Become a More Positive Person: Three Practical Skills to Improve Your Self Esteem

By Shirley Brackett Mathey

I recommend becoming a Master of POSITIVE THINKING. It requires 3 specific skills.

You must see yourself saying

First: "I Can, I Will, and I Did,"

Second: Visualize the beginning of an ambition and the END of the goal, and

Third: To recognize and have 6 daily goals each day.

Teach others the same. The firs

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rustik Haws LLC
• Release date: Feb 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781952244179

Shirley Brackett Mathey

Shirley Brackett Mathey has used these innovative materials for years and produced wonderful results with people. Creative instructor for 26 years at Lincoln Park High School, Shirley developed many innovative materials (slide presentations, flashcards sequences, and group activities). She wrote her first book on Classroom Activities in 1975. Students referred to her as the best teacher they ever had. She worked in advisory roles for school organizations, served as a supervisory teacher for Wayne University, Eastern Michigan and Michigan State Universities. She personally counseled many troubled students, and initiated a weekly classroom peer group counseling sessions. Scores of written appreciations and continuing relationships validate the positive influence upon the lives of young people. Shirley was active in high school with 4 H Club, attended Miniwanca's leadership conference program and received became one of the six chiefs during the 4th year, attended University of Arkansas, University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan Colleges to receive two Masters programs in Family Life Education and Guidance and Counseling. Shirley is married to her college friend Court Mathey, after her first husband Glenn Brackett died. She has one son Robert Glenn Brackett, Jr, and 2 grandchildren.

Book preview

FOREWORD

Our life works, even though it may take us some time to realize how we make it work for us. As a teacher I was struggling with students walking into the classroom with a sarcastic attitude. Particularly aggravating to me was the question spoken in a surly manner, What are we going to do today? That student’s negative attitude created an internal rage within me that questioned, What can I do to stimulate students to come to class happy and ready to learn? I had worked to make lessons interesting, fun, and inviting. It hurt my feelings that students had no or little appreciation for the work I was doing.

One of the innovative ideas I found during this search was using a bell to catch and correct students speaking in the negative. It was a game. On the first day of class I introduced the bell as a tool to help become more positive. They were to ring it if they caught me speaking negatively; I could ring it on them if I caught them and they could ring it on their friends. It worked like magic. They caught the spirit of the game and in two weeks the bell was removed and the lesson learned. There would be no negative put-downs in class. The question was the same: "What are we going to do today?" but the attitude was different. It was posed with wonder, vitality and interest.

One of my many happy childhood memories was riding the school bus ten miles each day throughout my elementary and high school years. But when I think of those war time years, I remember the singing of those high school kids, particularly, Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition and Mairzy Doats. But the song I just loved was Accentuate the Positive. I resurrected that song for my high school students. Everyone had to learn the song. What lyrics! What a message! I simply expanded the message and motivated them to make the classroom zing. We had such fun learning to become more positive. I recommend learning to be a positive person to you!

This book is a composite of ideas from the works of great thinkers of the past plus my experience in the classroom with high school students who helped me appreciate how being positive affects self esteem.

When I developed this process of being positive and teaching others the steps, I became appreciated. My students loved me and showed it. I found something I think many are hungry for in this world.

BECOME A MORE POSITIVE PERSON

Three Practical Skills To Improve Your

SELF ESTEEM

INTRODUCTION

There are only two attitudes a person can have in life: You can choose to be positive or you can choose to be negative. At the turn of this century William James said, The greatest discovery of this generation is that you can alter your surroundings by altering your frame of mind. You may not change all circumstances, but you can change your attitude toward them.

These are important questions.

Do you believe that someone can turn their life around by changing their frame of reference?

Why study the attitudes of being positive? What good will it do?

How do you go about it?

Many people have found their lives are better when they discovered the power of attitude formation. Some people discover it