Living For Game Day Life skills Curriculum

Life Skills Course

Based on the book,

Living for Game Day,

by Philip M. Bracco

Building leaders, one skill at a time.

Neither fate, nor fortune can rival learned behaviors

that improve one's communications skill and create the

confidence to view challenges as a means for improvement.

The Chinese Language states:

Trouble Plus Crisis Equals Opportunity

COURSE DESCRIPTION

A detailed preparation for meeting unexpected life crises

Specific skills will be constructed in all key arenas of

one’s life.

Spiritual

Physical

Personal

Mental

Emotional

leadership

By the end of this class

You will establish a solid foundation for building your skill

set.

Once the skills have been developed and perfected, a

feeling of empowerment will take control. You will

overcome the out of control feeling that typically

accompanies panic, anxiety, and other life stressors that

we will review in detail. Developing these skills will require

work, commitment, and repetition.

The focus of Mr. Bracco's book is hope through

empowerment and skill building; the concepts

apply to all challenges of life, not just

those limited to illness.

Classroom Etiquette

To establish credibility, you must first look the part.

Please dress appropriately for class.

Baseball caps, sweat and pajama pants, ripped jeans, etc.

are not appropriate.

All cell phones must be turned off for the duration of class;

this includes text messaging.

Course Learning Objectives

The goal of this course is to establish skills that you will use for

the remainder of your life.

Life skills can cover a large cross-section of learned behaviors

that affect the way you interact with people and the way

they interact with you.

Course Learning Objectives

These can be as elementary as table manners, and as

sophisticated as biofeedback and mind-body connection

techniques that are now taught to aspiring professionals,

athletes, and physicians, or for that matter people from all

walks of life.

Course Format

Each class will have access to five tools that will be

used on a regular basis.

The tools are intended to hold student attention and

add dimension to presentations.

Multimedia will be part of the strategy with an

obvious interest in keeping the learning experience

as much visual as textural reading.

SYLLABUS

Living for Game Day, Author: Philip Bracco

Man's Search for Meaning, Author: Victor Frankl

Course Reading

Course Tools

I. Virtual Personal Journal - A tool primarily used to create a

lifetime reference that you can review as often as you wish.

Repetition is key to a successful experience and this is your

primary tool to create correct thinking and behavior.

Course Tools

II. Team 7 Group Meetings - group meetings to dissect

information, document key points, present to class; and learn to

perform as a team.

III. Power Point slides - Brief visual presentations intended to

stress key points.

IV. Individual Presentations - Personal interpretations.

V. Class Reading and Open Forum Discussions

VI. Homework

COURSE OVERVIEW

Life Skills Developed In This Course

I. The ability to manage life's unexpected challenges through a

series of learned behaviors including, understanding the mind-

body connection and visualization of the desired behavior and

outcomes when adversity surfaces, unexpectedly.


II. You will also learn the importance of repetition in behavior

modification, and will learn that we get what we expect,

especially when these techniques are repeated daily.


III. You will learn how to develop goals and how to prepare your mind to achieve a desired outcome.

The emphasis will be on the following areas of one's life: Spiritual Physical Personal Mental Emotional Leadership/Professional


III. You will learn to develop a 'mental refreshment

plan' that reinforces your intangible assets in each area

of your life, and will focus on the paradigm: Conserve your

energy and don't be overly focused on conserving time.

IV. You will come to understand how this law of physics must

govern daily decisions that will influence your life:

Two things cannot exist in the same space at the

same time.


V. You will learn to challenge the temptation of routinely

focusing on taking the beaten path, in lieu of

considering the road less traveled.

VI. You will increase the probability of a successful

outcome by adding positive variables to any problem

resolution.


VII. You will develop a healthy respect for the relationship

between thoughts and feelings by understanding the

laws of physics referenced earlier. You will recognize

influencing factors that promote a healthy, happy mindset

and personality.


VIII. You will expand your influence in any team experience

by reaching out and demonstrating the lessons learned with

your peers in case management discussions. They are

intended to improve your confidence to be heard, and

strengthen your relationship with your associates.


IX. You will develop ways to influence your team's performance as

you demonstrate leadership skills.

X. You will learn the difference between leadership and

management and apply this skill to all areas of life.


XI. You will live by the discipline and laws that great leaders

practice, and enjoy the opportunity to improve each day.

XII. Learning the importance of being understood, not being right in

disputes.

XIII. Never allow fear to inhibit your performance. Fear is an acronym

for False Evidence Appearing Real.

LESSON PLANS

Module 1Strengthening Your Core

At the core of every human being is a set of skills that must be

developed and inspired for growth to be possible. It begins with

preparing to learn and is followed by complementary lesson plans.

Lesson Plans

1. Preparing to Learn

2. Setting and Achieving Goals.

3. Learning the Happiness Habit

4. Overcoming Fear

5. The Power of Purpose

6. We Become What We Think

Lesson Plan 1

Preparing to Learn

Overview

There is an old Zen proverb that clearly identifies the

importance of being an active listener and truly dedicating

oneself to learning.

“When the student is ready, the teachers will appear.”

Overview

When

Ready

Teachers

Appear

The key words in this proverb are:

Overview

Often, in our younger years, parents, teachers, coaches,

and spiritual leaders share words of wisdom with us that

seem to go in one ear and pick up speed going out the

other.

Why? -----> The student was not ready!

Overview continued

As we mature and our life is challenged with unplanned

events, these seemingly pointless, hollow words of

wisdom take on new meaning.

It is at that point that the student is ready and the teachers

begin to appear. Learning takes place and progress is

made.

Cont.

This lesson is intended to help you to recognize the

abundance of teachers who are ready to share valuable

lessons each day, and show you how to commit their

lessons and wisdom to learned behaviors.

I. Ensure that participants understand that listening

precedes talking when we are preparing ourselves

to learn.

II. Truly believing that wisdom is not limited to those

with higher education degrees, or those born with

great intelligence. It can become part of anyone’s

character, if they are willing to learn.

Objectives

Objectives

III. Disciplining oneself to documenting the lessons in a

Life Skills Journal that will serve as a daily

reference until its contents become a behavior or

automatic response in your life.

IV. Recognizing and understanding the importance of

repetition to create perfect timing when instinctively

recalling appropriate lessons as they are needed.

Objectives

V. Identifying key teachers in your past and

present.

– Give a great deal of thought to those teachers that

have not yet appeared who can be instrumental to

your growth.

Action Steps

In two pages or less, explain why listening at the start of any conversation is more important than talking.

-- Group note taker and designated presenter will share comments for your virtual journal with the team and forward them via email. The note taking position will rotate each day.

Action Steps

II. Individual session (Time allotted 30 minutes)

In your Life Skills Journal, identify 10 teachers who

were significant in your life and shared wisdom that you

recognized and understood at the time, or at some later

date when one of life's unexpected challenges appeared.

Use the table on the following slide as a reference and

record

your thoughts in your Life Skills Journal for future reference.

Journal entry - Assignment Format

Teacher Lesson Taught Recognized When?

1

2

3

4

5

6

Action StepsIII. Team '7' Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes)

List ten key factors that prevent us from learning.

Locate the following slide table in your virtual journal and record your thoughts for future reference.

Team '7' DiscussionLearning Inhibitors

Key Factors that Prevent Us from Learning

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Action Steps

Compile a list of unlikely sources of wisdom that have impacted your life in a positive way.

Record thoughts in your Life Skills Journal and be prepared to share with the class if called upon.

IV. Team '7' Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes)

Team '7' Discussion Unlikely Sources of Wisdom

Unlikely Sources of Wisdom Impact on Your Life

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Action Steps

V. Individual Notes (Time allotted 20 minutes, one page)

-- Insert in journal

Consider strategy for using what you consider to be new

and old words of wisdom that will impact your life.

In your own words, summarize ways you intend to

activate these teachings in your life, and commit them to

behavior in future use.

Action Steps

VI. Team '7' Discussion (Time allotted 20 minutes)

When speaking with someone, it is important to understand

the difference between asking open vs. closed-ended

questions.

What is your understanding of the difference between the

two types of questions?

Open- and Closed-Probe Questions

Open-Probe Questions Closed-Probe Questions

Question allows for dialogue.

Example: What did you think about last year's Commencement speech? Example: How do you feel about today’s class?

Question that requires only a YES or NO response.

Example: Did you like last year's Commencement speech? Example: Do you like today’s class?

REMEMBER: If you want to learn, ask questions that foster dialogue and avoid closed probes that can end at a hard stop.

Action Steps

VII. Team '7' Discussion – Reinforcement (Time allotted 20

minutes)

Insert into your Life Skills Journal10 questions in both

an open and closed probe format.

Team '7' Discussion – Reinforcement

Open-Probe Questions Closed-Probe Questions

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

SummaryTOOLS / TIME / ASSIGNMENTS

Instrument Time Allotted Grade Impact %

Team '7 Discussions 130 minutes total

Individual Presentations 50 minutes total

Class Readings and discussions

May vary

Homework: Read the first 75 pages of the 2 books listed as Required Reading:

1. Living for Game Day2. Man's Search for Meaning

Lesson Plan 2

Setting and Achieving Goals

Overview

Most individuals live their lives without plans to

achieve objectives in the six key areas:

spiritual, mental, emotional, personal,

physical, and professional.

In most cases, the cause is not lack of interest

or belief in the need. Surprisingly, the process

has not been taught as a necessary life skill.

Overview continued

The corporate name for the company providing this

curriculum is Team 326. The name includes the number of

goals/reasons that motivated the author Phil Bracco to

survive three battles with cancer and two required bone-

marrow transplants.

This mission was highly influenced by Victor Frankl's book,

Man's Search for Meaning, and later reinforced by a number

of positive thinkers who helped bring form to the process.

Cont.Successful individuals follow specific steps to establish and

organize goals. A set of rules guide the process and improve

effectiveness.

Key Rules:

The difference between a successful goal setter and

someone simply drifting through life.

I. The goal must be yours.

II. The goal must be specific. Your mind cannot

perform to generalities.

III. All steps must be taken.

IV. Metrics to measure performance and progress are

imperative.

V. A target completion date is a mandatory.

Six steps must be documented and reviewed regularly to ensure that

you note possible changes.

I. Establish a specific, measurable goal.

II. List all the reasons this goal is important to you and those you

care about.

III. List all obstacles that stand in your way.

IV. Identify resources available to you to assist in the process of

achieving the goal.

V. Develop a specific Action Plan to achieve the goal.

VI. Set performance metrics along the way.

Planning Steps

Objectives

I. Commit the 6 key steps to every goal.

II. Understand the subtleties that separate a productive

goal-setter from someone who is simply going

through the exercise.

III. Know when, and if, to amend your goal.

IV. Understand the importance of being specific in the

process.

V. Create a connection between goals and the 6 key

arenas of your life.

I. Individual session - Putting Plans into Action

(Time allotted 30 minutes)

Using the six key steps discussed, outline your goal plan for

this course.

Before moving forward, let’s review the fundamentals of goal

setting.

Action Steps

• Cannot be someone else’s goal for you.

Be Yours

• The mind can only respond to specifics

• Generalities cause confusion and take us off course.

Be Specific

• An incomplete plan leads to mediocre results.

Address all aspects of Action Plan

• Setting the bar too high results in dissapointment and delusion.

Be Attainable

Fundamentals

The Goal Must:

Key Point Key Point

Share your “Go up” goals only with those that can

help you get there.

Why?If someone doesn’t agree with your objective, they

can’t help you get there, and furthermore might undermine

your initiative.

Share your “give up” goals with everyone.

Friends will nudge you when you need reminders.

(Example: Give up smoking.)

II. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes)

Digest the previous pages and lecture and list the most

common errors people make when setting goals.

The note taker will email your list for your Life Skills Journal.

Action Steps

Most common errors made when setting goals

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12.

III. Individual Journal Entry (Time allotted 20 minutes)

List at least 5 “Go Up” and 5 “Give-up” goals that you consider

important in your world as it exists today.

Action Steps


Go-Up Goal Give-up Goals

1

2

3

4

5

IV. Individual Session (Time allotted 30

minutes)

In 2 pages or less, describe why Victor Frankl

considered the act of goal setting an imperative

activity for those awaiting liberation in the Nazi

death camps.

Action Steps

V. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page or less

Action Steps

Team 326 is the corporate

name of the company that

published, Living for Game

Day.

Please explain how the

name came into being, and

your thoughts you can

make the process work for

you.

VI. Individual Journal Entry (Time allotted 40

minutes)

Identify one of your current goals and organize it in the six step

process outlined in the goal format established earlier.

Action Steps

12

34

5

6

Summary

TOOLS / TIME / ASSIGNMENTS



Individual Sessions 150 minutes total

Homework: Read the next 50 pages of the 2 books listed as required reading.

1. Living for Game Day2. Man’s Search for Meaning

Lesson Plan 3

Learning the Happiness Habit

Your Choice

Click for Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hh-EgTOxZM

Overview

Often Mr. Bracco is asked to speak to large audiences or

rescue cancer patients who are suffering from fear,

anxiety, and overall unhappiness. Although fear and

anxiety are addressed in life skills they typically are

connected with unhappiness.

Overview continued

On many occasions, Phil refers to unhappiness as a habit.

When he does people often respond by saying “happiness is

not a habit, it is something that you inherit as a child. Although

many people grow up in situations that are difficult, there is

plenty of opportunity to create happiness in their lives by first

understanding the happiness habit.

Cont.Happiness and unhappiness are reflections of those thoughts

that are dominating your mind. As for your mind, the moment a

thought crosses its boundaries, it is capable of injecting into

the body chemicals that change the way you feel.

For example, if you were greeted in a walk through the woods

by a 500 pound brown bear, your mind would instantly be

crowded with thoughts of fear that trigger the release of

adrenalin into your entire body as you begin to slow down all

unnecessary body functions as adrenalin is pumped into the

largest muscles that control the speed at which you run.

Cont.

When working with cancer patients, the first thing they

tell Phil after being introduced is, “I am so unhappy and

depressed and will never be happy again.” At that point

he engages in a quick exercise that requires them to list

their thoughts for the prior three minutes and notice the

relationship between their thoughts and their feelings.

When he calls them back within 72 hours, one of the

first remarks they make is, “I now know what your mean

by the relationship between thoughts and feelings.”

Objectives

I. Ensure that the students understand the relationship between

thoughts and feelings, for it is capable of creating a change in

life very quickly.

II. Those who are happy tend to be much more productive

because their mind is focused on the moment; those who are

unhappy are often looking into space and consumed with

thoughts about something that happened or something that

might happen.

Objectives continued

III. Students must understand that

happiness is a habit and not a

behavior that is inherited by a

chosen few.

IV. Once you learn the happiness

habit you can place yourself in any

environment and find enjoyment.

V. The beauty of the happiness habit

is that once you develop and

believe in the power of the skill, no

one can ever take it from you.

Action Steps

I. Individual session (Time allotted 30 minutes)

For the next five minutes sit in your seat, relax and let your

mind flow. When five minutes expires go to the next slide and

identify the emotions you felt and the thoughts that triggered

them, we will classify them as happy or unhappy.

(see attached chart)

Happiness (trigger thoughts) Unhappiness (trigger thoughts)

Enter responses in your Virtual Life Skills Journal

Action Steps


--less than a page

Describe an individual that you would consider as happy. How

do they speak, are they generally looking up or down, how do

they greet you, what is their outlook for those things they are

attempting to get done in the near future.

Action Steps

III. Individual session (Time allotted 20 minutes)

Make a list of the people and things that create happiness and

unhappiness in your life.


Things That Create Happiness Things That Create Unhappiness

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Enter responses in you Virtual Life Skills Journal

Action Steps

IV. Team ‘7’ discussion (Time allotted 60 minutes)

Earlier, we created a six step outline for developing goals for

your life, on the slide that follows, develop a comprehensive

goal plan for developing happiness in your life.

--Insert into your life skills journal

I. Establish a specific, measurable goal.

II. List all the reasons this goal is important to you and those you

care about.

Setting the happiness goal

III. List all obstacles that stand in your way.

IV. Identify resources available to you to assist in the process of

achieving the goal.

III. Develop a specific Action Plan to achieve the goal.

IV. Set a completion date. Set performance metrics along the way.

V. The note taker will send the final document to each team

member, in order to insert it into their Life Skills Journal

Action Steps

IV. Individual session (Time allotted 20 minutes)

What is your Happiness objective for the rest of this course?

Summary


Team '7’ Discussions 60 minutes total


Homework: Read the next 25 pages of the 2 books listed as Required Reading:


Lesson Plan 4

Overcoming FearClick for Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb2YOg_dkQM&feature=bf_prev&list=PL568675AF3494E5FD

OVERVIEW

During childhood, Phil family did an extraordinary job teaching the children the importance of overcoming fear.

Phil once heard at a High School reunion that “fear” is an acronym for False-Evidence-Appearing-Real.

This small piece of wisdom impacted the way he made decisions in the future.

Overview continued

Prior to that time, fear interrupted his willingness to proceed with a plan that gave him a visual view of a tumor he so desperately wanted to see to conduct visualization tactics to attack the tumor.

As his surgery drew closer, he focused on the acronym F-E-A-R and convinced himself that he had the courage to withstand the procedure, while awake.

Cont.

Focusing on “False evidence appearing real,” Phil

convinced himself that the doctors would not allow

him to feel extraordinary pain and they would do their

very best to mitigate his discomfort. Soon, he realized

that the pain he imagined was created in his mind. He

began monitoring thoughts and concentrating on a

simple strategy to endure the surgery. The closer he

came to the scheduled date, the more he realized that

his imagined pain far exceeded the actual pain.

Cont.

When Phil arrived at the hospital for surgery carrying a 24oz water bottle, he had violated the 12-hour fast and was left with the option he wanted.

“Mr. Bracco, you can go home and re-schedule when you learn how to read, or we can do the surgery now. You will have to be wide awake and have the equivalent of Novocain to dull the pain.”

Cont.

Little did the students observing the

procedure realize what they were about to

witness. The fear Mr. Bracco had been

feeling in the weeks before the surgery had

diminished over time. Those in the audience

felt more anxiety and fear than Phil.

Cont.

Experts will tell you that fear is our greatest inhibitor, a concern that the failure will embarrass and emotionally scar us forever. Fear is the big roadblock; sometimes the equivalent of a massive mountain that stands between you and where you want to be. Step back for a moment and your perspective will change, and what seemed insurmountable is impossible no longer.

OBJECTIVES

I. Understand that you can desensitize yourself from fear over

time. For example, the fear of speaking to groups or

individuals, or even the opposite sex about a date, can be

overcome. The key is to start out taking smaller steps.

II. Get moving. The fastest way to replace negative thoughts

holding you back, is with positive thoughts that push you

forward. These must be much like Mr. Bracco's positive

thoughts for having surgery awake so he could visualize the

attack of his T-cells on the cancer cells.


III. Understand the close connection between

motivation and fear. If you motivate

yourself to take action you will kill the

fear that stood in your way and it will soon

disappear.

Cont.

IV. In the past we viewed rejection negatively

because we were fearful of being publicly

renounced and having the stigma over our head.

V. Choose to view failure and rejection as

opportunities to learn. Write down the things in

your life that you considered fears that you have

overcome, and identify how they changed your life.

Action Steps

I. Individual Session (Time allotted 1 hour.)

In three pages or less, list some common

fears that you have faced and the steps

required to manage their impact on you.

-- Insert in your Life Skills Journal

Action Steps

II. Individual Session (Time allotted 20 minutes)

In 3 pages or less describe the relationship between

visualizing the outcome you wanted and its ultimate

impact on simple body functions.

Action Steps

III. Individual Session (Time allotted 50 minutes)

Mr. Bracco made the decision to have surgury while awake to obtain an up close and personal look at “the enemy”. He played this visual over and over in his mind.

In three pages or less describe the relationship between visualizing the outcome he wanted and the fear he anticipated. Describe how his visuallization minimized the impact of the actual outcome.

Action Steps

IV. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes)

The simple incorporation of visualizing to reduce fear can have a dramatic impact on reducing the amount of stress that your heart will experience during this process. The chart on the next slide requires simple math calculations to amplify the point.

Action Steps

Reductions of Beats Per Minute

Time: Short Term Time: Long Term

2 Beats 1 Hour: How many beats

saved? 2 x 60 = __________

6 Months:2 x 60 x 24 x 30 x 6 =

________________

5 Beats 8 Hours: 5 x 60 x 8 =

________________

12 Months: 5 x 60 x 24 x 30 x 12

=

_______________

Action Steps

V. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 Minutes)

How does the brain process the types of thoughts that we allow to cross our mind?

In 2 pages or less describe how the body responds differently to fear based on the type of thinking taking place.

Action Steps

VI. Individual Session (Time allotted, 20 minutes)

If you met a child who was fearful about interacting with other children in games and sports what would your recommendation be for overcoming unnecessary fear and anxiety?

Summary


Individual Session 1 hour

Individual Session 20 minutes



Team ‘7’ Discussion 30 minutes



Lesson Plan 5

The Power of Purpose

Click for Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MOKJ-nnrwk

OVERVIEW

People often confuse religion with spirituality.

Those we refer to as spiritual people have a

deep connection with other people, the

universe and its wonder and the importance

of purpose in one's life.

Overview continued

When Mr. Bracco entered transplant for the second time he was well aware of the need to be spiritually connected to all that life offered and felt deeply responsible for the unfinished work that life expected of him. During a 184-day hospitalization in a 10x10 foot room, Mr. Bracco knew that life was not only expecting that he write a book to benefit others, but demanded that he get it done.

As Dr. Frankl often said, “He who has a 'why' to live can bear with any hour.”

Cont.

Each day that Mr. Bracco's brother's stem cells were feeding his body, he fought through the pain, desperation, and loneliness to answer life's request of him:

“When are you planning to write the book?”

Each day in that room, he dressed himself for work and diligently wrote the book. As time passed, Frankl's point about the power of purpose expanded its importance to all key areas of his life: spiritual, physical, emotional, mental, and professional.

Cont.

A footprint for the future was also in place: His survival

and story to tell. With the passage of each day, life

became more exciting as so many people committed

to Mr. Bracco and he in turn, clearly understood his

spiritual purpose. Mr. Bracco's tenacity to succeed

often caused conflict with hospital staff as they could

not comprehend the purpose behind his behavior.

OBJECTIVES

I. Clearly distinguish between a spiritual person and a religious person.

II. What did the power of purpose enable Mr. Bracco to do? What role did it play in the life of prisoners in Nazi concentration camps?


III. In Dr. Frankl's book, he discusses how people of similar age and stature had completely different outcomes in extreme

circumstances. What explanation does he give for the differing outcomes?

IV. Humor played a key role in survival. Understand why seeing things in a humorous light positively impacts outcomes

in difficult situations.

Cont.

V. Frankl stated that in the most troubled circumstances anything you have experienced in life cannot be taken – no power on earth can take them from you.

ACTION STEPS

I. Team '7' discussion (Time Allotted 20 minutes)

What does Dr. Frankl mean by “the power of purpose”? How does purpose

distinguish between those who live and those who die?

Action Steps

II. Team '7’ discussion (Time allotted 20 minutes)

During his second transplant and recovery period, Mr. Bracco discovered his purpose. What was it? How did it influence his

willingness to bear the pain and drudgery of 184 days in isolation?

ACTION STEPS

III. Journal Entry (Time Allotted 30 Minutes)

List people and responsibilities that bring purpose to your life.

Action Steps

IV. Team '7‘ discussion (Time allotted 20 minutes.)

For a purpose to truly become a goal, Intention drives the goal into the spirit that motivates all people to proceed in good times and times of adversity. What distinguishes our hopes from our intentions?

ACTION STEPS

V. Individual session (Time allotted 20 minutes)

Mr. Bracco often speaks to large audiences on the subject of life skills and often recants the lyrics of a famous country & western singer, “Live life like you were dying”. What is the message here and how should we incorporate it into our approach to life every day?

Summary



Class video 5 Minutes

Team '7 Discussions 60 minutes

Journal Entries 30 minutes

Individual Sessions 20 minutes

Lecture

Homework--: Read the next 50 pages of the 2 books listed as Required Reading:


Lesson Plan 6

We Become What We ThinkClick to Play Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0

Overview

If there is ever a saying that Phil Bracco

uses, to both survive and have the courage

to mentally face the enemy while the battle

raged, it is this:

“We ultimately become what we think about

and act upon.”

Overview cont.

During his second long stay at Beth Isreal Hospital in

Boston, Mass., every thought, every action, every fantasy

about good things to come were focused on making those

enjoyable experiences happen. When a thought to the

contrary attempted to find a way into his mind, Mr. Bracco

immediately detected the thought through his

Mindwatcher* and addressed it through the numerous

techniques he speaks about for dispelling negative

thoughts that intrude into his mind.*Mindwatcher: idea by Maxwell Maltz in Psycho Cybernetics

Cont.

Whenever he publicly speaks about this

matter, he describes those negative thoughts

as the equivalent of speed bumps on the

road to good health that had to be treated

now.

Objectives

I. Understand that our thoughts trigger our

feelings, and we believe and ultimately

become what we think about most.

II. Practice a simple note taking technique for

validating the relationship between thoughts

and feelings.

Objectives

III. Most people contend that their feelings are

simply inherited from childhood. Although a

pattern can be connected to your upbringing,

your thought process can slowly condition

you to become anything you want to be.

Objectives

IV. When the discipline of positive thinking

becomes your habit, negative thoughts that

come from outside sources will seem so

foreign to your mind.

V. Behavioral therapists will tell you that your

thoughts at the start of an important project

will determine its outcome.

Action Steps

I. Individual (Time allotted 20 minutes) ½ page

In your own words, describe what Mr. Bracco

means when he says, “We become what

we think and act upon?”

Action Steps


On several occasions, Mr. Bracco had choices that would define his

commitment to act healthy when he was engaged in a battle for life.

Whenever in front of an elevator he would opt for the stairs. Whenever

offered the choice of a port that nurses could plug medicines into, he

insisted for them to perform tests, transfusions, and medications the

old fashioned way: via a needle that was stuck into his arm.

Why would an intelligent human being opt for a choice that would

continually produce pain, in lieu of a procedure that eliminates it

entirely?

(Refer to his explanation in his book).

Action Steps

III. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

Upon entering surgery, Mr. Bracco always

requested special consent forms to allow him to

walk, not be carried, into surgery. Explain his

thought process.

Action Steps

IV. Team 7 Discussion (Time allotted 20 minutes)

While in the outpatient portion of

chemotherapy, Mr. Bracco would run 5 miles

over the Charles River Bridge into Cambridge

after treatment was completed.

What was the message he was sending to

both himself and his adversary?

Action Steps

V. Team ‘7’ Discussion (time allotted 20 minutes)

Often Mr. Bracco would say,

“The moment you act like a cancer patient is

the moment you become one.”

What did he mean by this statement?

Summary

Instruments Time Allotted Grade Impact %

Team 7 Discussion 50 minutes


Individual Presentation

Tools/ Time/ Assignments

Homework:List at least 10 situations where peer pressure and behavior can influence your approach to responding to any of life’s challenges.

Module 2Adding Skills to Your Foundation

This sets the stage for becoming more confident and

active through repetition and training.

Lesson Plans

7. Thought Control

8. Visualization

9. Biofeedback

10. Mind Cleansing

11. Burnout: Fact or Fiction?

Lesson Plan 7

Thought ControlClick To Watch Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpwW42HVZws&list=PL568675AF3494E5FD&index=50&feature=plpp_video

Overview

As one year begins to accelerate into the next, the clock which seemed to work endlessly, moving from hour to hour, now seems to be in high gear. Why?

The answer to the question is not all that complex. Today, you and I receive more information in one day than our grandparents received in their entire lifetime.

Overview

With massive amounts of information infiltrating our mind, the key to happiness and success is grounded in your ability to eliminate unnecessary information, refuse to allow negative thoughts into your mind and to become a careful mind watcher to prevent us from dwelling on negative information that ultimately affects our emotions and the way we feel.

Overview

Back in the ‘60’s, the mere suggestion of controlling one’s thoughts was contradictory to the free spirit movement of the time. However, since then, we have learned that the management of your thoughts plays a significant role in your productivity and the management of your emotions. So much for the free spirit theory, which said: let all and any that want to enter cross the stage of your mind.

Overview

Over the years, Phil has built a growing network of cancer affected patients and caregivers who are interested in his secret for a prompt rebound to his illness.

His most common response is that his solution is engrained in controlling his thoughts to focus on those objectives that bring value to his life. Often when visiting with newly diagnosed cancer patients who are literally in a melt-down state, Phil knows that he must first and foremost help them gain control of their thoughts followed immediately by teaching the connection between thoughts and feelings.

Overview

In a catastrophic environment, with children crying and Mother in tears and Dad running around the house aimlessly, Phil found his patient of the day lying face-forward on a wooden kitchen floor, tapping her toes into the hard surface and assuming that life was over for her.

As Phil reached down beside her, he whispered into her ear the following question:

Is anything going to happen in the next five minutes that you can’t handle?

Overview

A deep sigh was followed by the slight turn of head to see who he was. Phil’s next task was to help her feel a sense of empowerment by teaching her the connection between thoughts and feelings. This was simply done by asking her to pay attention to her emotions and jot down what she was thinking about for the five minutes that preceded an emotional high or an emotional low.

Overview

Soon, she began to realize the connection between thoughts and feelings, and felt a sense of being in control of that important aspect of what would soon become an aggressive chemotherapy and radiation plan.

Overview

Today, this young lady has embraced dozens of life skills and created one of the largest breast cancer foundations in the United States. From time to time, she sees Mr. Bracco for a refresher or a discussion about a topic that she is unable to resolve.

Objectives

Teach the class that emotions and fears are two sides of the same coin. That which you fear, you first bring to pass in the form of an emotion. If you fear it long enough, it will become a behavior.

To help participants know that there is a proven stop-gap technique for putting an abrupt end to panic anxiety (is there anything going to happen in the next 5 minutes that you can’t handle?)

I.

II.

Objectives

To begin establishing the mind-body connection in a participants mind. Yes, we are what we think about most.

Assist participants in selecting the right complimentary activities to build upon these particular lessons.

III.

IV.

Objectives

To ensure that participants understand that this is a skill; one that they can add to their existing repertoire of life skill techniques.

V.

Action Steps

Team ‘7’ Discussion (20 minutes allotted time)

What is the significance of the question ‘is there anything you can’t handle in the next 5 minutes?’

I.

Action Steps

Individual Personal Journal (10 minutes allotted time)

List ten long lasting fears in your life that could have been short-circuited if you understand the question, ‘is there anything in the next five minutes that you can’t handle?’ (use table on following slide).

II.

Action Steps

# Issues that could have been diffused

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Action Steps

Team ‘7’ Discussion (20 minutes)

Compile a list of thoughts / worries that if allowed to sit in your mind, will cause unwanted feelings of depression. Rent, Car Payment etc.

Team ‘7’ Discussion (20 minutes)

Now, make a list of ten thoughts that would convert you into a state of happiness.

III.

IV.

Action Steps

Individual Session Composition (40 minutes)

Upon return from school you determine that your younger brother has been feeling unmotivated and not acting or behaving like the person you once new. How would you approach this situation based on the information you learned today, as well as any other information that we have discussed since the start of this course. Setting goals, learning the Happiness Habit, Power of Purpose etc…

V.

Overview

Those closest to Phil often here him say that he intends to turn the clock back. After two transplants, he immediately returns to the gym and not only ensures that he can restore health but that he can become healthier than he was prior to illness.

Summary



Individual Journal 10 minutes



Individual Composition

40 minutes

Lesson Plan 7

VisualizationClick To Watch Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfWGoLj1JCM&list=PL568675AF3494E5FD&index=43&feature=plpp_video

Overview

You can't reach what you can't see

when you close your eyes –

UNLESS

unless you learn how to visualize.

Objectives

I. Successful people in all walks of life will tell

you that visualization plays a key role in their

success.

Start With A Goal:

Visualize What You

Learn

See

SmellFeel

Hear


II. Learn to incorporate visualization into your

goal setting plan.

III. See a successful outcome before it occurs.

Cont.

IV. Understand the role of the

subconscious in the visualization process.

V. Learn to add this variable into your

decision to take the path less traveled.

Action Steps

I. Individual Session (Time Allotted 20 minutes)

Mr. Bracco begins writing early that he had a

difficult time achieving the critical variable of

visualization in his plan.

What was Mr. Bracco attempting to accomplish?

How did it alter his statistical probability for

success?

Action Steps

II. Individual Presentation (Time allotted 30

minutes.)

Outline what you consider to be the key steps in the

visualization process.

Action Steps

III. Journal Entry (Time allotted 40 minutes)

List 10 of your current goals that would

benefit from the visualization process.

Journal Entry: Goal VisualizationGoals That Would Benefit From Visualization

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Action Steps

IV. Team '7' Discussion (Time allotted 30

minutes)

How do the following professionals use

visualization: Athletes, Speakers,

Physicians/Surgeons, Teachers?

List 10 other professionals that could use this

process.

Team 7 - Visualization

Professions That Benefit from Visualization

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Summary



Class video



Journal Entries 30 minutes total

Homework:

Lesson Plan 9

BiofeedbackClick To Watch Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXbGjkV0UYU

Overview

Biofeedback uses various instruments to determine

changes in body function created by changes in thoughts.

Pain perception, muscle tone, heart rate, and blood

pressure are all impacted by thoughts that trigger

emotional responses.

Today, biofeedback is used as an effective treatment for

headaches and migraines. Individuals dedicated to the

technique improve performance. Health practitioners also use

this method for rehabilitation and treating anxiety, chronic pain,

hypertension, joint disorders, and urinary incontinence.

Overview continued

Objectives

I. Demonstrate the mind-body connection using

Biofeedback to control body functions.

II. Learn to use simple Biofeedback skills to overcome

anxiety when necessary.

III. Understand the impact of Biofeedback on overall

health.

IV. Use Biofeedback to improve your interactions with

others.

V. Learn simple techniques you can apply throughout

life.

Action Steps

I. Team “7' Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes)

Identify proactive applications of

Biofeedback in your everyday life.

Summarize the video; note taker should

email other group member’s the combined

summary.

Action Steps

III. Team “7' Discussion (Time allotted 20 minutes)

A math exercise: If you used Biofeedback to

reduce your heartbeat over a specific period of

time, how much less work will your heart need

to do, to circulate enough blood throughout

your body, assuming you lower your heartbeat

by 5 beats each minute?

Math Exercise

Length of Time # Reduced Beats

1 Hour (5 x 60 minutes x 60 mins/hour) = 18000!

1 Day

1 Week

1 Year

Add Biofeedback to other Life Skills and you can lower it even further.

Action Steps

IV. Team “7' Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes)

How would you incorporate Biofeedback into your

current lifestyle? What behaviors do you have that

require modification that exceeds setting goals

or just trying harder?

Action Steps

V. Team “7' Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes)

Identify behaviors such as listening to

others, performance in class or at work, or

relating to your friends that would be

improved by controlling your body functions

through biofeedback.

Summary



Class video 30 minutes


Homework-How would you incorporate biofeedback techniques in your life each day, and what would be the benefit?

Lesson Plan 8

Mind CleansingClick To Watch The Video

http://vimeo.com/18818960

Overview

In this lesson you will learn the importance of

cleansing the center and the origin of all

human emotions, the mind. Keeping it free

and clear of dysfunctional and unhealthy

thinking is the key to happy, healthy living.

Objectives

I. Demonstrate that by managing thoughts, you

manage emotions.

II. Learn the mind cleansing technique you can

incorporate into your day.

III. Understand the importance of performing the

technique all five of the key areas of life: mental,

physical, spiritual, emotional, and professional.

Cont.

IV. Incorporate Maxwell Maltz' “mind watching”

technique into your daily lifestyle.

V. Walk through the cleansing process in the

following PowerPoint slides to understand it in

greater detail.

VI. In his book, Psycho-Cybernetics, Maxwell Maltz

calls mind watching a necessary mental discipline.

Understand why it is used and how we benefit

from it.

Action Steps

I. Individual Session (Time allotted 20 minutes.)

Read Mr. Bracco's mind cleansing routine

in chapter 15 of his book, Living for Game

Day.

Action Steps

II. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes.)

1. List the areas Mr. Bracco focused on.

2. How does he begin his routine?

3. What techniques does he use to end the

routine daily?

4. What is the importance of the last step as it

relates to the law of physics, covered earlier?

Action Steps

III. Individual Session (Time Allotted 30 Minutes)

In 4 pages or less, describe Mr. Bracco's process.

Prepare a step by step process to present to the

class. On a separate, confidential page, add to

your Life Skills Journal an adjective for each letter

of the alphabet that perfectly describes who you

are.

Action StepsI Am …

A___________________________

N___________________________

B___________________________

O___________________________

C___________________________

P___________________________

D___________________________

Q___________________________

E___________________________

R___________________________

F___________________________

S___________________________

G___________________________

T___________________________

H___________________________

U___________________________

I___________________________

V___________________________

J___________________________

W___________________________

K___________________________

X___________________________

L___________________________

Y___________________________

M___________________________

Z___________________________

Action Steps

IV. Team ‘7’ Discussion – Synergy (Time

Allotted 30 Minutes) One page or less.

How does the process above sync with the

laws of physics that states that two

conflicting things cannot exist in the same

place at the same time?

SummaryTOOLS / TIME / ASSIGNMENTS


Class video 0




Lecture 30 minutes total

Homework Read Chapter 15 in Living for Game Day, by Phil Bracco.In your own words describe why (or how?) you feel the discipline should be incorporated into your day?In 2 pages or less, describe the powerful synergy beginning to unfold between the lesson plan on Mind-Body Connection and the cleansing routine discussed in this plan.

Lesson Plan 11

Burnout: Fact or Fiction?Click To Watch This Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM&list=PL568675AF3494E5FD&index=21&feature=plpp_video

Overview

When Phil was informed he would be facing the battle with

cancer, physicians and those closest to him often

expressed their concern with continuing work, increasing

exercise, and burnout. “We are concerned that you do not

have the physical and mental resources to weather a very

aggressive plan; seldom did they discuss their concern

with him because even the slightest association with the

word burnout irritated Phil and often caused him to

accelerate his pace.

Overview continued

In many respects, he was very careful about this kind of

input from others as he associated it with the cancer

attempting to make him act like a cancer patient. Whether

he was undergoing surgery awake, bringing a 300 seat

plane down for an unscheduled stop in Chicago due to his

thin red count or writing his bike 200 miles to fulfill his

fund raising commitment to his patients. He stretched his

limits to improve his tolerance to treatment.

Cont.

He viewed peoples concerns with skepticism and often

put the challenge into high gear. When he connected

recommendations with cancer his adrenalin would start

pumping and he would be determined to accomplish his

objective.

Cont.

As for burnout, Phil believed the term was invented by

those who failed to condition themselves mentally,

spiritually physically, emotionally, and professionally for

the tasks they committed to completing. Uses of the term

typically experience a serious down turn in output and

consider burnout as a genuine medical condition.

Although it may be so in certain circumstances, in most its

overplayed and creates a crisis where an opportunity may

exist.

Cont.

In closing, many describe Phil to be cut from a different

cloth, his response is that he has never been interested in

average and lives his life by the words expressed by a

famous recording artist names Neil young:

“I’d rather burn out than rust”

Objectives

I. Recognize that burnout is a state of mind, not a physical

condition.

II. The key to overcoming burnout for those who suffer with it is not

rest but a change in their activity or their life.

III. If one is not careful burnout is a serious temptation to excuse

oneself for doing the things that they need to do to succeed.

This is especially important in times of difficulty.

Cont.

IV. Burnout has been a way for Department Managers to excuse weak performance by department members who are important to the company and do not want to be lost.

V. Recognize that burnout is not a point in time where the body can’t function, but rather a point in time where the mind cannot think.

Action Steps

I. Individual session (Time allotted 30 minutes) One page

Describe a situation in your life where your enthusiasm for work

was dragged down by negative comments from your co-

workers and explained as burnout by your peers.

Action Steps

II. Team ‘7’ discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes)

Behavioral experts offer a series of solutions to Burnout such as a personal situation modification, working on balance in your life, and the importance of variety and exercise. What do these recommendations have to do with Burnout and what others would you consider important?

Solutions How it resolves the situation:

Situation Update

Balance

Variety

Balance in your life

Exercise

Update Your goals

Action step


Recall the last time you expressed your current situation as

“burned out” and try to remember what your environment was

like, what your peers often discussed.

Action steps

IV. Individual session (Time allotted, 30 minutes)

The study of American Indians indicated that the word stutter did

not exist in their language. Interestingly, upon examination,

speech therapist could not find a single individual who stuttered.

If that’s the case, what does this say about burnout,

unhappiness, disappointment, fear, anxiety, worry, and any other

human condition that inhibits performance?

Action step

V. Team ‘7’ discussion (Time allotted 20 minutes)

What is the definition of burnout in the English dictionary and

does it have more than one definition?

Summary

Instrument Time allotted Grade impact


Team ‘7’ discussion 50 minutes

Homework – List 5 steps that you can take immediately to ensure that Burnout never occurs in your life.

Module 3Skill Development Digs Deeper

Unlike traditional learning, developing skills requires that you reach

much deeper into the learning process through repetition, training

and practice.

Lesson Plans

12. Logotherapy

13. Overcoming Compulsive Behavior

14. The Law of Physics

15. The Mind-Body Connection

16. Converting Crisis into Opportunity

Lesson Plan 12

LogotherapyClick To Watch Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xSGLZd9Vg4

Overview

In 1966, a very unusual dinner took place in

the Bracco household. With Phil’s youngest

brother missing from the table, dinner

conversation was stilted with very few

remarks or questions from Mom and Dad

about the course of the day. Finally, Phil

decided to get to the core of the matter and

ask Dad how was his Brother.

Overview

Instantly, his eyes began to water and Phil’s Mother excused herself from the table. “Unfortunately your brother has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Disease, a cancer of the blood.” As best he could, he tried to explain how this cancer effects the body and gave us a clear picture of the treatment required. This was his first introduction to words like “white cells, red cells, platelets” and terms such as “blood counts.” Little did Phil know that they would become extremely familiar to him. The feeling of emptiness filled his spirit and he began to question what life was about, why mortality was a part of it, and how this God we were taught to trust could allow such a horrible disease to invade the body of such a wonderful boy.

Overview continued

After being paged by his High School Principal, he knew that

the message awaiting him was tragic news about the loss of his

brother. Before being dismissed early, he was handed Victor

Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning by one of his

teachers. With so much confusion and sadness in his home,

his teacher advised him to put the book aside and read it later

when the pain of his brother's death was softened by time and

his focus was on his life's direction; when his need for help

sorting out trials and difficulties young people face became a

daily challenge in his life.

Cont.

As the story goes, Phil faced several important decisions

in his early twenties that required insight, especially those

dealing with the meaning of his life and the goals and

inspiration that would keep him motivated to move

forward during tough times. Emptying a closet before

moving to New England, he found the dusty copy of

Man's Search for Meaning, and began to read.

Cont.

As one hour turned into the next, he found it very

difficult to put this very special book down. By mid-

morning the next day he completed the book and

began to incorporate many of the concepts into his

life. During his first and second transplants, well

loved copies of Dr. Frankl's book sat next to his bed

along with the 326 reasons he listed for wanting to

survive and continue the journey his parents started.

Cont.

Victor Frankl, a psychiatrist by education, lived to greet

liberation after a long imprisonment in a German

concentration camp. Many of his comrades died of

illnesses before this glorious event, leading Dr. Frankl to

intense discussions with his fellow inmates about what

separates those who lived from those who died. This

lesson plan and several that follow are intended to share

Dr. Frankl's observations and help you establish a

foundation that will serve you well.

Objectives

I. Understand the concept of logotherapy and the

primary focus when treating individuals with neurotic

orientation of the past, and an establishment

and focus on the future.

II. Logos in Greek means “life”. Unlike

traditional psychoanalysis that defers to the past

to predict the future, logotherapy relies on goals,

unfinished projects and the needs of loved ones

to define what the future holds.


III. Dr.. Frankl says that healthy mental tension is

created by the gap that exists between what one

has already achieved and what he ought to

accomplish. This lesson plan intends to help you

understand how the concept applies to your life.

Cont.

IV. Tension is considered to be a good state. “What

man needs is not a tensionless state, but a tension-

managed state that describes the gap between

what man is and what he wants to be.”*

V. Understand the meaning of the Existential Vacuum

and its capacity for creating vacillation between two

extremes: distress and boredom.

*Victor Frankl: Man’s Search for Meaning

I. Team '7' Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes)

Logotherapy played a key role in Auschwitz

inmates surviving physical abuse and deadly disease.

What is the focus of Logotherapy and how did its use

distinguish survivors from prisoners who failed to greet

liberation?

Action Steps

II. Individual Session (Time allotted 15 minutes) One

Page

The author of Living for Game Day carried Dr.

Frankl's strategy of identifying those things that

make life meaningful. What is the correlation between

the corporate name, Team 326, and Dr. Frankl's research

on the importance of finding the meaning in his life?

Action Steps


If you want to bring meaning to your life and create that tension filled state that Dr. Frankl recommends, what goals or unfinished work can you identify as your 'reason for being'?

Enter into your Life Skills Journal, see next

slide.

Action Steps

Action Steps

Unfinished Projects That Bring Meaning To Your LIfe

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Action Steps

IV. Individual Session (Time allotted 20 minutes)

On page 190, Victor Frankl talks about life's

transitions. He explains the concept in the

pages that follow by contrasting the pessimist and

optimist. How does he distinguish them? Enter 5

examples in your journal that reflect situations in

which your attitude needs to change from negative

to positive.


Current Negative Feeling

Transition to a Positive Experience

1

2

3

4

5

V. Journal Entry – Anticipated Anxiety (Time allotted

20 minutes)

On page 193, Dr. Frankl discusses fear. He states

the starting point is in anticipating anxiety. What

does it mean to anticipate anxiety and can you

provide 10 examples of how this method impacts

your life?

Action Steps

Anxiety Anticipation MethodsHow Anticipated Anxiety Affects Your Life

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

V. Journal Entry – Anticipating Anxiety (Time allotted

20 minutes)

Often, what we anticipate never occurs. What are

some of the concerns you have had in your life that

never materialized but created the tension that

accompanied anxiety?

Enter into your Life Skills Journal, 1 Page

Action Steps

Summary



Class video



Individual Presentations 35 minutes total

Lesson Plan 13

Overcoming Compulsive Behavior

Overview

In his book, Man’s Search For Meaning, Victor Frankl often

speaks about the vicious cycle that forms when people suffer

from compulsive behavior.

This behavior is especially difficult to resolve when the patient

has nothing to live for, which results in a vacuum at the center

of the cycle that causes compulsive behavior.

Cont.

Logotherapy is used to begin solving the problem.

The patient is made aware that life still expects

much of him, thus taking the focus off of oneself and

projecting it onto others who still expect something

of him or her.

Cont.

Fill The Existential

Vaccum

Purpose

Reason To Live

Unfinished work

People Who Rely on Them

Cont.

In concentration camps, this therapy was used to

help fading prisoners find those reasons why life was

worth fighting for, and began taking the focus off of

the situation they found themselves in and place the

focus on others, and what the future expected of

them.

Cont.

Mr. Bracco used that technique during each battle

with cancer to keep focus on the future and

minimized the destructive behavior that often occurs

with the compulsion to dwell on the situation rather

than the needs of others who were counting on him

to get well.

Cont.

After the first transplant, the center of his life’s circle

was the desire to get back to his new company and

provide the opportunities that his employees were

counting on him to create. Many left exceptional jobs

to be part of the team that Mr. Bracco was

promising. Aside from family, he had much to live for.

Cont.

The individual who is plagued by neurotic thinking

and behavior has compulsion at the center of that

vicious cycle that spurs him or her to mental and

physical fatigue that often leads to death.

Cont.

Logotherapy, practiced by disciples of Dr. Frankl, help the

neurotic, compulsive individual to find meaning in his life and

create the motivational force to overcome difficult

circumstances. For Mr. Bracco it was the Stage IV relapse of

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that resulted from his first

transplant.

Interestingly, his life's meaning was characterized by his list of

reasons for not only wanting to survive but to become stronger

in the process.

Objectives

I. Assist each member of the class to understand the

therapeutic techniques Dr. Frankl called Logotherapy.

II. Understand what separates Logotherapy from the

therapeutic techniques that focus on understanding the

past to improve the present or future: Logotherapy

focuses on finding and fulfilling a meaning, while

psychoanalysis focuses on resolving the needs of drives

and instincts.

Objectives

III. Create individual desires to make a

difference. Those areas of life, filled with

important reasons for survival, ensure that

one’s focus creates purpose; is not

characterized by a void that creates

neurotic, compulsive behavior to pass time

until the ultimate failure occurs.

Cont.

IV. Understand the circle that is characterized as a void in neurotic individuals can only be filled by that individual. This ties into one of the Goal Fundamentals mentioned earlier:

“The goal must be yours.”

Or

In the world of business, it is a goal that

you mutually agree to with your Supervisor.

Objectives

V. Logotherapy teaches us that man is not

driven by morals or religion. Man is

driven by his true motivation- to satisfy his

needs that cause temporary happiness, but

not the ongoing peace and happiness they

are __________________

Action Steps

I. Team 7 discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

Dr. Frankl observed prisoners and determined that

people of the same age and physical stature had a

different outcome as they waited for liberation. What

was his explanation for his conclusion?

At end of class, the note taker will email the team’s

response to the group to place in the Life Skills Journal.

Action Steps

II. Individual session (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

Explain the difference between the technique used by logotherapists versus those used by psychoanalysts.

Action Steps

III. Individual session (Time allotted 30minutes)

List 10 things that give purpose to your life and help you greet each day with optimism in good times and bad.

The Essence of Logotherapy

Things That Give My Life Purpose

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Enter into your Life Skills Journal

Prepared by: _________________ Date: ____________

Action Steps

IV. Team ‘7’ discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

Describe the characteristics of neurotic behavior and logotherapy as a solution.

Action Steps

V. Team ‘7’ discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

Explain the difference between an individual that is motivated by purpose and one that is solely motivated by things that give him pleasure.

Action Steps

VI. Individual session (Time allotted 30 minutes) one page

How would you integrate logotherapy into your life on a daily basis?

Enter your response in The Life Skills Journal.

Summary

Instruments Time allotted Grade impact %

Team 7 Discussions 90 minutes

Individual Journal Entries

30 minutes


Homework: Without naming the individual, create a 2 page document that identifies someone you know who would benefit from Logotherapy. Explain why and what behavior you believe will change.

Lesson Plan 14

The Law of Physics

Overview

During three separate bouts with cancer, Phil Bracco

chose to live his life responding to his illness using a law

of physics he learned in High School.

Each time cancer appeared, Phil reasoned that if he filled

his mind, spirit and body with positive thoughts, feelings,

food, water, supplements, and exercise, there would be

no room for illness to exist.

Overview continued

So simple, yet so powerful.

If you dedicate yourself to life's positive experiences and

practice a corresponding lifestyle, there is no room for

illness.

Cont.

Consider that this message was shared with the author at

the age of sixteen, and was not fully understood until

twenty-four years later when disease invaded his body.

This speaks volumes about how the wisdom shared by

our life's teachers can become meaningful, even decades

later when facing life's challenges.

Cont.

Yes,

when the student is ready,

the teachers appear.

Objectives

I. Help participants believe the law of physics, fear cannot exist if our mind

is filled with strength.

II. If positive thoughts fill our mind, there isn't room for unhappiness to exist.

III. Be confident that illness cant exist if your need for rest, hydration, and

good eating habits are met.

IV. Your performance at work can’t be average if you focus on being the

best.

V. Learn to recognize the difference between positive and negative

responses in every arena of your life, spiritual, physical, personal, mental,

emotional and professional.

Action steps

I. Individual session (Time allotted 30 minutes)

--one page

Outline a situation where the law of physics would

have changed your outcome.

What was the situation, what was the problem, and

what got in your way?

Action steps


List 10 situations in your daily life where you chose to

allow unhappiness to exist when happiness could have

existed, if you controlled your thoughts.

Action steps


List five behaviors that can improve your physical

status if you fill your mind and body with positive health

decisions.

Fill out table on the following slide and insert it into your

Life

Skills Journal.

Action Steps

Behaviors that can improve your health

Current Behavior New Behavior

Action steps

IV. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes)

List ways that your team can improve its performance if

it followed the law of physics in its response to questions.

Actions steps


-- one half page

Is there any class in your education, past and present,

that is not consistent with your education goal?

Outline the reasons for making the decision to take that

class in lieu of others that are consistent with your

education goal.

Summary



Team '7 Discussions 50

Individual Sessions 100

Homework: Complete the reading of both books

Lesson Plan 15

The Mind-Body Connection

Overview

During the past twenty-five years, Mr. Bracco has focused

on understanding the connection between the mind and

the body.

Behavior studies and associated techniques including

biofeedback and visualization demonstrate the impact of

thoughts on body functions and emotions.

Overview continued

Years ago Maxwell Maltz, a German physician wrote a book

titled, Psycho-cybernetics. This great work introduced the

concept of “mind watching” that the author has used before,

during and after years of treatment, transplants, and surgeries.

A mind watcher is similar to a security guard, or watchman.

Instead of watching for thieves, this invisible gate keeper

residing in the human brain is constantly on watch for negative

thoughts that trigger negative emotions.

Cont.

In working with newly diagnosed cancer patients suffering

from depression, Mr. Bracco requests that the next time

they are feeling depressed, they take a piece of paper

and list the thoughts they were focused on in the previous

three minutes.

Cont.

As they begin to feel better, they are asked again to make

a list, but this time on the positive thoughts that created a

happy feeling. Very quickly they realize the connection

between their thoughts and emotions and feel a sense of

empowerment that carries with it a sense of control over

their situation.

Cont.

Over one hundred years ago Abe Lincoln said,

'People are only as happy as they allow themselves

to be.‘

Great mind watchers consider negative thoughts the

forerunner for negative emotions, and view negative

thoughts as speed bumps that slow their progress

down on their journey.

Objectives

I. Understand that happiness and unhappiness are learned

behaviors, not something we are born with.

II. When preparing for a stressful situation, visualize yourself

having the proper responses to any situation that may arise.

III. Be conscious of your self-talk; the thoughts that pass through

your mind watcher to infiltrate your mind.


III. Become aware of the impact of your thoughts on your body.

IV. Recognize the need for repetition in the process of filling your

mind with positive thoughts to create positive emotions, and

healthy body functions.

I. Individual Journal Entry (Time allotted 30 minutes)

Create journal entries that list 5 positive and 5

negative emotions, and thoughts that could have

triggered these emotions.

Reflect on what you may have been thinking just

before feeling the emotion.

(Example: I was thinking about how the salesperson

treated me with disrespect, and the emotion I felt

immediately thereafter was anger.)

Action Steps


Positive Emotion What happened/what was I thinking about just before the emotion surfaced?

1

2

3

4

5

Negative Emotion What happened/what was I thinking about just before the emotion surfaced?

1

2

3

4

5


Understand the impact of feelings on body function.

Imagine you are about to undergo knee surgery and

your pulse rate is normally 70 bpm. For the three days

before and after the surgery your pulse increases 5 beats

per minute due to anxiety.

Action Steps

III. Individual Journal Entry (Time allotted 30 minutes)

What steps can you take to stop the intrusion of

negative thoughts into your mind?

Action Steps

IV. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 60 minutes) 2 pages

What impact does biofeedback and visualization

have on the mind-body connection?

Go online and retrieve information on biofeedback and

visualization and be prepared to share what you learn

with the class.

Action Steps


Inventory your past

As best you can remember, list thoughts you inherited from

others (parents, teachers, friends) hat have had a lasting

impact on your thoughts emotions, and body functions.

Ex. Anxiety

Action Steps

Summary





Lecture

HomeworkBased on your research in class today, compose a one page overview 10%of how biofeedback could improve your thoughts, emotions,feelings and ultimately your quality of life.

Lesson Plan 16

Converting Crisis into Opportunity

Overview

Often in conversations with friends and strangers I hear people

say, “Phil, if you can help me eliminate all of my problems, you

will be my friend through eternity.” Internally, I was thinking,

boy, he must be an avid reader of the Father of Positive

Thinking, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, whose books are read all

over the world.

Overview continued

The basic fact that has forever remained on the books is that

problems are a sign of life; truthfully, the more problems you

have, the more alive you are and the more opportunities grace

your life. It is often said that our problems end when we do,

and my good friends have no idea that this is the place they

must to thrive in if they want quality in their life.

Cont.

Although I can sit with them and meticulously review and

correct many of their problems, I realize that the best antidote

for these situations is to correct their views about problems.

With that said, this bus ride is not going to give us the time or

place for us to address each problem now, but I have a better

solution.

Cont.

Did you know that the Chinese language is a language that

consists of symbols? Instantly he responded, “I thought you

were here to help me.” Be patient Sam. “Ok, but we only have

four stops left.” Well listen closely! They have one symbol that

stands for crisis and one that stands for trouble. He draws

closer and says, “What does that mean for me?”

Cont.

Well, when the symbol for crisis is put next to the symbol for trouble, the word

that results is opportunity. That’s right, trouble plus crisis is opportunity.

With help he began to change his view of life’s challenges and he started seeing

opportunity where he once saw problems.

We too have the same opportunity in our lives. After Phil’s return from transplant,

he saw an opportunity to improve his conditioning beyond his life’s best and

improve diet, supplementation, training and hydration unlike ever before.

Getting BETTER -- not just getting well.

Objectives

I. Routinely take an inventory of problems and challenges in your

life and determine your viewpoint towards them.

II. Learn to see the gem-like opportunity that exists in every

problem.

III. Train yourself to review your problems and list those that can

be alleviated with a change of outlook, and those that require

intervention and help.

Objectives

IV. Commit yourself to sharing these concepts with your friends and

begin to notice a change in your outlook and the perception of

who you are by others.

V. Learn to review your past and determine if you faced situations

that you viewed as problems that could have been viewed as

opportunities.

Action Steps

I. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes)

Identify 3 situations from your past that you viewed as crises or

problems which could have been viewed as opportunities.

Describe what the opportunities could have been.

(See attached chart)

Action StepsList 3 situations from your past that you viewed as crisis

Describe what the opportunity could have been

1.

2.

3.

Enter responses into Life Skills Journal

Action Steps

II. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes)

How do you prepare for problems/ crises today?

.

Action Steps

III. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes)

In your perception, what are the key behavioral characteristics

that those with a positive outlook towards crises exhibit?

Action Steps


What changes in your self talk are needed to change your

perspective of crisis to one of opportunity?

See chart on following page.

Action Steps

Incorrect Correct

1. “What’s wrong here?” “What’s going on here?”

2. “Oh, Dear God, this is a problem”

3. “Now what are you going to do?”

4. “You’ll never solve this one.”

5. “What will others think?”

6. “I don’t know or have the time to deal with it.”

Actions Steps

V. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes)

How will you begin tomorrow to make subtle changes in the way

you view small problems to set the stage for managing larger

problems in the future?

“Inch by inch it’s a cinch. Mile by mile it’s a trial.”

-Zig Ziglar

Summary

Instruments Time allotted Grade impact %

Team ‘7’ Discussions 60 minutes


Individual PresentationsHomework:How will your new perception of problems and crises create change in your life?

Module 4Preparing for Your Next Journey; Prospering Along the Way

One of the fundamental principles for climbing tall objectives is

to go as far as you can see; when you get there, set your

sights on going farther.

Lesson Plans

17. Sustaining Good Health

18. The Right of Passage

19. The Well-Traveled Road

20. Making Difficult Choices

21. Eliminating Worry

Lesson Plan 17

Returning to Good Health Click to View Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX9FSZJu448&list=PL568675AF3494E5FD&index=40&feature=plpp_video

Overview

In Living For Game Day, Phil Bracco expresses a very

passionate view about the importance of good health and

optimal performance in every aspect of life, whether its

business, relationships with family and friends, extending one’s

life to its fullest potential, or responding to catastrophic

illnesses.

Overview cont.

Good health sets the stage for complementary and meditative therapies to

perform at their maximum level.

Living For Game Day makes a strong case for the power of good health in

times of health crisis. Although Mr. Bracco trained since age thirteen when

he entered high school, there were certain immune system deficiencies that

ultimately required him to undergo his second transplant that placed a new

immune system in his body.

He often says to his closest friends,

“I have a new engine under my hood.”

Cont.

Within 10 weeks of his release from the hospital and his 184

day stay, he recovered both his weight loss and strength

deterioration. He went from 146 to 198 pounds.

Although his physicians asked him to refrain from training for a

period of one year, he was back in the gym in one week.

Cont.

After weeks, he restored his weight to 198 pounds through a

high protein diet and resistance training that put lean muscle

mass back on his body. Phil knew that there is a very tight

connection between relapse and maintaining good health. He

was not waiting under any circumstances one your to recover.

Cont.

When Mr. Bracco is asked to work with a cancer patient, he

attributes his positive thinking to great medicine, spiritual

alignment, alternative therapy, weight training, hydration and a

naturopathic physician to help him sort out supplements that

could help correct internal damage caused by the treatment.

Cont.

His daily regimen:

• Discipline: From ,time to time, he was tempted by fatigue to

skip a workout. Privately, he would say to himself, “The

cancer is trying to rent space in my head. Get to the gym.”

• Hydration: He flushes his system with 120- 150 oz. of water

each day.

• Supplements: vitamins A, B2, B5, B12, C, D, E, omega, Q10,

digestive enzymes, calcium, selenium and zinc are all part of

his breakfast, lunch and dinner routines.

Cont.

• Aerobic Training: running, spinning, and on numerous

occasions, 200 miles bike rides for his favorite cancer

charity helped his psyche to believe in the power of purpose.

• Goal Setting: Phil has goals for every arena of his life and

uses the goal setting routine discussed earlier to motivate

himself.

• Never Compromising Your Beliefs: In the outpatient section

of chemotherapy that proceeded his transplant, Mr. Bracco

refused to allow a port in his body, although it made

Cont.

it easier to connect his to chemical cocktails in. In his 2nd transplant for

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, he opted for lines to be inserted in his arms

and hands and removed at the end of treatment. His mission was to

leave that hospital not feeling like a cancer patient and being able to

continue his workouts.

In summary, his book provides deep insight into the mental battle

between the cancer and his desire to survive. He always opted for the

less-traveled path and did not want to follow the herd into physical

demise.

Objectives

I. Understand the relationship between lifestyle and good health. For every withdrawal, you need to make a corresponding deposit.

II. Good health first starts in the mind. What you perceive yourself to be must be consistent with who you really are.

III. If illness should come your way, go back to your virtual journal and refresh your memory about the law of physics.

IV. Two things cannot exist in the same place at the same time. With that said, its time to dedicate your entire day to positive thinking, eating, goals and exercise.

Objectives

IV. Always remember that there is risk in anything you do. Mr.

Bracco’s decision to train within ten days of being released

came with a great deal of risk. Examples include infection or a

head injury, which could cause internal bleeding. Phil always

measured the risk versus reward and made a decision,

accordingly.

V. The human body is like a flowering plant. If fed, watered and

taken care of it, it will survive and thrive in the most hostile

environments..

Acton Steps

I. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

What did Mr. Bracco feel about the connection between health

and outcome.

Action Steps

II. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

If you are in a similar situation, would you make many of

the decisions Phil made to get well? Which ones and

why?

Action Steps

III. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

What is your opinion of your current health status and what can

you do to take control and improve now?

Techniques for Improving Health Now

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Complete the above table in your Life Skills Journal.

Action Steps

IV. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

Based on your own personal knowledge, define the perfect diet

for any given day.

Action Steps

V. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

Phil believes whether its diet or any aspect of your life, when

you make a withdrawal, it needs to be followed with a deposit.

What does he mean by this statement?

Summary

Instruments Time Allotted Grade impact %

Team 7 Discussions 90 minutes


Individual Presentations

Homework:

Lesson Plan 18

The Rite of Passage

Overview

The day Phil Bracco was released from his first transplant, he went through a rite of passage that is similar to the circumstances that life presents as we travel the journey.

As he was leaving the hospital, he realized that just five minutes ago, he was considered a transplant patient, secluded in a lock-down hyperbaric environment, and unable to walk in the brightness of late summer sunshine until this day, day 184 after his admission to Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, for his second transplant in 11 years.

Overview

He thought about it again. “Five minutes ago I was a patient with enormous restrictions and now I am free to go and do as I please.”

In many ways, this rite of passage is a formality that we experience in many aspects of our life.

Yesterday I was an intern, unable to perform surgery, today I received my diploma and can open someone’s cavity and conduct open heart surgery.

Yesterday, I was single, today I walk down an aisle and suddenly must act and behave as though I am married.

Overview

Yesterday, I was a student, with room, board and meals managed for me; Today I am a graduate that will go down a path that impacts you, your family and the people you care about – self sufficiency suddenly becomes my challenge.

The transition after the rite of passage can be traumatic for those not prepared to make the adjustments that are required. Professionally, you will soon make your biggest adjustment when you must become a productive member of the work force. It is at this juncture that many life skills begin to morph into people skills to help you accomplish those things that were just mentioned.

Overview

Those who master the transition will have a successful experience in the workplace as they find it easy to integrate with their peers and learn to perform within the objectives of the company.

Conversely, those reluctant to accept the workplace and its variety of personalities often find themselves in disputes that can cost them their job.

Lets look at the transition, understand the requirements and know what to expect as we begin this journey we call life.

Objectives

Understand the expectations of your first rite of passage upon graduation. Yesterday I was a student; today with diploma in hand, I am a graduate with expectations to become a productive member in the workforce.

As you make the transition, you must begin to see how those life skills - that are being memorialized in your life skills journal – can help you work through foreign situations that may seem perplexing at the moment but understandable in the future.

I.

II.

Objectives

Competition takes on a new form in the work environment. Be a contributor. Look for things to do and not things to avoid. Preparing oneself to express skills sets the stage for advancement.

Understand the key measurements and factors that support your hire with a view for those things that you need to do to move beyond the Rite of Passage into an assignment that begins to accelerate your opportunities.

III.

IV.

Objectives

Understand that rites of passage are choices that typically come with responsibility. Understand that some decisions are not yours to be made. How you respond to them will speak volumes about who you are. Other times it is totally within your control.

V.

Action Steps

Team 7 Discussion (30 minutes allotted)

List ten Rites of Passages that you have gone through in the time you have spent on this Earth. Determine whether they were voluntary or involuntary. (Fill out table on next slide).

I.

Action Steps

Rite of Passage Voluntary Involuntary

Action Steps

Individual Notes (Time allotted 20 minutes)

List those Rites of Passage that were involuntary that have created the most difficulty for you.

II.

Action Steps

Rite of Passage Describe Difficulty

Action Steps

Individual Journal Entry (20 minutes allotted)

Building flexibility into your rite of passage …(NOW)

Fill out your journal, using the table on the following slide.

III.

Action Steps

Career Development Preparation

Rate your level of commitment

Exploration of Career Interests

Ability of job to satisfy your top three objectives, needs and aspirations

What other industries can you transition to if your industry of choice fails to offer satisfying optins?

Have you conversed with your council or former graduates about your career path and its possibilities for change.

1 = Extensive 2 = some 3 = ready to start soon 4 = not important

Action Steps

Individual journal Entry (Time allotted – 30 minutes) – Next Page

IV.

Action Steps

Ages List; History tells us much about the future

Factors that may have influenced your decision to change

6-10

11-15

16-18

As best you can remember, list the career of choice at the following ages of your life.

Action Steps

Individual Notes (Time 20 minutes)

Given your current projected profession, list those changes that you will be required to make as you accept that diploma and walk through that rite of passage.

V.

Summary







Lesson Plan 19

The Well-Traveled Road

Overview

In Living For Game Day, Phil Bracco often addresses the difference

between the Road Less Traveled and the Road Well Traveled.

When first diagnosed, he refused to allow his RN team to insert a port

into his chest, to avoid the hassle of having a port permanently

inserted during the entire treatment process.

When the RN team finally went to the next step to settle this issue, the

obvious question arose. “Phillip, why do you want to endure the pain

and discomfort of finding a good vein each day for having a line

inserted?”

Overview Continued

He asked his team to look around the room and see what he

saw. Dozens of patients, some in night robes, doing as asked

and fading out of life. He added,

“The moment you treat yourself like a cancer patient, you

become one.”

As for Phil, he wore a suit, carried a briefcase, brought his work

and completed chemotherapy treatments with a 5 mile run

around the Charles River or a workout at the local gym.

Cont.

He insisted he would not take the road well-traveled, and that

each variable he added to his Get Stronger Routine increased

his chances for a longer stay and ________. Each decision

about deviating from the path would improve his statistics

about life expectancy.

In any situation where the odds are against you and the

statistics do not hold promise, simply add well considered

variables to your Get Stronger Routine and the statistics no

longer against you.

Cont.

Mr. Bracco's favorite response was, “show me the statistics

that include patients similar in age, disease and prognosis who

bring my level of intensity to their day and their work and who

drink 120 oz. of water, run 5 miles around the Charles River,

take a steam shower and get to work by 1:00 pm.”

“Your statistics no longer apply.”

Objectives

I. Never assume that the well-beaten path is the course you

should take. In many cases, it is a road that can lead you to

become a statistical casualty.

II. Improve your odds of success in any arena of your life by

adding positive variables to the standard procedure.

Productive additions to the plan change the statistics in your

favor.

Objectives

III. Learning how to analyze every activity you take in a difficult

situation by asking yourself the question, “Will this action help

me or hurt me?”

IV. Ensure that anything you add to your plan is consistent with

your documented goal and shared with your Team Leader,

especially in the case of illness.

Action Steps


Mr. Bracco believed he could improve his odds of recovery

beyond statistical analysis by adding variables to the standard

medical plans. Describe his opinion and list those variables he

used to supplement his plan and improve his prognosis

beyond that of his 42 clinical partners in cancer II.

Action Steps

II. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

Living For Game Day, Mr. Bracco opts to have surgery awake.

How did this variable improve his chances of success? Did he

assess risk and include other life skills in his planning session?

III. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes)

Turn the pages of your life back. List as many situations as

possible when the path less-traveled would have improved your

outcome.


Well-Traveled Path Decision: Path Less- Traveled:

Example: Quit High School Sports Continued playing and learn how to better manage my time and understand visualization, power of purpose and the team concept.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Summary

Instrument Time allotted Grade Impact %

Team ‘7’ Discussions 1 hour


Homework (2 pages) If you use the strategy of opting for the path less-traveled, how would you explain it? Why do the variables change the projected outcome?; what cautions would you issue?

Lesson Plan 20

Making Difficult Choices

Click to View Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=626Dt9JdjQs

Overview

Each day of our life, we face difficult choices that

require a combination of input from key areas of our

life’s experience.

1. History: Have I been here before; if so, what did I

learn?

2. Qualified Input: Your mentors, closest friends. In the

case of Phil, physicians, dieticians, and great

athletes became a part of what he called his team.

Overview Cont.

3. Cost/ Impact Analysis: This is where you

assess what the decision will cost, not

necessarily from a monetary standpoint, but

from an impact on your situation.

4. Your gut: when difficult decisions must be

made, go to a quiet place and listen to the

advice you receive from your gut.

Overview Cont.

5. A higher authority: if your life includes a deep belief

in your God, as your spiritual partner, you can be

certain that you will walk into any situation with a

feeling a confidence.

In the book, Living For Game Day, Phil faced numerous

difficult choices that were attached to risk. One reckless

decision could have caused an abrupt end to his life, one

he wanted so desperately to extend.

Continued

One particular decision was his insistence on not taking a red blood cell transfusion because it would be accompanied by drugs that make him sleep. Twenty-fours hours before his son’s 2nd game was broadcasted on TV, his red cell count dictated an immediate transfusion.

Cont.

Phil knew from his instincts and his reliance on his spiritual partner that he could postpone the transfusion until the game ended. In order to achieve this, he had to sit back, relax, and focus on the lessons he learned in biofeedback.

If he failed to do so, his body would use more red blood cells than he had and he would die from heart failure or suffocation.

Cont.

Although many would consider this a reckless decision, Phil knew that his life skills were solid and that he could eliminate fear, anxiety and depression from a very difficult situation.

At 7:00 pm, game day became a reality for the second week in a row, on his TV. The opportunity to converse with his son and watch him play was worth the risk because the upside exceeded the real, not the perceived, risk.

Objectives

I. Understand the decision making process

whenever difficult choices must be made.

II. Learn that once a decision is made, refrain from

wasting time looking back at the choice you

made.

III. Avoid making decisions in a vacuum; no one has

enough information to be right more than 50% of

the time without input from qualified experts.

Objectives

IV. Be prepared to know and accept the

consequences when decisions are made.

V. Don’t be embarrassed or afraid to reverse your

position if new input dictates a last minute

change.

Action Steps

I. Individual (Time allotted 30 minutes)

List the 5 toughest decisions you have made;

what made them difficult and as you look back,

were they a success or a failure? (see

attached chart)

Decision What made them difficult?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Action Steps

II. Individual (Time allotted 20 minutes) 1 pages

Have you ever made a decision without

complete information and how did it impact the

outcome?

III. Individual (Time allotted 30 minutes)

Prior to the start of this semester you made a

decision to take this elective.


Difficult Choices

Why did you make this decision?

What information did you have?

How will this course benefit your next step?

1.

2.

3.

4.

Action Steps

IV. Individual (Time allotted 20 minutes)

What do you consider to be the first critical

decision that you must make to take your life and

career to the next step??


Decision Rely on History

Obtain Qualified Input

Evaluate the Cost/ Impact

Listen to you Gut

Listen to Your Spiritual Advisor

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

= YES X = NO

Enter response in your Virtual Life Skills Journal

Action Steps

V. Individual (time allotted 30 minutes)

Many decisions are made by the flip of a coin, in our head.

Example; heads, I go; tails, I stay. Often people make this

technique their way of terminating relationships with others or

for that matter, work. If you flip that coin, there is a 50%

probability of making a correct or incorrect decision. Conversely,

if you list the positives and negatives of each decision, you have

the ability to make decisions that are 100% correct for you.


Making Difficult Choices

What decisions are suited for flipping a coin?

What decisions are suited for making a list?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Summary




Individual Presentations

Homework: Write two about how the life skills you have learned thus far can make you a better person, friend, employee, or student.

Lesson Plan 21

Eliminating Worry

Overview

It is often said that one of the most difficult problems that cancer survivors, or for that matter, any survivor of a catastrophic problem faces is being set free from the hospital and functioning on their own.

Much like the movie, Shawshank Redemption, cancer patients, like Phil Bracco, who are locked down in a hyperbaric for 184 days are much like prisoners who are recently released from prison.

Overview Continued

In the movie, many inmates could not deal with the responsibility that comes with freedom. Often, they took their lives soon after they were freed.

Cancer patients face a similar kind of fear because they no longer have the security of a nursing and physician staff, caring for them 24/7.

Overview Continued

Ultimately, those who develop a skill for conditioning and solving every problem that comes their way will exhibit self confidence that allows them to enjoy the next journey in their life.

Simple suggestions are directions that you can use. Inadequate suggestions become hollow over time and force the patient, family and friends into a very difficult situation as they try to integrate their loved one into the outside world.

Objectives

I. Remember that worry, like any other negative habit, requires repetition; the same repetition that creates worry is the same repetition that can create confidence.

II. All of the worrying that you can create will never have an impact on the outcome.

III. Be careful about the things you say. For example, saying, “This is going to be a tough day,” sets thoughts in motion, in your head, that will produce that outcome.

Objectives

IV. Whenever you find yourself in a conversation filled with worriers, leave the room. Remember the Cleansing Mind Routine.

Your mind is a precious vault. Positive thinkers pay close attention to the thoughts that friends and strangers try to drive into their subconscious mind.

Great, positive thinkers have little patience for negative thinkers who contaminate the people around them with neagitive thoughts that cause a negative mindset.

Objectives

V. Chronic worriers have little time to focus on creating positive outcomes in their life. After expending so much negative energy on things that will never happen, they find themselves feeling empty and alone as their friends grow tired of constantly hearing their problems.

Action Steps

I. Individual (Time allotted 20 minutes)

On the following chart, list 5 worries that tore you apart, but never occurred.

Worries That Never Occurred

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Action Steps

II. Individual (time allotted 30 minutes)

What did it take to move past the worries listed on the prior page?


Action Steps

Moving Past Worries

# Worry How did you move past it?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Action Steps

III. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 20 minutes)

What characteristics do you routinely observe in people that seem far and free from any types of worries ?


Characteristics of a Non-Worrier

1. 6.

2. 7.

3. 8.

4. 9.

5. 10.

Enter into Virtual Life Skills Journal

Action Steps

IV. Individual Session (Time allotted 20 minutes) up to 1 page.

Worrying is the first emotion that sets off a series of fears that cause additional worry. Describe negative emotions that compound and complicate small worries in your life.

Action Steps

V. Team ‘7’ Discussion (time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

Describe 5 public figures whose demeanor, poise and confidence suggest they are free from worry.

Action Steps

# Individual How they create the image.

Summary

Individual 60

Team ‘7’ 60

Homework: Describe what you must do to create a life free from worry and how you imagine that life being. Up to 2 pages.

Module 5

Characteristics of a Great Leader

Leaders must be willing to lead and take the first few steps that set them apart from others and one their way toward preparing themselves to lead by example.

Lesson Plans

22. Fundamentals of a Great Leader

23. Management vs. Leadership

24. Being right vs. Being Understood

25. Reacting vs. Responding

26. Conviction

Lesson Plan 22

Fundamentals of a Great Leader

Overview

People often assume that great leaders are born with

leadership qualities. This can be as far from the truth as one

might imagine.

Leaders are people who are not in the least bit inhibited by fear

or that horrible sense in our gut that comes from humiliation.

When they make an error, their typical response is,

“I’ll get it right the next time.”

Overview continued

Those who are intimidated by leading, defer to several

excuses to explain their poor performance.

Over the years, I have found that one of the best ways to

develop leadership skills is to learn how to speak in public.

First, begin with small groups, from there, you emerge to scale

up to larger audiences.

Cont.

Leaders come from all walks of life. It is not a right of passage;

It is not something that can be passed down through the

generations.

Although my many fathers often want their sons to follow the

example they set, leadership can only be nurtured if that sibling

is dedicated to developing the necessary skills.

Objectives

I. Develop the confidence that no matter where you are in your

life, or where you came from, you can develop the skills

exhibited by great leaders.

II. Great leaders develop their skills through repetition. Seldom,

do they assume that a skill will be bestowed upon them without

the necessary practice and repetition.

Objectives

III. Learn techniques that leaders use to create teamwork and a

collaborative effort.

IV. Understand the role that confidence plays in great leadership.

V. Be prepared to lead through example.

Action Steps


In the past, you may have worked for by great leaders. What

separated them from effective managers?

Action Steps

II. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 20 minutes) 1 page

Team leaders tend to focus on setting and achieving goals.

Why do they focus on goals? And how do they impact the

leadership process?

Action steps

III. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

Leaders view teamwork as a crucial element in any productive

organization. How do they encourage teamwork in a work

environment without causing challenges between existing

employees?

Action Steps

IV. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

What factors impact how leaders determine priorities for their

staff on a daily/weekly/monthly basis? Be sure that you

understand the Work/Priority Matrix.

I. Urgent + Important

II. Not Urgent but Important

III. Not Urgent and Not

Important

IV. Urgent But Not Important

Great leaders and great managers always operate in which box and explain why?

Action Steps

V. Individual Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

Leaders often refer to “we” as opposed to “I” when addressing

a group’s performance. Why is that so?

Summary


Lesson Plan 23

Management vs. Leadership

Overview

Often people confuse management with leadership.

Junior executives who have not been properly trained or mentored assume that their first management role is dedicated to micromanaging every project, everyone’s work, and often to find out what is wrong with situation, rather than what is right.

Overview

Leaders on the other hand often become mentors.

For starters, they seldom ask employees to do something that they could not or would not do themselves. This in itself encourages employees to want to work with them, to learn from them and to do all they can to be in lock-step with the company’s operating plan.

Overview

Leaders ask questions and seldom offer direction other than through their own actions.

Managers, on the other hand, do not take action until their next step is outlined in detail by their immediate supervisor. Although companies need managers to oversee the progression of projects, they must at the same time be managers who are grooming themselves to become leaders.

When they do take that leadership role, many of the tasks that they formerly outlined in detail become second nature to the people they manage.

Objectives

Ensure that the class understands that leadership is a learned skill. Although there are people who are predisposed to leadership, all work at their skill via repetition.

I.

Objectives

Leaders become great question originators as they consider every employee a resource that can take them to the place they need to be.

Management is often labored by inept leaders who lack confidence in their immediate reports and micromanage each project to ensure performance to their satisfaction. The result is limited growth for those managers to take that next important step.

II.

III.

Objectives

Leadership, in the opinion of this author, requires a total commitment to looking, speaking, acting and behaving in a manner that speaks for itself.

Leaders exist in all forms of life. You know them when you see them. You immediately sense their willingness to take risk and their endless supply of enthusiasm and courage.

IV.

V.

Action Steps

Individual Journal (Time allotted - 30 Minutes)

List those leaders that have had a profound impact on your life and in ten words or less, describe what it was.

I.

Action Steps

Individual Journal (Time allotted – 20 minutes)

List leaders in your life who acted more like managers. For each one, in ten words or less describe what gave you this impression.

II.

Action Steps

Individual Journal (Time allotted – 10 minutes)

In your own words, list those skills that you must develop to become a mentor and leader.

III.

Action Steps

On this day, I believe that I must develop these skills to become a leador and mentor:

Action Steps

Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted - 30 minutes)

For years past, who do you consider as our strongest political leader and why?

IV.

Action Steps

Strongest Leader

Name Why?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Action Steps

Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted - 20 minutes)

In your mind’s eye, what are the things that leaders practice to develop what we call leadership skills.

V.

Summary







Lesson Plan 24

Being Right vs. Being Understood

Overview

During the course of one’s lifetime, countless discussions border on arguments because of the individual’s temptation to be right rather than be understood.

As the equation flips from understanding to being right, listening begins to dissipate.

As listening dissipates, people on both sides begin to focus on what they are going to say next rather than what the other person is saying.

Overview

Years ago, one of Phil’s mentors during his climb to a CEO position within a mid-sized company, showed him an interesting technique for ensuring that being understood was the objective and being right was the obstacle.

His suggestion was that Phil should consider drawing an imaginary line in the conference room and letting everyone know that we were on the same side of a sensitive subject with an interest in creating a better solution.

Overview

Once the “same side” visual was embedded in the participants minds, the temptation to prove right vs. wrong was minimized.

In personal relationships, his suggestion took them to the next step. “The next time you and your spouse have an argument, hold hands before you begin.”

It’s at that time that you learn how to be interested in being understood as opposed to being right.

Objectives

I. Ensure that participants understand that being understood first begins with asking questions.

II. Avoid at all costs the use of the singular pronoun ‘I.’

III. Learn to understand the power of the plural pronoun, ‘we.’

IV. Be certain to establish at the start of the discussion the objectives for the meeting.

V. Once consensus is established and everyone is understood, the group leader must forward notes to the participants that summarize the group’s position and promise the delivery of the resolution for a final review. Only at that point can the position be shared with the remainder of the team (or children).

Action Steps

Hypothetical Situation: It’s a tough economy and the company’s CEO is meeting with immediate reports to discuss potential solutions for offsetting lagging sales. Discounting simply creates cash flow, but does not create profit to drive and support the business. The CEO, after a discussion with The Board, knows that the only resolution is a slight reduction in staff and benefits without undermining the integrity of the corporations price schedule.

Scenario: You are one of the participants in the meeting, and recently took a class that addressed the importance of being understood versus right.

Action Steps

I. Team ‘7’ Discussion – 30 minutes

After the CEO announces the situation and the eminent solution, how would you respond to his position while avoiding the pitfalls of trying to be right versus understood. What position would you take, what solutions might you offer? What questions do you feel compelled to ask?

Action Steps

II. Team ‘7’ Discussion – 1 page or less

During your discussions with the CEO, someone in the group repeatedly uses the word I and most assuredly attempts to paint his position as correct.

Knowing that economics dictate a change, how would you deal with his behavior in the spirit of moving the process forward?

Action Steps

III. Individual Session (20 minutes) 1 Page

Your role is to go back to your employees and share the news about benefits reduction. In one page or less, describe what you would say.

Action Steps

True Leader Explanation Frequently Uses We

Weak-Leader Explanation Frequently Uses They

Non-Leader Explanation Frequently I Don’t Know Why – Let Me Go Back

IV. Individual Session (30 Minutes)

In management there is a power matrix that often distinguishes great leaders and managers from their mediocre counterparts.

Action Steps

Scenario: You are the manager of the Accounting Department. Provide or create a one page presentation that reflects the models above, for each managing style. Use the situation presented at the start of the lesson plan as the basis for your response.

Action Steps

V. Individual Session – Composition (20 minutes)

When was the last time you were right, in either a personal situation or a business matter that did not temporarily or permanently disrupt your relationship with those on the other side.

Summary


Journal Entry 30 minutes





Lesson Plan 25

Reacting vs. Responding

Overview

Years ago, Phil’s entire focus was to make grades 6-8 football team. He faced two challenges: Although he had comparable skills, teammates were 2-4 years older than him. This would be a judgement call made by the head coach.

The second, was non-negotiable. Two weeks before weigh-in, he was 10 lbs lighter than the minimum weight.

Overview

When he returned home after the first pre-weigh in practice, he was enraged because he knew hit had taken him 8 years to gain 70 pounds. How in the world would he gain the next 10 in two weeks?

Phil’s dad was a man of one-sentence sermons. He put his right hand over his shoulder and said, “son you have two choices: You can either react to the problem, scream or yell and get nowhere, or respond to the problem.”

With my dark brown eyes looking up at his, I said, “Dad, what is the difference?” He replied, “Let me give you an example. When the doctor gives you a medicine and he says you are “reacting” everyone gets nervous.

Overview

“When he states that you are responding to the medication, everyone gets happy. So Phil, you have two choices, you can react and get nothing done or you can respond and figure out your situation.”

Over the next days, Phil ate everything in sight. Unfortunately, the scale only moved upward in increments of a ½ pound. At the point when he was about to give up, his best friend, and cousin, said he had a solution.

Quickly they went into the basement and he offered his plan, when the team gets to the hospital for weigh in, tell them that you lost your boxers at the pool, today. There is no way they will ask you to strip down beyond your cut-off jeans with females in the room.

Overview

As he shares the plan with me, he begins to tape five pound plates to each hip. Off to the weigh in we go; my heart is pounding and I feel like everyone is looking at me. When my turn to weigh in was up, the moderator said, “why aren’t you in your shorts?” I answered precisely as my cousin Vince instructed. “We’ll weigh you with your jeans on and deduct two pounds for them as your final number.

When I hit the scale, I closed my eyes and heard a large roar from my teammates, who saw the scale read 80 pounds. In many respects, I was responding to the situation, not reacting. I may have broken a rule but I certainly did not violate a principle that would have changed my decision.

Objectives

I. Ensure students understand the difference between reacting and responding.

II. Help students learn that principles can sometimes be challenging and rules can be broken, provided that no one gets hurt.

III. Assist students in understanding that reactive thoughts stifle imagination.

IV. Paint a picture for those who work in your organization who routinely react to a manager’s instructions and the negative impact it has on t he entire team.

V. Help everyone understand that reactive behavior stifles your ability to be understood as emotions and not reasons, take over the situation.

Action Steps

I. Individual Composition (30 minutes)

In one page or less, describe a situation that caused you to react instead of respond? Did your reaction hurt the final outcome?

Action Steps

II. Team ‘7 Discussion (Time allotted 30 minutes)

Based on the techniques that you have learned, what is the primary difference between responding and reacting?

Action Steps

III. Individual Journal Entry (30 minutes)

This class is based on an open-forum concept. In order for the Team ‘7’ concept to work, your response to team decisions to get specific objectives done is crucial.

What type of employee behavior is counter-productive to that objective?

Action Steps

IV. Individual Journal Entry (Time allotted 30 minutes)

If you were teaching this class and had to offer Phil a different explanation, than his father’s, about reacting and responding, what would it be?

Action Steps

V. Individual Session (20 minutes)

Phil’s ability to make the weight required much more than understanding the difference between reacting and responding. What life skill tools did he need to use in order to succeed?

Summary


Team Composition 20 minutes


Individual Journal Entry 20 minutes

IndividualJournal Entry 30 minutes


Lesson Plan 26

Conviction

Overview

Whether the challenge is overcoming cancer or building a

business in a tough economic environment, Phil Bracco has

always felt that personal conviction must be the cornerstone of

plan.

In Living For Game Day, Mr. Bracco had numerous

confrontations with nursing teams regarding his desire to have

line inserted into his arms each day as opposed to a chemo

port, that easily connects him to multiple drugs, at the same

time. In many ways, its like putting gas in a tank.

Overview Continued

Phil offered two key reasons for convincing his team to find a

suitable vein rather than inserting a port.

1. His conviction to exercise, during the outpatient portion of

his plan, had no room for a port. It would prevent strength

training and a daily steam & cold shower to purge negative

thoughts and chemicals from his body.

Cont.During a very intense debate, he challenged the nursing team to

scan the clinic as his peers were being treated and hooked to their

port. “What do you see?” was the question he posed to everyone.

When no responses were offered, he said, “Then let me tell you

what I see.”

I see a room full of patients who are behaving nicely, following

your instructions to perfection, here in their pajamas and heading

down a road to ultimate death, according to the statistics that you

have published

Cont.

As for me, you won’t find pajamas on this guy. I come here with

my briefcase and workout gear, and I can’t have you interrupt

either.

2. You can expect me to bring my own food each day to ensure

that my body is getting its best chance to survive. When I see

your lunch, filled with trays of chocolate cake, I am convinced

that conviction is not part of your mindset.

Cont.

And not reflected in your treatment plan. “Yes, my dear friends,

the path less-traveled is a path that allows you to be the

captain of your own plan.

Objectives

I. Understand the difference in planning with the conviction to

succeed and planning simply to get a job done.

II. Success in any battle often requires a step left or right off of

the beaten path. One that allows us to listen to our gut and our

heart and let them guide us.

Objectives

III. Conviction in times of difficulty allows your support team to

provide help when you need them most; those that do not

demonstrate a commitment to the plan, will be viewed as “just

another employee” rather than an employee with growth, talent

and potential.

Objectives

IV. When unplanned adversity interferes with your progress,

conviction is your salvation. Mr. Bracco’s decision to be at a

company meeting, in Los Angeles, caused him to be a captain’s

reason to bring a 300-passenger plane to the ground on its way

from L.A. to Boston. In this case, Phil’s commitment to the plan

clouded his judgment when he flew at 35,000 ft. with limited red

blood cells.

V. People with conviction use “power talk,” using words like “intention”

and “will” and eliminating those like “hoping” and “wishing.”

Action Steps

I. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes) 2 pages

List three convictions that you would never compromise and

describe why they are held so firmly in your mind.

Action Steps

Convictions you would never compromise

Commitment Why?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Action Steps

II. Individual Session (Time allotted 20 minutes) 1 page

Explain how planning impacts conviction and courage.

Action Steps

III. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes) 2 pages

Describe three situations where your lack of conviction

ultimately compromised an opportunity to improve your life.

Action Steps

IV. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 40 minutes) 2 pages

Describe a well-known leader who exhibits conviction and

explain how his or her conviction is apparent in the way he or

she leads and manages people.

Action Steps

V. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 20 minutes)

List 10 words that you associate with conviction. And write

“yes” or “no” if your previously mentioned “well known leader

exhibits that characteristic.


Word Association: Conviction Does your “well-known leader” exhibit this quality? “yes” or “no”

1. Poise Under Pressure Yes.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Summary


Individual Session 1 hour, 20 minutes


Module 6Creating Balance / Those Who Demonstrate True

Leadership, Demonstrate Balance

Very often great leaders perish early as they fail to create balance

in every arena of their life. Balance and your passion for

succeeding at work must be complemented by other passions that

create balance in your life.

Lesson Plans

27. Developing Courage

28. Preparing to Deal with Consequences

29. Creating Teamwork

30. Speaking With Confidence

31. Never Quitting

32. Slowing Down The Clock

Lesson Plan 27

Developing Courage

Overview

Often what separates successful business leaders from those who miss the mark is courage. Most human resource personnel try to assess a candidates courage with questions in the hiring process. Often courage is confused with success. Victories are team results and not necessarily related to the courage of a key decision maker who executes critical decisions throughout the entire process.

Overview

Several qualities are consistently evident in leaders with courage:

1. They are Risk Averse. Every decision they make includes risk and they are not intimidated by risk.

2. They consider mediocrity in performance as the cancer that weakens and ultimately destroys projects and companies.

3. Privately, they know that nay-sayers are watching and potentially undermining their efforts and hoping for failure. Nevertheless, they proceed with victory as the target embedded in their mind.

Overview

4. Goals are of paramount importance in their life. Each day is dedicated to the achievement of specific goals.

5. Change is considered an ally; they are quick to adjust their course when change is necessary.

6. They pay close attention to the inner voice that we often call instinct. They challenge those who continually take opposition to all of his or her decisions.

Overview

7. Never will you find them sitting still; turning the other cheek is considered a conciliatory response to ensure employee participation but ultimately leads to nowhere.

8. They never get caught up in consensus building. Courage is an admirable quality but if exercised to a fault can create disruption throughout the entire team.

Objectives

Recognize that courage, like all others, can be a learned skill.

Like most skill building activities, it is critical to begin your “Building Courage Campaign” with action tactics that present the highest probability of success.

I.

II.

Objectives

As mentioned previously, it takes courage to set goals; The golden rules of goal setting is:

a. share your Go Up Courageous goals with only those people who will support you and help you get there.

b. Share your Give Up Goals (i.e. smoking) with everyone. They will constantly remind you of your commitment and help you achieve it.

III.

Objectives

As your courage grows, so will your ability to listen to and be guided by your instincts. The sound of that inner voice will be the courage you need when your skeptics, enemies and nay-sayers are attacking you most.

Positive reinforcement such as the mind cleansing the discipline in a earlier chapter will reinforce skill building exercise and the pieces will fall into place.

IV.

V.

Action Steps

Journal Entry (time allotted 30 minutes).

In your Life Skills Journal list as often as you can remember when your specific actions made you proud and those around you were confident in your ability to lead, mentor and grow.

I.

Courage Building

# Skill/Action Demonstrated

How did you feel when you completed the task

What was the assessment of your peers.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Action Steps

Journal Entry (Time allotted 30 minutes)

List 5 times in your life when your unwillingness to take action and demonstrate courage cost you? Can you articulate the cost, tangible or intangible?

II.

Action Steps

Missed Activity Tangible Cost Intangible Cost

Action Steps


Whether it is school, work or any extracurricular personal activity what are your 5 largest opportunities to demonstrate courage in the next 6 months.

Action Steps

# Biggest Opportunities in Next Six Months

Type of Goal: ‘Go Up’ or ‘Give Up’ ?

1

2

3

4

5

Action Steps


In Living for Game Day, Mr. Bracco had many opportunities to demonstrate courage. What do you consider the top three and why do you feel this way? Be as specific as possible.

Action Steps

V. Individual Composition (Time allotted 20 minutes) - Overcoming failure and the courage to move forward.

Often, leaders, companies and people are intimidated to try new, aggressive approaches on the heals of a failure. If courage is to impact their future, they must continue trying. In one page or less, what would your strategy be in a fragile economy that stifles creativity and aggressiveness, and how would you encourage members of your team to approach their job?

Action Steps

VI. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 20 minutes)

In Living for Game Day, Mr. Bracco had many opportunities to demonstrate courage. What do you consider the top three and why do you feel this way? Be as specific as possible.

Summary







Lesson Plan 28

Leaders Accept Consequences

Overview

During our wonder years, we can recall numerous times when our parents shouted:

“OK, go ahead and do as you please, but be prepared to deal with the consequences.”

No matter how certain we were of the outcome, their statement put an empty feeling inside, as we felt much safer when someone of authority gave us their endorsement and the green light to proceed.

Overview

The term ‘consequences’ has a heavy, somewhat dire association with it. Instinctively, automatically, our imagination directs itself to the negative outcome.

For Phil Bracco, accepting consequences was a daily routine. As he has often said:

“Take the less beaten path and be ready to accept whatever consequences that follow.”

Overview

Individuals in charge never endorsed or accepted anything outside of the text book medical protocol. Nevertheless, by conquering fear, he went forward simply because he knew that fear often represented False Evidence Appearing Real.

Consequently, he went forward. He often considers his decisions to proceed without endorsement to be the turning point in each bout with cancer. Occasionally, his enthusiasm was tempered by decisions that turned out unfavorably.

Overview

On a stormy summer evening during a midnight flight from Los Angeles to Boston, a very skilled pilot weaved his way through thunderheads that often lit up the sky with flashes of lightning. As the plane elevated beyond its normal altitude of 35,000 feet, Phil sat very quietly in his seat, organizing his work for the next five hours. At one point, he could almost see the tops of the thunderheads as the lighting seemed to be flashing down, toward the ground.

Overview

At cruising altitude, he began to feel a bit lightheaded and took a stroll to the back of this 300 passenger plane, seeing many familiar faces sound asleep, awaiting their arrival in Boston. Prior to departure, his Doctor insisted that his counts were insufficient for a journey back and forth across the country. Red counts were the sticking point, but Phil insisted that he’s had lots of practice holding his breath.

Overview

As he reached the rear of the plane, he walked into a restroom, put water on his face, and took a look at his eyes. His pupils seemed to be twice their normal size and he began to notice a very heavy feeling on his chest. As he hustled back to his seat in rough air, he went back to work and continued to have increased difficulty breathing. An elbow to his right aimed at the ribs of his partner got the attention he needed. Phil can hear him say, as though it were yesterday, say: “Stop working and get some sleep.”

Overview

Although this would have been unusual, Phil gave it a try. Only to notice that breathing was growing more difficult by the moment. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind that was proceeded by a question: “Can you make it back to Boston?”

Phil knew the answer, walked forward to visit with flight attendants who asked that he sit down and relax. When nothing changed, they decided to conduct vitals. Blood pressure that normally was 165-175/110 was now 190/115 and his pulse which was normally 47 at rest, was 125. Something was up and Phil needed a solution.

Overview

When things didn’t change, Phil realized that the issue was not mental, but physical. With no spare bags of red blood cells in the cabin, a flight attendant spoke with the captain. Within minutes, they both returned and he asked the usual questions about conditioning and heart problems. When he recognized that neither were the cause, he summoned for a doctor to come forward and assist a passenger in medical distress. At least a dozen sprinted to Phil’s aid and in their midst were cardiologists, general practitioners and an intern oncologist at the hospital where he was being treated.

Overview

Several requests were made of the passengers who were carrying nitroglycerin to come forward and share their inventory. When the drug failed, the captain had a tough decision to make. 300 people were expecting to be awakened as the plane hit a short runway at Logan Airport in Boston. His announcement that we were making an emergency landing in Chicago, did not please a single soul.

Overview

As the plane’s nose steeply pitched itself to a landing in Chicago, windows began to lighten up at the flash of lightning. Rapidly, we descended into weather that was diverting planes into other Midwest cities to a very large runway in Chicago. As we got closer to the ground, and the thin air 42,000 feet now became normal air, that weight on Phil’s chest began to lift. As they came to a grinding stop on the runway, torrential rain pounded the steps closest to the cockpit. Phil was carried down those steps as his partner insisted that he was going. Neither policemen, flight attendants or the captain of the plane could stop him from following Phil into the ambulance. Within hours, Phil was checked from head-to-toe and the prompt conclusion was lack of oxygen due to thin air at high altitude.

Overview

This was the first time in Phil’s treatment plan where his gut - or possibly his enthusiasm – overrode a physicians opinion, forcing him to pay the consequences. As the old saying goes: “Be careful what you ask for.”

Objectives

I. Ensure that you truly understand the consequences and the odds of each decision you make that falls outside the road well traveled.

II. Before taking a leap of faith, one must evaluate the consequences of a poor outcome.

Objectives

III. Decisions outside of the beaten path must be made with a sensitivity to the impact they will have on your caretakers if the situation did not go as planned.

IV. If you are attempting to accept and ultimately take a risk, investigate all options for minimizing a dreadful outcome.

Objectives

V. Whenever taking risk, it is vitally important to conduct a risk/reward analysis to ensure that a decision to go forward is in your best interest and the best interest of those around you.

Action Steps

I. Team ‘7’ Discussion (20 minutes)

In reading his book, what action did Mr. Bracco fail to take that could have prevented this consequence; what information did he lack?

Action Steps

II. Individual Journal (30 minutes)

In the last four years can you identify instances where negligence on your part to understand the consequences of your action caused problems for you and hardships for your associates.

Action Steps# Situation Information Not

ConsideredIf you were to do it again, what would you change

Action Steps

III. Team ‘7’ Discussion (20 minutes)

In the world we know today, what reckless actions create consequences that can be avoided. The scope can be national and international.

Action Steps

IV. Team ‘7’ Journal Entry (30 minutes)

As we emerge from college life to our next career, it is likely that we will be associated with some type of company with multiple employees with various skills. What consequences do you foresee if the employee has not benefitted from the Life Skills training that you have been processing here.

Action Steps# Situations that could potentially evolve in environments

that contain people with and without Life Skills training.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Action Steps

V. Team ‘7’ Discussion (20 minutes)

What do you think was the info Mr. Bracco failed to collect that caused this instance. When dealing with difficult challenges, one must be certain to understand the consequences of their actions –

No Exceptions.

SummaryInstrument Time Allotted Grade Impact %




Team 7 Journal Entry 30 minutes


Lesson 29

Creating Teamwork

Overview

One of the most important, and most often used, terms in

organizations and sports is an 8-letter, two-syllable word:

Teamwork.

Most are introduced the concept of teamwork as a child, in

physical education, then as little leaguers on sports teams.

Although often used, it is seldom described. Fortunately, great

teachers and coaches explain what they implied about the role

of a teammate.

Overview Continued

When diagnosed, with three weeks to get into remission, he

very quickly mobilized a team of talented people who took

responsibility for certain aspects of the plan.

When assignments were clear, Phil would often say that his

role, on the team, was to execute it to perfection and bring

other skills to the plan that could improve his chances of

success.

Cont.

Within weeks of accepting your first work assignment, your

Right of Passage questions whether you had the necessary

skills; or needed to develop them through practice and

repetition.

Cont.

Signs of great team members include:

1. Team members rarely use the word “I.” (There is an old

saying in sports, “There is no ‘I’ in ‘team.”)

2. Great teams put their own personal needs behind that of

the corporate mission.

3. Competitive companies often have several employees

competing for the same position. This can create an

unhealthy environment.

Objectives

I. Recognize that the company’s objectives take many of the

same considerations into account that high achievers consider

before accepting the job.

II. Oral and written communication using open and closed probes

is the key to problem solving

III. When preparing for a job review. Be certain to carry along a

job description. This will help your conversation remain factual

about what your assignment is and not what it has become.

Objectives

IV. Environments that support conflict are certain to create a

negative experience with their supervisor.

V. Like Phil, be certain before you go forward to have everything

you need to skew the odds of success in your favor. Never set

yourself up for failure. Never put yourself in a situation where

you are surrounded by young people who are not committed to

winning through teamwork.

Action Steps

I. Individual Journal Entry (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

List 7 factors that you consider important in your relationship

with the company and determine whether or not management

is committed to teamwork.

(Insert into Virtual Life Skills Journal)

Action Steps

II. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 min) 1 page

Your department is having a team meeting about the heavy

shipping schedule this week that customers require. Due to

tough economic times, management continues to limit staffing.

Write at least one page listing 5 open-probe questions for your

manager that reflects the team’s concern about being short-

staffed.

Action Steps

III. Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 30 min) 1 page

As the time of day becomes more important then the end of

the day’s project, management can be certain that it has a

morale problem that needs to be corrected. In one half a page

of less, what steps can management take to ensure that the

employees are committed the team objectives and are willing to

go the extra to ensure completion?

Action Steps

IV. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

In living for game day, a conflict existed between Mr. Bracco

and nurses who wanted to simplify their lives by drilling a port

into his chest. Phil refused because he felt the positives

outweighed the negatives. At what point, do you as an

employee resist managements instructions, for the greater

good of all workers?

Action Steps

V. Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes) 1 page

After several weeks, you have been functioning as part of a

team, what steps could that team have taken to function more

cohesively and more productively?

Summary





Lesson Plan 30

Speaking with Confidence

Overview

The way we talk, speaks volumes about the way we feel and often lets our competitors as well as our employees, know how committed we are to a certain objective.

Prospective employers look for the same conviction whenever we meet with them to discuss an opportunity; they look to their key managers for the same kind of confident speech that influences everyone’s perception of a project or an important situation. Survivors who overcome a catastrophic illness understand the same correlation between self-talk and outcome.

Objectives

I. Learn the importance of being credible and exuding confidence when using power talk. In other words, everything you use in communication, either oral or written, helps or hurts your position.

II. Always use affirmative talk in conversation with others.

Objectives

III. If in a management role, always give your team the impression that you are there to help them. Example: “when you get to that stage in the project, I will help you myself.” Rather than saying “if you get to that stage etc.”

IV. Employ win-win phrasing when you speak. Example: “Let’s talk it through and see where we end up”

Objectives

V. Make it a point to use positive phrases. Example: “This will fit your needs precisely” rather than “I think this will fit your needs.”

VI. Never jeopardize your integrity and avoid phrases like “to be perfectly honest”

VII. Never undermine your confidence by asking questions such as: “Do you think it will work?”

VIII. Never hedge in speaking by using phrases such as “sort of,” “kind of”

Action Steps

I. Individual Composition (20 minutes)

In one page or less, respond to the following:

Hypothetical Scenario:

It is the end of the first quarter and your team has set it’s sites on a banner year. Sales are flat and profit margins are below plan due to discounting. As a Department Manager, you are providing a quarterly update that must include many of the power talk skills referenced above. In one page or less, describe what you would say.

Action Steps

II. Individual Journal Entry (30 minutes):

Identify phrases that you need to delete from your vocabulary when interacting with others.

Phrases to Delete

Action Steps

III. Team ‘7’ Journal Entry (30 minutes)

On the page that follows, correct each use of language with speech that amplifies confidence.

Action Steps

Signs of Weakness Appropriate Responses

I think I can

If time permits

I may be able to

I’m not sure

Do you think this will work?

I’ll try

I hope

I suspect

I’ll ask my superiors I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow.

At the right moment

Action Steps

IV. Individual Composition (20 minutes)

With information coming at you at the speed of light, sit back for a moment and write a one page or less composition on people who speak with confidence and support your position with relevant facts related to the discussions we’ve had in this class.

Action Steps

V. Team ‘7’ Discussion – 20 minutes

As a new member of the working force, you will be frequently asked whether or not you can complete a certain project by a certain time. What do you feel is the most appropriate response?

Summary


Individual Assessment 20 minutes



20 minutes

Individual Journal Entry

30 minutes


Lesson Plan 31

Never Quitting

Overview

One of the benefits of playing sports at an early age was the confrontation that periodically occurs in your mind about continuing or quitting.

Often a voice that whispers “why are we doing this?” creeps into your mind and poses an option that at the moment appears much more appealing.

Quitting is the easy thing to do and although it provides temporary relief, it also can become a habit that will plague you for the remainder of your days. The question becomes, when is it reasonable to quit, cease on a certain project and when is it right to continue and press forward.

Overview

During Phil Bracco’s lifetime, he has had many opportunities to speak with cancer patients. Most were ready to quit prematurely while others who were beyond technology’s ability to cure them were rightfully making a decision that made great sense. During my three bouts with cancer, there was only one evening when the thought crossed my mind. After a month of continuous chemotherapy, complicated by an inability to breathe, swallow, and for that matter eat anything, I found myself staring at a large picture window that featured the skyline of Boston. I remember falling asleep and waking up and visually imagining the people, the unfinished work, that I had to live for. Instantly, my mind was corrected and Dr. Frankl’s message about the importance of meaning in my life reversed the mindset that could have led to a prompt end of my life.

Objectives

I. Knowing the difference between quitting an activity without due cause and making a decision based on good judgment.

II. Understanding that quitting can quickly become a habit that excuses us from some of the tougher responsibilities we will accept as we move down life’s path.

Overview

III. To recognize that the antidote to quitting is to focus on those people and unfinished activities that bring meaning to your life.

IV. When and if you do quit an activity, allow

some time to pass to evaluate why and how would you approach the matter differently in the future?

V. Quitting brings along with it a feeling of self-doubt that will assuredly impact other activities that you may accel in.

Action Steps

I. Individual Assessment – Journal (30 minutes)

Compile a list of five activities that you quit that in hindsight required more drive and perseverance to continue and would have ultimately been to your benefit. (Use chart on following slide)

Action Steps

# Activities that you quit:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Action Steps

II. Individual Assessment (30 minutes)

List five situations where you quit an activity and in hindsight it was the right decision. Explain your rationale.

# Activities that you quit: Rationale

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Action Steps

III. Individual Composition (20 minutes) 1 page

What relevance do you recall between the message in Frankl’s book and the subject of quitting?

Action Steps

IV. Team ‘7’ Discussion (20 minutes)

After reading the book, Living for Gameday, what do you feel were the motivating factors that gave Phil Bracco the reputation for never quitting.

Action Steps

V. Individual Journal Entry – 20 minutesAfter reading both books, what are the ten most important motivating factors in your life for continuing the journey and never quitting.

# Motivating Factors to Never Quit

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Summary





20 minutes

Individual Journal Entry

30 minutes


Lesson Plan 32

Slowing the Clock Down

Overview

Those closest to Phil often here him say that he intends to turn the clock back. After two transplants, he immediately returns to the gym and not only ensures that he can restore health but that he can become healthier than he was prior to illness.

Overview

Phil considers the body to be a wonderful machine that can restore, if not improve itself, if treated reasonably with health being the primary objective. This Lesson Plan is going to focus on slowing the clock down and restoring our mind, behavior and expectations to those we knew in our youth.

Overview

In his latest transplant, Phil sent the message to his closest friends while spending the better part of 2011 in a hyperbaric room with a clock staring in his face, he was often reminded of a time when life moved so slowly, so simply, so perfectly.

It was a time when we were concerned with our immediate surroundings; intrigue defined our state of mind.

Remember when …

Close your eyes – go back to those days when your only focus was directed on what was in front of you, nothing else really mattered – our regrets were few; our concerns grounded in the moment; we were never apprehensive about the future.

Everything in our world was intended to create happiness.

The end result of our singular focus was the following: • Our days moved so slowly• The holidays took forever to come• Summer vacation seemed so distant• The clock in your classroom struggled to get to recess• 18 years seemed like a lifetime away

The End Result

In time, before the Mind Watcher knew his skill, information began to infiltrate your mind. In time, the pace increased – some of it was good, some of it was negative. Soon, new responsibilities become part of your life and the child that was singularly focused is now wondering where did the day go.

Objectives

Learn to slow down your clock and restore the joy and happiness that you felt in childhood.

I.

II. Turn back the clock by confronting yourself each day to make more physical deposits than withdrawals.

III. Remember that happiness is not granted to only those with resources. As a child, you lived moment to moment.

Objectives

Ensure that you surround yourself with people that talk about happy things, who share your belief that happiness can be created in the future and not only reminisced in the past.

Never quit: No matter how difficult things are, remain focused on what you have, and remain confident that life will provide a solution.

IV.

V.

Action Steps

Individual Session (30 minutes)

For the next five minutes, sit quietly at your desk and take note of the activities and responsibilities that cross your mind. At the conclusion, create a one page list of those activities. The objective is to sit quietly and consume yourself with the moment and avoid the pitfalls of dwelling on chores. Give yourself a grade and consider what’s needed to keep that list at zero.

I.

Activities that Slow You Down

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Action Steps Individual Session (Time allotted 30 minutes)II.

Action Steps

Team ‘7’ Discussion (Time allotted 20 minutes)

Compile a list of routine chores that create

speed and anxiety in your life. Determine which

can or cannot be eliminated.

III.

Action Steps

Activities That Can Be Eliminated Yes No

Action Steps

Team ‘7’ Contest (Time allotted 10 minutes)

Make a list of life skill activities that you learned in this class that can help you slow down the clock, reduce anxiety and extend this journey. Full sentences required. Insert in journal.

IV.

Action StepsLife Skill Activities That Will Help You Slow Down The Clock

Action Steps

Review the Jim Valvano Clip (Time allotted 30 minutes.)

“Never quit. Language therapists did a study of an Native American tribe and found out there was not a stutterer among them. When they reviewed the language itself, they found the word stutter did not exist in their dictionary. When they inquired a young Native American student raised his hand and said, “Sir how can we stutter if the word does not exist?”

Food for thought until we meet again ...

It’s been my pleasure.”

-Phil Bracco

V.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuoVM9nm42E



Education

Living For Game Day Life skills Curriculum