Reaching Your Potential What are some of your dreams or goals? What progress have you made in achieving some of them? What obstacles must you overcome to reach your dreams?

Making the Most of yourself  Each day is a step toward what you choose to build  Being successful at something you work for feels good  It makes you feel more confident and willing to take on other challenges

Success and Self-Confidence  Self-confidence means people are confident in their abilities. The feel good about themselves and their accomplishments  When Success comes they feel there are other things they can achieve if they work at them

Confidence  Think of tasks you weren’t able to accomplish when you were younger.  Learning to read, make food, play a game- in the process did you say to yourself “I know I can do this!”

Independence  Think about experience you have had since your were little  Hopefully many of the experiences were positive as you learned to walk, talk and understand more of your world.  While what you want to achieve today is different, every past success helps you believe you can make it

Potential  Potential- the possibility of becoming more than they are right now. Reaching your potential means becoming all you can be.

Keep your efforts focused  Many people don’t reach their potential b/c they get distracted so often along the way. It is important to set priorities by determining what is important to you and ranking those things in order of importance  Once you decide what you want to accomplish, stay focused

Check out your interests and activities  Make a list of each.  Next compare your interests and activities to your priorities

Choose friends who SUPPORT YOU  Some people always have a negative attitude, others can influence you in the wrong ways  To be your best, surround yourself with friends who provide positive encouragement

Be Health-Smart  You are more likely to reach your potential if you are healthy and full of energy  Eat a variety of foods that are good for you  Get enough sleep and exercise  Avoid tobacco, drugs and alcohol

Resources Impact Potential  Anything you use to help accomplish something is a resource  Resources can be either human or material  Resources that have to do with people are called human resources- including time, energy and knowledge

Resources  Material resources- include money, property, supplies, time and tools  Community resources- such as libraries, schools, churches, hospitals, clinics and parks  Natural resources- include everything in the natural environment- water, trees, oil

Resources  Family members, teachers, and other school personnel are human resources that can help you achieve a goal  Friends, neighbors, employers and people in the community offer other possibilities to help you reach your potential  Doctors, police officers, firefighters and EMT are also valuable resources

YOU  You are a storehouse of human resources- they include your health, interests, skills, knowledge, abilities and attitudes.

Make the most of your Resources  Expand your resources- get to know a variety of people. Individuals you meet may be able to help you learn skill or find a job. Read newspapers, bullentin boards, and pamphlets

Conserve your Resources  Opening a savings account will reward you with more money in the long run  Care for your possessions, they will last longer and your won’t have to replace them as often  Substitute resources- make a gift instead of buying one, rent a movie instead of going to the movie

Goals  A goal is something you plan to do, be or have  It is something you are willing to work for  Everyone has goals in life, but not everyone achieves them