2018.2.4
“Outtakes”. A snippet of thoughts to kick off this blog post:
We all know that there is power in positivity and optimism, but it is usually easier to say than to do. Hearing from someone (Steve Gross) who has brought joy to some of the most grief-stricken areas on the planet, in a community like Newtown, puts many things in perspective.
What I am looking forward to putting into practice, or continuing:
Being grateful for all that I have.
Leading by example and maintaining a positive attitude.
Quote(s) that resonated with me this week:
“Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”
“If you want to be more optimistic, act like you already are.” Life is Good Kids Foundation, Core Belief
“Life isn’t easy, but there is goodness all around if we allow our brains to see it.” ~ Steve Gross
This past Thursday (2/1), I was fortunate to be able to attend the first-ever Brainstorm Experience event, put on by the Avielle Foundation, at the Edmond Town Hall in Newtown (CT). They brought in Steve Gross (@ChiefPlaymaker) from the Life is Good Kids Foundation. Steve is, “a leader in the field of psychological trauma response and a pioneer in utilizing playful engagement and meaningful relationships to overcome the devastating impact of early childhood trauma.” I heard Steve speak last March in Boston at the SHAPE America National Convention and his message is one that I could listen to a dozen time and still benefit. Before getting into this particular event, it is important to provide a little context.
The Avielle Foundation was founded in December, 2012 by her parents after Avielle was tragically lost in the Sandy Hook school shooting. Their mission is, “to prevent violence and build compassion through neuroscience research, community engagement, and education”. They have committed their lives to researching and educating others on the science of the brain and hopefully help avoid future tragedies. To be in an auditorium with many people directly impacted by this tragedy who have come together to help others, is humbling. To say that the evening overall was moving would be an understatement. The event kicked off with an emotional song sung by a talented young lady accompanied by a gentleman with a guitar. It was evident the song was about Avielle, which made it that much more emotional.
After the intro song, Steve was introduced. To set the tone, he got the full-house up on their feet, put on an upbeat song, and got everyone moving and interacting. He called out numbers “one” through “six” which equated to people raising their hands up in the air, waving them side to side, doing an invisible hula hoop, hugging the person next to you, and double high-fiving. After just a couple of minutes, everyone in the room was re-energized, smiling, and ready to learn!
My biggest takeaway from the evening was that we are all not wired the same, but we all have a choice to how we respond to different events in our lives. Steve used the glass half-empty, half-full analogy with a level above and below each delineates “types of people”. Those additional people were, “I’m just grateful for the glass” to represent those eternally optimistic people, and, “There’s a spot on my freakin’ glass” to represent those who can find the negative in just about anything. Regardless of how we are wired, it is up to us to choose the positives that exist in ourselves, in others, and in the world around us.
The “world around us” can be the most challenging. To put this in perspective, he asked the crowd who thought the world was better off now than it used to be? Who thought it was about the same? And, who thought it was worse off than it used to be? This is obviously subjective and open to vast interpretation. Not surprisingly, it was a fairly even mix of responses between the three, from what I could tell from my seat.
The next slide was a collage of horrible news headlines (one reason, I am not a fan of mainstream media and the negativity that is constantly bombarding our society). The next three slides showed how the world has indeed improved from the 1800’s with a drop in global poverty, a rise in global literacy, and a drop in global child mortality (you can see these slides below). The point is, there are so many situations to be grateful for. Some may be more immediate, while others have been making progress for hundreds of years.
From a physiological standpoint, Steve showed a slide of a brain that has a significant amount more dendrite development from being in an enriched, nurtured environment. This particular study had to do with rats and being held by their caretakers, but the science holds up whether you are talking about rats, or humans. Research such as this shows the need to create and foster a positive learning environment for our students so we are able to help them grow cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally. All four of these are equally important.
Overall, the foundation of optimism is what helps our “well-rounded” tree of positivity (my words) grow. By no means, does this mean that we will not have to deal with adversity or work through difficult situations. However, having your emotional bank filled with lots of positive equity, allows for us to be more resilient during these trying times. The quote, “We can’t change what happened yesterday, we can’t control what will happen tomorrow, but we can LIVE in the moment…” is a fitting way to wrap this up. Things may be out of our control, but we can control how we respond and appreciate what we have in our lives right now...
Before signing off, it is worth noting that the next Brainstorm Experience speaker will be Kevin Hines with his talk, Cracked, Not Broken. Kevin is, “an avid brain health advocate who shares a powerful story of life after his Golden Gate Bridge suicide attempt, with the message that you are never alone in the fight for wellness”. Treat yourself to an educational evening out and support the Avielle Foundation and the Brainstorm Experience by purchasing tickets, here.
Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog. Have a great week!
Tags: #BrainstormExperience, @ChiefPlaymaker, Avielle Foundation, Life is Good, #positivity, #optimism, #grateful
Please feel free to contact or follow me:
Twitter: @DavidGusitsch
Blog: https://davidgusitsch.blogspot.com/
Email: david.gusitsch@ncps-k12.org
Here are a few pics from the Brainstorm Experience event:
This graphic says so much:
The equation to a successful life, “Optimism over Adversity”:
Is the world better off now? It’s open to interpretation:
Physiological response to an “enriched” environment:
So true:
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