KNOWING whats right isnt hard DOING whats right

“KNOWING” what’s right isn’t hard… DOING what’s right is!” -Lyndon B. Johnson

Achieving good health begins with making good decisions!

What factors most influence YOUR health choices? All choices have consequences!

As you get older, you gain more freedom • Think about some of the things that you are free to do that you couldn’t do in elementary school? Middle school?

With freedom comes more responsibility Good choices demand better decision making skills. How are your attempts at making important decisions? ? ?

Making a healthy change in your life requires… • Awareness recognizing a problem • Knowledge learn the facts • Decision making what to do? • Applying skills create a “new” habit

Certain patterns of decision making can hurt your health What’s YOUR style?

INACTIVE • Fails to act; a procrastinator; allows the chance to take control of a decision to pass by • Why? Lack confidence; maturity

REACTIVE • Allows other to make decisions for them; easily influenced by what others think; give control of lives to others • Why? Need to be liked/accepted

PROACTIVE • Makes a decision after considering options, weighing the risks and taking responsibility for the outcome. Not easily influenced by others. EMPOWERED or energized by their choices because they have CONTROL over their lives.

Choices motivated by belief in yourself are seldom regretted

Decision-Making Empowered choices implies a consideration of the consequences of each choice This is where you must consider your VALUES, the standards and beliefs that are most important to you.

Consider this scenario: • You are at the mall when you find a $20 bill on the ground…. . What would you do? • …saw the $20 fall out of a woman’s purse? • …. a teenager drops it? • …. a child drops it?

• Why don’t ALL people respond to this scenario in the same way? • Our values are different!

What are Values? ? ? • Ideas or beliefs that we hold special and meaningful • Beliefs that guide our actions and attitudes • Everyone has their OWN set of core values; why?

Where do we learn values? • Parents, family, school, church • Increasingly, from friends and media (is this a problem? )

Complete the “Checklist for Personal Values” activity sheet

Universal Values • • • Honesty Loyalty Integrity Citizenship Respect These values are “expected” in a civilized society

Other values are more “personal” or “core” …that explains why two people don’t see a solution the same way

There is, then, a FOURTH component to Health and Wellness…. . ETHICAL HEALTH!

MAKING GOOD DECISIONS BUILDS CONFIDENCE And makes it less likely that you will give in to pressures and more likely that your health status will be affected in a positive way.

MAKING GOOD DECISIONS ALSO GIVES YOUR PARENTS CONFIDENCE IN YOU. This leads to more trust, responsibility and respect!

What should you do if you make a wrong decision? • • Take responsibility for your actions STOP what you’re doing! Discuss your choices with others Offer “restitution” for your actions

A decision making model! • • • efine the problem xplore the options onsider the consequences identify your values etermine the best option valuate the results

MYTH OR FACT? • No one can help you make a decision; you have to make them for yourself • The best decision has the best IMMEDIATE outcome • If the outcome is not what I wanted, I made the wrong decision

“If I knew then what I know now…” • Consider a regrettable decision that you identified earlier. Re-think that decision as a “proactive” decisionmaker. How would the outcome change? Why is this a change for the better? • “Hindsight is 20/20”

Changing a behavior is difficult. Why? • Internal influences ex. Safety, legality, health, self-respect and values • External influences ex. Friends, family, society and media

Remember… • Good decision making is a practiced skill…you can get better at it • Good decisions always reflect your values. A decision in conflict with your values will always be a regrettable one. • Learn from your mistakes!