Teen Success

10 Rules for Back to School Success

For all the teens who are regular readers of this blog you know that I like to add a little humor to my messages.  My owner, John, wrote this one and he doesn’t have a funny bone in his body, but it is still a good message for the upcoming new school year.    Winky

Parents will spend an estimated $14 billion on new clothes and school supplies to get their children ready for the new school year.   What happens after the new school clothes are dirty, the book bag is torn, and the pens are lost?

Accent On Success®, a not-for-profit organization dedicated helping children succeed, has developed a list of rules to promote success in the new school year.

Top 10 Rules for Success in School

1.    No vision = no direction. Write down what you want to accomplish

       in the first month of the school year.

2.    Don't find fault; find a solution.

3.    Minimize the bummer words: no, can't, won't, never, maybe, and if. 

       These six words can hold you back from reaching your full potential.

4.     Learn how to set and achieve goals and how to use these principles

        in the classroom.

5.     To get ahead in life—learn more, do more.

6.     Use the "I'll Make It Happen" words: yes, I can, and I will.

7.     Eliminate excuses.

8.    Ask yourself every day: "Did I give my best effort to today's

       activities?"

9.    Help others.

10.   Enthusiastically take action on your dreams.

When students develop an "I'll Make It Happen" attitude, it will positively impact their attendance, class participation, personal decision making, and overall academic achievement.

These top ten life skills will help students take more responsibility and will make a long-term difference in their performance in the classroom, in the workplace and in life.

(I'll get back to writing with humor in the future - I promise.  It just seemed like a good message and that it could help you for the upcoming school year.  Actually, it was a little selfish on my part.  See, if you do well in school you should be happy. And, if your happy, you should give your dog more biscuits.  So you see, it's a win-win situation if you do well in school.) 

The morale to the story....Do well in school for your dog's well being.  Winky

4 Biscuits - very rare rating for something I did not write.

Dog Language

Dogs use several words to describe the human world.  I thought this list might be helpful.

Floppy ear express - a car ride with the windows open and our ears flying in the wind

Dog biscuit - actually it doesn't mean anything different in dog language, but I wanted to get another plug in about how much we like them.  Shameless, I know.

Brain farts - yep, dogs have them also.  It's when we forget something important like where we buried a bone. I think you older humans call them "senior moments."

Paris - As in someone pulling a "paris." That is someone who has more money than brains.  I have to confess, dogs do not understand why people who get so much attention because Daddy made a lot of money.

Fish bait - Dogs see this way too often.  It is where people are selfish and don't think of anything but themselves.

Shark bait - Owners who keep their dogs tied up in the backyard all the time.  Actually, dogs have a much different term, but I wouldn't say it here.

It's Friday

I can tell it must be getting close to the weekend.  John seems happier.

I'm sure we will do a couple of 6 mile trips around Forrest Park (always great looking dogs to look at) and several trips in the "floppy ear express." 

That's dog talk for riding in the car with the windows down and your head hanging out.  I'd recommend it, but you humans don't have very big ears, so what's the point.

Winky

2 Biscuits

No Short Cuts

"Be honest and work hard to get what you want.  Don't take shortcuts: you are only cheating yourself in the long run.  Success is not measured by money or fame, but by how you feel about your own goal and accomplishments and the time and effort you put into them."                                               Willie Stargell, Hall of Fame baseball player

I could not have said it any better.

Good luck.  You are a WINNER!

Winky

4 Biscuits

Sad Day for the Family

All days are not great days this is one of the worst. 

My owner’s family is having a difficult time with their teenage girl.  She is such a neat person, really.  I keep hearing something about hormones and that she’ll “grow out of it.”  I hope so because it is very sad to see people who love each other crying.

From a dog’s point of view it looks like the adults and the teen share in the responsibility for the situation.  Both had good and bad points.  Unfortunately, both sides got locked into their positions and forgot to listen.

Now they have to figure out how to get past the hurt and build trust again.   It is a sad day.

Winky

0 Biscuits

Stress

Unfortunately, I see people have a lot of stress in their lives.  They seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere. It might help if they asked themselves: 

Am I running away from my problems or toward a solution?

Then, what I do is take a nap.

3 Biscuits

Winky

Thank You Ben Franklin

You humans have some really neat people in your history.  Take Ben Franklin for example.  He may be old, but that guy rocks.  Here is his plan on how to succeed.

See if you like it.   I’m trying to figure out to use it to get more biscuits. 

Ben Franklin’s Plan for Success

Franklin believed in strong personal character development. He planned to be successful by excelling in the thirteen specific character traits listed below. He set a goal to focus on improving one of these characteristics each week. The next week he would work on improving another character trait with equal determination.

Week after week he focused on improving one character development trait at a time. After thirteen weeks he finished the list and simply started at the beginning of the list again. He worked his plan for over fifty years—one week and one characteristic at a time. History suggests that his plan worked.

Below are the thirteen character traits Ben Franklin worked on to improve his chances for success.

Character Traits

Self-control: be determined and disciplined in your efforts.

Silence: listen better in all discussions.

Order: don’t agonize—organize.

Pledge: promise to put your best effort into today’s activities.

Thrift: watch how you spend your money and your time.

Productivity: work hard—work smart—have fun.

Fairness: treat others the way you want to be treated.

Moderation: avoid extremes.

Cleanliness: have a clean mind, body and habits.

Tranquility: take time to slow down and “smell the roses.”

Charity: help others.

Humility: keep your ego in check.

Sincerity: be honest with yourself and others.

Suggestions for implementation:

1. Choose four characteristics. Individually or as a family highlight one for each of the next four weeks. Focus on improving that one characteristic for the week.
2. Communicate during the week on how things are going. Do you need some help?

I know this one was long, but it was worth it.  I’m giving it my highest biscuit rating.  Thanks Ben!

Winky

4 Biscuits

Anger

"Control yourself: remember that anger is only one letter short of danger."  Anonymous

Good quote, but It only gets 2 Biscuits because I didn't think of it.

Winky

One Important Question per Day

Want to be successful at anything you do?  John tells me the one question to ask yourself each day is this:

Did I give my best effort to today's activities?

The key is answering it every day - honestly.

Winky

3 Biscuits

Back to School Success

I love the Back-to-School season, but I have to admit that the dogs I talk to don't understand it.

Parents will spend almost $14 Billion to get their children ready for the new school year.  What happens when the new school clothes are dirty, the book bag is torn and the pens are lost?  The new school year items do not guarantee a successful school year.

If I went to school I’d spend less time on how I looked, and who I was trying to impress, and more time on trying to find dog biscuits. 

No seriously, school takes about seven hours/day for five days a week.  With a little self control I could actually give up naps and biscuits for seven hours. Honest.

And, if I was going to miss my favorite pastimes - naps and biscuits - I would want to make the most of my time at school.   Winky

3 Biscuits