STRIVE - Jump Start for Building Confidence and Self Esteem with Bob Humphrey
A JUMP START FOR BUILDING
CONFIDENCE AND SELF ESTEEM
The Rotary Presenter at STRIVE on January 3, 2013 was Bob Humphrey. Bob discussed the topic of Building confidence and Self Esteem and the importance of Role Models. Pictured here with Bob is STRIVE student Anna Spray.
Bob began his presentation by letting the students know that he struggled with self-esteem in school because he always felt that he was under the microscope even though his famous father was always helpful and understanding. It was easy to get lost in the limelight so Bob decided to engage himself understanding that “I couldn’t be my father” but that he could “Take the bull by the horns” and become the boss of his own destiny with determined “bulldog tenacity”. He said the Presidential Campaign of 1968 helped bring him out of his shell as he went around the country speaking to colleges about the upcoming elections. These experiences helped him take the bull by the horns and to begin setting goals for his life.
“By failing you can learn how to succeed and the main thing I did was choose to act!” said Humphrey. He noted that MHS is one of the best of all U.S. high schools and urged students to take a chance and take on new challenges and to get involved in their studies and in co-curricula’s. Bob smiles and says, “It will help you build character and self-confidence.”
Humphrey then had the students write down eight characteristics of self-esteem:
1. Honor Thy Self
2. Be Positive
3. Be Fearless
4. Participate
5. Be Respectful
6. Be Honest
7. Be Cheerful
8. Work Hard and Be Your Best
Bob smiled at the group and said, “The first thing in the morning look in the mirror and Honor Yourself – assess your attributes and determine how you can best use these attributes in your role in life. Be positive! So much in the world today is negative. Work on being positive because the more you work at it the better you become at being positive and people like to be around a positive person.
Be Fearless! Don’t underestimate yourself, just jump-in because the experience may help you grow in self-confidence. Get involved and participate. Being involved in many things allows you to become a well-rounded individual. Also by participating in new things you have the opportunity to gain new friends and each new experience has something to offer so don’t fear those new situations.
Be Respectful of others and they will notice this positive attribute within you. Work on being honest and Truthful with others. These are very basic values that you can cultivate within your personality and others will be drawn to you because you are a trustworthy friend.
Be Cheerful! My Dad was a cheerful and positive person. In the 1968 Presidential Campaign the Press Corp referred to my Dad as the ‘Happy Warrior’ – actually it was the name of the airplane used in the campaign but they called him that because he was so positive and fearless and the Happy Warrior title became part of his campaign.
Finally, Work hard and be your best every-day! By applying these eight attributes to yourself every-day you will build self-esteem. Also by applying these simple concepts to your life it will cause you to expand your horizons.”
Bob then briefly talked about five roadblocks to achieving and had the students write them down: Bad Habits, Negative Attitudes, Apathy, Setting Limits, and Poor Role Models and talked with them about how to overcome these roadblocks in their lives.
Humphrey ended his presentation by discussing the importance of having good role-models in life. He looked around the room and began naming-off the mentors in the room and how they have been role- models in their lives and the responsibilities that go along with being role-models to others in life. He suggested that the class then go into small groups and discuss the eight attributes and also role-models in their lives and who the students are role-models for in their lives.
The STRIVE students really got into discussing their most important attributes and also those that they would like to develop in themselves this year. What was really interesting was in the role-model discussion was how each of them expressed who they were a role-model to and the responsibility that they feel to live up to that expectation in life.
The next STRIVE Meeting will be on January 24, 2012 with Phil Trout discussing Post Secondary Education at 9:00 at MHS in Room 1602.