Lesson Title:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens: Habit 1: Be Proactive

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Objective:

Students will learn how to be PROACTIVE rather than REACTIVE in situations. They will learn that they have a choice on how to feel and react to a situation, and that consideration and thought prior to a situation creates a better outcome.

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Materials Needed:

Can of soda,

Bottle of Water

Demonstration:

  1. Start shaking the can of soda.
  2. Have the student think of a really bad school day and have them start listing all of the bad things that could happen to them (got up late, had to skip breakfast, got caught in traffic, forgot to study for a test, lost something, friend gets mad at them, hard practice after school, etc.). Since our groups are small enough, each student should be able to come up with at least one thing that would upset them. As each student adds something to the list, continue to shake the can of soda harder and harder.
  3. When you are finished, ask someone to open the can. Hopefully they will refuse!!! Ask why? Explain that this is what being reactive is like. Reactive people aren’t in control of their emotions. They let their circumstances dictate their mood, feelings, and reactions. Ask students if they know someone who is really REACTIVE, or if they have been REACTIVE in certain situations. They blame everyone else for all of their problems and they overreact to many daily norms.
  4. Start shaking the bottle of water and repeat the story.
  5. Ask someone to open the bottle of water. Most likely they will!!! Ask why? Explain that this is what being PROACTIVE is like. Water at rest is calm, predictable, and incapable of exploding. Proactive people are like calm water. Despite the storms of life, they seem to realize that they are in control of their mood and their reaction to circumstances. They understand that discomfort and agitation is only temporary, so they don’t let things bother them. They think before they act, and are better off for it! Ask students if they know someone who is really PROACTIVE, or if they have been PROACTIVE in certain situations. They rarely blame others, and often find more positive ways of looking at things.

If you have time:

  1. Show the video on YouTube created by two students about being PROACTIVE VERSUS REACTIVE. It shows the water/soda demonstration, too. You can find it at:
  1. Discuss the above questions about REACTIVE versus PROACTIVE people.