It also makes other people feel pretty good too! Volunteer with ReachOut and make a difference.

40% of young people experience mental ill-health

Support ReachOut by donating to our critical services today.

Stay in touch

Sign up to our newsletter and get mental health and wellbeing info, tips and stories straight to your inbox.

Support that works for you

A safe, online place to get information and support to help you and your teen feel better.

Hi, what would you like to do today?

40% of young people experience mental ill-health

Support ReachOut by donating to our critical services today.

ReachOut makes things easier

A whole-school approach to student wellbeing that's credible, flexible and free.

Hi, what would you like to do today?

40% of young people experience mental ill-health

Support ReachOut by donating to our critical services today.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Safe Place to Chat Anonymously, Get Support & Feel Better | ReachOut Australia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Connect with other young people and find support that works for you. ReachOut helps you deal with stress, anxiety, depression, and whenever life doesn't go as planned.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
16 Habits of Mind Chart HABITS OF MIND (Available for download)
Arthur L. Costa, Ed. D.

Professor Emeritus,

California State University, Sacramento

By definition, a problem is any stimulus, question, task, phenomenon, or discrepancy, the explanation for which is not immediately known. Thus, we are interested in focusing on student performance under those challenging conditions that demand strategic reasoning, insightfulness, perseverance, creativity, and craftsmanship to resolve a complex problem. Not only are we interested in how many answers students know, but also in knowing how they behave when they DON'T know. Habits of Mind are performed in response to those questions and problems the answers to which are NOT immediately known. We are interested in observing how students produce knowledge rather than how they merely reproduce knowledge. The critical attribute of intelligent human beings is not only having information, but also knowing how to act on it.

A "Habit of Mind" means having a disposition toward behaving intelligently when confronted with problems. When humans experience dichotomies, are confused by dilemmas, or come face to face with uncertainties-our most effective actions require drawing forth certain patterns of intellectual behavior. When we draw upon these intellectual resources, the results that are produced are more powerful, of higher quality and of greater significance than if we fail to employ those intellectual behaviors.

Employing "Habits of Mind" requires a composite of many skills, attitudes, cues, past experiences and proclivities. It means that we value one pattern of thinking over another and therefore it implies choice making about which pattern should be employed at this time. It includes alertness to the contextual cues that signal this as an appropriate time and circumstance in which the employment of this pattern would be useful. It requires a level of skillfulness to employ and carry through the behaviors effectively over time. It suggests that as a result of each experience in which these behaviors were employed, the effects of their use are reflected upon, evaluated, modified and carried forth to future applications.
HABITS OF MIND ATTEND TO: DESCRIBING HABITS OF MIND
What behaviors are indicative of the efficient, effective problem solver? Just what do human beings do when they behave intelligently? Research in effective thinking and intelligent behavior by Feuerstein (1980), Glatthorn and Baron (1985), Sternberg (1985), Perkins (1985), and Ennis (1985) indicates that there are some identifiable characteristics of effective thinkers. These are not necessarily scientists, artists, mathematicians or the wealthy who demonstrate these behaviors. These characteristics have been identified in successful mechanics, teachers, entrepreneurs, salespeople, and parents-people in all walks of life.

Following are descriptions and an elaboration of 16 attributes of what human beings do when they behave intelligently. We choose to refer to them as Habits of Mind. They are the characteristics of what intelligent people do when they are confronted with problems, the resolution to which are not immediately apparent.

These behaviors are seldom performed in isolation. Rather, clusters of such behaviors are drawn forth and employed in various situations. When listening intently, for example, one employs flexibility, metacognition, precise language and perhaps questioning.

Please do not think that there are only sixteen ways in which humans display their intelligence. It should be understood that this list is not meant to be complete. It should serve to initiate the collection of additional attributes. Although 16 Habits of Mind are described here, you, your colleagues and your students will want to continue the search for additional Habits of Mind by adding to and elaborating on this list and the descriptions.

One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time. ~Marabel Morgan, The Electric Woman

Efficacious people stick to a task until it is completed. They don't give up easily. They are able to analyze a problem, to develop a system, structure, or strategy to attack a problem. They employ a range and have repertoire of alternative strategies for problem solving. They collect evidence to indicate their problem-solving strategy is working, and if one strategy doesn't work, they know how to back up and try another. They recognize when a theory or idea must be rejected and another employed. They have systematic methods of analyzing a problem which include knowing how to begin, knowing what steps must be performed, and what data need to be generated or collected. Because they are able to sustain a problem solving process over time, they are comfortable with ambiguous situations.

Students often give up in despair when the answer to a problem is not immediately known. They sometimes crumple their papers and throw them away saying, "I can't do this," "It's too hard," or, they write down any answer to get the task over with as quickly as possible. Some have attention deficits; they have difficulty staying focused for any length of time, they are easily distracted, they lack the ability to analyze a problem, to develop a system, structure, or strategy of problem attack. They may give up because they have a limited repertoire of problem solving strategies. If their strategy doesn't work, they give up because they have no alternatives.

Effective problem solvers have a sense of deliberativeness: They think before they act. They intentionally form a vision of a product, plan of action, goal or a destination before they begin. They strive to clarify and understand directions, develop a strategy for approaching a problem and withhold immediate value judgments about an idea before fully understanding it. Reflective individuals consider alternatives and consequences of several possible directions prior to taking action. They decrease their need for trial and error by gathering information, taking time to reflect on an answer before giving it, making sure they understand directions, and listening to alternative points of view.

Often students blurt the first answer that comes to mind. Sometimes they shout out an answer, start to work without fully understanding the directions, lack an organized plan or strategy for approaching a problem or make immediate value judgments about an idea-criticizing or praising it- before fully understanding it. They may take the first suggestion given or operate on the first idea that comes to mind rather than considering alternatives and consequences of several possible directions.

Highly effective people spend an inordinate amount of time and energy listening (Covey, 1989). Some psychologists believe that the ability to listen to another person, to empathize with, and to understand their point of view is one of the highest forms of intelligent behavior. Being able to paraphrase another person's ideas, detecting indicators (cues) of their feelings or emotional states in their oral and body language (empathy), accurately expressing another person's concepts, emotions and problems-all are indications of listening behavior (Piaget called it "overcoming ego-centrism"). They are able to see through the diverse perspectives of others. They gently attend to another person demonstrating their understanding of and empathy for an idea or feeling by paraphrasing it accurately, building upon it, clarifying it, or giving an example of it.

Senge and his colleagues (1994) suggest that to listen fully means to pay close attention to what is being said beneath the words. You listen not only to the "music", but also to the essence of the person speaking. You listen not only for what someone knows, but also for what he or she is trying to represent. Ears operate at the speed of sound, which is far slower than the speed of light the eyes take in. Generative listening is the art of developing deeper silences in yourself, so you can slow your mind's hearing to your ears' natural speed, and hear beneath the words to their meaning.

We spend 55 percent of our lives listening yet it is one of the least taught skills in schools. We often say we are listening but in actuality, we are rehearsing in our head what we are going to say next when our partner is finished. Some students ridicule, laugh at, or put down other students' ideas. They interrupt are unable to build upon, consider the merits of, or operate on another person's ideas. We want our students to learn to devote their mental energies to another person and invest themselves in their partner's ideas.

We wish students to learn to hold in abeyance their own values, judgments, opinions, and prejudices in

order to listen to and entertain another person's thoughts. This is a very complex skill requiring the ability to monitor one's own thoughts while, at the same time, attending to the partner's words. This does not mean that we can't disagree with someone. A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but because he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is he is disagreeing with.

An amazing discovery about the human brain is its plasticity-its ability to "rewire", change and even repair itself to become smarter. Flexible people are the ones with the most control. They have the capacity to change their mind as they receive additional data. They engage in multiple and simultaneous outcomes and activities, draw upon a repertoire of problem solving strategies and can practice style flexibility, knowing when it is appropriate to be broad and global in their thinking and when a situation requires detailed precision. They create and seek novel approaches and have a well-developed sense of humor. They envision a range of consequences.

Flexible people can approach a problem from a new angle using a novel approach {deBono (1970) refers to this as lateral thinking.} They consider alternative points of view or deal with several sources of information simultaneously. Their minds are open to change based on additional information and data or reasoning, which contradicts their beliefs. Flexible people know that they have and can develop options and alternatives to consider. They understand mean-ends relationships being able to work within rules, criteria and regulations and they can predict the consequences of flouting them. They understand not only the immediate reactions but are also able to perceive the bigger purposes that such constraints serve. Thus, flexibility of mind is essential for working with social diversity, enabling an individual to recognize the wholeness and distinctness of other people's ways of experiencing and making meaning.

Flexible thinkers are able to shift, at will, through multiple perceptual positions. One perceptual orientation is what Jean Piaget called, egocentrism-perceiving from our own point of view. By contrast, allocentrism is the position in which we perceive through another persons' orientation. We operate from this second position when we empathize with other's feelings, predict how others are thinking, and anticipate potential misunderstandings.

Another perceptual position is "macro-centric". It is similar to looking down from a balcony at ourselves and our interactions with others. This bird's-eye view is useful for discerning themes and patterns from assortments of information. It is intuitive, holistic and conceptual. Since we often need to solve problems with incomplete information, we need the capacity to perceive general patterns and jump across gaps of incomplete knowledge or when some of the pieces are missing.

Yet another perceptual orientation is micro-centric-examining the individual and sometimes minute parts that make up the whole. This "worm's-eye view", without which science, technology, and any complex enterprise could not function, involves logical analytical computation searching for causality in methodical steps. It requires attention to detail, precision, and orderly progressions.

Flexible thinkers display confidence in their intuition. They tolerate confusion and ambiguity up to a point, and are willing to let go of a problem trusting their subconscious to continue creative and productive work on it. Flexibility is the cradle of humor, creativity and repertoire. While there are many possible perceptual positions-past, present, future, egocentric, allocentric, macro centric, visual, auditory, kinesthetic-the flexible mind is activated by knowing when to shift perceptual positions.

Some students have difficulty in considering alternative points of view or dealing with more than one classification system simultaneously. THEIR way to solve a problem seems to be the ONLY way. They perceive situations from a very ego-centered point of view: "My way or the highway!" Their mind is made up; "Don't confuse me with facts, that's it."

Occurring in the neocortex, metacognition is our ability to know what we know and what we don't know. It is our ability to plan a strategy for producing what information is needed, to be conscious of our own steps and strategies during the act of problem solving, and to reflect on and evaluate the productiveness of our own thinking. While "inner language," thought to be a prerequisite, begins in most children around age five, metacognition is a key attribute of formal thought flowering about age eleven.

Probably the major components of metacognition are developing a plan of action, maintaining that plan in mind over a period of time, then reflecting back on and evaluating the plan upon its completion. Planning a strategy before embarking on a course of action assists us in keeping track of the steps in the sequence of planned behavior at the conscious awareness level for the duration of the activity. It facilitates making temporal and comparative judgments, assessing the readiness for more or different activities, and monitoring our interpretations, perceptions, decisions and behaviors. An example of this would be what superior teachers do daily: developing a teaching strategy for a lesson, keeping that strategy in mind throughout the instruction, then reflecting back upon the strategy to evaluate its effectiveness in producing the desired student outcomes.

Intelligent people plan for, reflect on, and evaluate the quality of their own thinking skills and strategies. Metacognition means becoming increasingly aware of one's actions and the effect of those actions on others and on the environment; forming internal questions as one searches for information and meaning, developing mental maps or plans of action, mentally rehearsing prior to performance, monitoring those plans as they are employed-being conscious of the need for midcourse correction if the plan is not meeting expectations, reflecting on the plan upon completion of the implementation for the purpose of self-evaluation, and editing mental pictures for improved performance.

Interestingly, not all humans achieve the level of formal operations (Chiabetta, 1976). And as Alexander Luria, the Russian psychologist found, not all adults metacogitate (Whimbey, 1976). The most likely reason is that we do not take the time to reflect on our experiences. Students often do not take the time to wonder why we are doing what we are doing. They seldom question themselves about their own learning strategies or evaluate the efficiency of their own performance. Some children virtually have no idea of what they should do when they confront a problem and are often unable to explain their strategies of decision making (Sternberg and Wagner, 1982). When teachers ask, "How did you solve that problem; what strategies did you have in mind"? or, "Tell us what went on in your head to come up with that conclusion". Students often respond by saying, "I don't know, I just did it.'

We want our students to perform well on complex cognitive tasks. A simple example of this might be drawn from a reading task. It is a common experience while reading a passage to have our minds "wander" from the pages. We "see" the words but no meaning is being produced. Suddenly we realize that we are not concentrating and that we've lost contact with the meaning of the text. We "recover" by returning to the passage to find our place, matching it with the last thought we can remember, and, once having found it, reading on with connectedness. This inner awareness and the strategy of recovery are components of metacognition.

Embodied in the stamina, grace and elegance of a ballerina or a shoemaker, is the desire for craftsmanship, mastery, flawlessness and economy of energy to produce exceptional results. People who value accuracy, precision and craftsmanship take time to check over their products. They review the rules by which they are to abide; they review the models and visions they are to follow; and they review the criteria they are to employ and confirm that their finish product matches the criteria exactly. To be craftsmanlike means knowing that one can continually perfect one's craft by working to attain the highest possible standards, and pursue ongoing learning in order to bring a laser like focus of energies to task accomplishment. These people take pride in their work and have a desire for accuracy as they take time to check over their work. Craftsmanship includes exactness, precision, accuracy, correctness, faithfulness, and fidelity. For some people, craftsmanship requires continuous reworking. Mario Cuomo, a great speechwriter and politician, once said that his speeches were never done-it was only a deadline that made him stop working on them!

Some students may turn in sloppy, incomplete or uncorrected work. They are more anxious to get rid of the assignment than to check it over for accuracy and precision. They are willing to suffice with minimum effort rather than investing their maximum. They may be more interested in expedience rather than excellence.

One of the distinguishing characteristics between humans and other forms of life is our inclination, and ability to FIND problems to solve. Effective problem solvers know how to ask questions to fill in the gaps between what they know and what they don't know. Effective questioners are inclined to ask a range of questions. For example: requests for data to support others' conclusions and assumptions-such questions as,

"What evidence do you have.....?"

"How do you know that's true?"

"How reliable is this data source?"

They pose questions about alternative points of view:

"From whose viewpoint are we seeing, reading of hearing?"

"From what angle, what perspective are we viewing this situation?"

Students pose questions, which make causal connections and relationships:

"How are these people (events) (situations) related to each other?"

"What produced this connection?"

They pose hypothetical problems characterized by "iffy"-type questions:

"What do you think would happen IF.....?"

"IF that is true, then what might happen if....?"

Inquirers recognize discrepancies and phenomena in their environment and probe into their causes: "Why do cats purr?" "How high can birds fly?" "Why does the hair on my head grow so fast, while the hair on my arms and legs grows so slowly? "What would happen if we put the saltwater fish in a fresh water aquarium?" "What are some alternative solutions to international conflicts other than wars?"

Some students may be unaware of the functions, classes, syntax or intentions in questions. They may not realize that questions vary in complexity, structure and purpose. They may pose simple questions intending to derive maximal results. When confronted with a discrepancy, they may lack an overall strategy of search and solution finding.

Intelligent human beings learn from experience. When confronted with a new and perplexing problem they will often draw forth experience from their past. They can often be heard to say, "This reminds me of...." or "This is just like the time when I..." They explain what they are doing now in terms of analogies with or references to previous experiences. They call upon their store of knowledge and experience as sources of data to support, theories to explain, or processes to solve each new challenge. Furthermore, they are able to abstract meaning from one experience, carry it forth, and apply it in a new and novel situation.

Too often students begin each new task as if it were being approached for the very first time. Teachers are often dismayed when they invite students to recall how they solved a similar problem previously and students don't remember. It's as if they never heard of it before, even though they had the same type of problem just recently. It is as if each experience is encapsulated and has no relationship to what has come before or what comes afterward. Their thinking is what psychologists refer to as an "episodic grasp of reality" (Feuerstein 1980). That is, each event in life is a separate and discrete event with no connections to what may have come before or with no relation to what follows. Furthermore, their learning is so encapsulated that they seem unable to draw forth from one event and apply it in another context.

Language refinement plays a critical role in enhancing a person's cognitive maps, and their ability to think critically which is the knowledge base for efficacious action. Enriching the complexity and specificity of language simultaneously produces effective thinking.

Language and thinking are closely entwined. Like either side of a coin, they are inseparable. When you hear fuzzy language, it is a reflection of fuzzy thinking. Intelligent people strive to communicate accurately in both written and oral form taking care to use precise language, defining terms, using correct names and universal labels and analogies. They strive to avoid overgeneralizations, deletions and distortions. Instead they support their statements with explanations, comparisons, quantification, and evidence.

We sometimes hear students and other adults using vague and imprecise language. They describe objects or events with words like weird, nice, or OK. They call specific objects using such non-descriptive words as stuff, junk and things. They punctuate sentences with meaningless interjections like ya know, er and uh. They use vague or general nouns and pronouns: "They told me to do it". "Everybody has one." "Teachers don't understand me. They use non-specific verbs: "Let's do it." and unqualified comparatives: "This soda is better; I like it more".

Intelligent people know that all information gets into the brain through the sensory pathways: gustatory, olfactory, tactile, kinesthetic, auditory, visual, Most linguistic, cultural, and physical learning is derived from the environment by observing or taking in through the senses. To know a wine it must be drunk; to know a role it must be acted; to know a game it must be played; to know a dance it must be moved; to know a goal it must be envisioned. Those whose sensory pathways are open, alert, and acute absorb more information from the environment than those whose pathways are withered, immune, and oblivious to sensory stimuli.

Furthermore, we are learning more about the impact of arts and music on improved mental functioning. Forming mental images is important in mathematics and engineering; listening to classical music seems to improve spatial reasoning.

Social scientists solve problems through scenarios and role-playing; scientists build models; engineers use cad-cam; mechanics learn through hands-on experimentation; artists experiment with colors and textures. Musicians experiment by producing combinations of instrumental and vocal music.

Some students, however, go through school and life oblivious to the textures, rhythms, patterns sounds and colors around them. Sometimes children are afraid to touch, get their hands "dirty" or feel some object might be "slimy" or "icky". They operate within a narrow range of sensory problem solving strategies wanting only to "describe it but not illustrate or act it", or "listen but not participate".

Students, however, are often heard saying, "I can't draw," "I was never very good at art," "I can't sing a note," "I'm not creative". Some people believe creative humans are just born that way; in their genes and chromosomes.

Some children and adults avoid problems and are "turned off" to learning. They make such comments as, "I was never good at these brain teasers," or "Go ask your father; he's the brain in this family. "It's boring." "When am I ever going to use this stuff?" "Who cares?" "Lighten up, teacher, thinking is hard work," or "I don't do thinking!" Many people never enrolled in another math class or other "hard" academic subjects after they didn't have to in high school or college. Many people perceive thinking as hard work and therefore recoil from situations, which demand "too much" of it.

We want our students, however to be curious; to commune with the world around them; to reflect on the changing formations of a cloud; feel charmed by the opening of a bud; sense the logical simplicity ofmathematical order. Students can find beauty in a sunset, intrigue in the geometric of a spider web, and exhilaration at the iridescence of a hummingbird's wings. They see the congruity and intricacies in the derivation of a mathematical formula, recognize the orderliness and adroitness of a chemical change, and commune with the serenity of a distant constellation. We want them feel compelled, enthusiastic and passionate about learning, inquiring and mastering.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Official Habits of Mind Institute Website

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Official Habits of Mind Institute Website

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A collection of free distance learning activities and resources for kids, families, and teachers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About Us

Natural High is a drug prevention nonprofit that inspires and empowers youth to
find their natural high and develop the skills and courage to live life well.

8 MILLION STUDENTS

50 STATES

43,000+ EDUCATORS

Our Method

We engage influencers, educators, and peer groups to help young people discover those core activities in their lives that uplift, inspire, and motivate them - to find their 'Natural High' rather than use alcohol or drugs.

We provide content and action steps that are easy, fun, and effective. We share materials for free and encourage our community to use us as an ongoing resource with no associated costs. Our curriculum meets Common Core standards. Six basic principles guide everything that we do.
Join For Free - Start Changing Lives Today

The Issue

America is facing an addiction epidemic. According to The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 3 out of 4 adolescents have already used addictive substances. Half of these youth have used addictive substances in the past month. Furthermore, 9 out of 10 addictions begin in the teen years.

Research shows that if young people are directly engaged around the issue in a compelling way by people they look up to and trust, they are much less likely to choose drugs and alcohol. In fact, if middle schoolers choose not to consume drugs and alcohol, they are 14x less likely to ever become addicted.

At Natural High, we know that the change we want starts with engaging young people on their terms - through compelling stories told by people who they look to as examples. We are committed to telling these stories and to providing resources so that youth are empowered to make good choices and live life well.

Watch a short video about why Natural High exists.

Founder's Story

Natural High was founded by entrepreneur Jon Sundt, who lost both of his brothers to drug addiction. After the loss, Jon became determined to turn this experience into positive change and made the decision to spend the rest of his life helping young people make better choices. He realized that simply shifting the way we engage youth could dispel the myth around drugs and alcohol. He began traveling to schools with local influencers and a slide projector at his side, hoping that his story could help save even one life.

Today, Natural High reaches young people around the country. What started in tragedy has now grown into a movement bringing hope and positive results to thousands of families. Two decades of youth are now thriving and choosing their Natural High over drugs and alcohol - all through the power of storytelling and positive example.

Natural High In Action

Natural High works to fight youth drug and alcohol abuse through
school, families, and our community. Our important mission is helped
in part by the organizations and students around the country using
Natural High's curriculum.

FAQs

Why is Natural High's prevention program important for youth?

We know that kids today are experiencing more stress than ever before, and we also know what the research says - that finding a spark, or a passion, can help to engage kids in healthy coping strategies. They can find the relief they need in a natural high that they may otherwise seek in drugs or alcohol. Finding a natural high is a key coping strategy in the prevention of drug abuse. Our program strives to teach kids they have a choice and we support them in their choice-making skills.

What does Natural High's drug abuse prevention program consist of, and how do I use it?

We offer a variety of videos and tools that can be used to support you in your prevention of drug abuse efforts. The Natural High program has three easy steps to implementation: 1. Watch a video. Explore our Storyteller library and Playlists for educators and parents. We have pre-packaged Playlists, or you can pick and choose your own storytellers, questions, and activities if you prefer. 2. Discuss as a class or family using our discussion guides to facilitate a thoughtful conversation. 3. Go deeper with an engaging activity. Each video has specific activities tied to the story that naturally follow the discussion. Our content is all aligned to Common Core and National Health Educator Standards.

Is Natural High effective in the prevention of drug abuse?

Yes - our program is effective in the prevention of drug abuse. A few years back we conducted a rigorous and broad review of our program, looking at a variety of feedback from thousands of kids and educators across the country. Some of the most striking information we found was that over 80% of kids said that having a natural high would help them fight the temptation to turn to substance abuse, and 84% said that after participating in our program, they intended to make better decisions. Almost 83% of educators said that exposure to Natural High led to a positive change in students' perception of substance abuse.

Is there any cost to use Natural High?

No, we never want cost to be a barrier to you in your prevention of drug abuse efforts. Natural High is free to all educators, students, and parents. We are a nonprofit and depend on fundraising to keep our content free and available. We welcome contributions of all sizes.

Who can use Natural High?

Anyone can use our content, and we would love to know how you're using it! We've worked with teachers, school counselors, youth program leaders, community advocates, parents, and student leaders. Check out how our content is being used in different settings all over the country.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
natural high - nonprofit organization drug abuse prevention

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
we believe in the power of storytelling to transform lives.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Natural High is a drug abuse prevention nonprofit organization that empowers youth to live life well. Free & easy to use resources for teachers & parents.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It can be hard to find gifts for a child that is creative, especially if you aren't one yourself. That's why we've compiled a list of 8 gift ideas guaranteed to please that quiet but creative kiddo in your life.

The above comic is a true story! If you parent a Beaver, Meerkat, or Panda it's no surprise that they can be hard on themselves. They may say things like, "I'm so stupid!" or "I'm such a bad kid!" Introverted sensitive kiddos don't need much to make themselves feel like the worst kid ever when they mess up.

What's the rate of speed that time is flying in your house? Our little tribe of humans is developing at an alarming pace and it seems like we're always busy and always distracted. So distracted that it's easy to forget to tune into each other's inner world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A fun & easy personality test for kids that helps kids and families discover their unique personality type. This personality quiz for kids offers kiddos insight into what makes their unique brain tick. Take our FREE personality quiz for kids and you might be surprised!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn more and understand better with BrainPOP's animated movies, games, playful assessments, and activities covering Science, Math, History, English, and more!