Being a Good Finder

PEACEFUL WARRIORS  ATTITUDE (SECTION #1) – Week 3

Start the lesson by gathering your students into a tight huddle and ask these three questions:

• What does it mean to have a good attitude?
• Why is it important to have a good attitude?
• Can you give me an example of having a good attitude?

Then share the following story or lesson and ask the questions listed.

This week we are going to talk about being a good finder.
You’ll find either good or bad in everyone – it just depends what you are looking for.

Everyone quickly look around the room. I want you to find and memorize everything that is Red. Quick, quick. Ok, everyone look forward and close your eyes tightly. Are your eyes closed tightly? Good. Ok, keeping your eyes closed, who can tell me everything that is blue? (Pause for a few seconds and let it sink in). Ok, open your eyes.

Why do you think it was easier to remember the red? Both colors were there!
(Expect answers like “I wasn’t looking for blue” or “Because I was only looking for red”.)

Your mind works real hard at what you tell it to do. You can tell it to look for the bad or the good – it depends on what you want to see.

Being a good finder means that you have to look for the good in all the people in your life and in all situations. Sometimes this is not easy. It’s hard to look for the good in someone you don’t like or someone that is different or mean to you. If you do it, however, you will find a friend in just about everyone. It’s hard to see the good in a situation when something bad happens. If you do this, however, you will learn to be solution-oriented. That means you will become a more optimistic person.

Let’s try it. I’ll say a negative statement and then you help me to find the good.

Example #1 - “School is hard and I always have a lot of homework.”
Possible Response - “Boy, you sure are going to get smart.”

Example #2 - “I broke my right arm and now I can’t dribble my basketball.”
Possible Response - “Now is a great time to learn to dribble with your left hand.”

For the next week, every morning when you first wake up, I challenge you to think of five things that you are proud of, happy about, or excited for.

Constantly be a good finder. Whatever happens, try to find the good part by asking yourself, “What’s good about this?" or “How can I benefit from this?”