Confidence!
Some of the goals of the aMUSE Journey are to help you understand your unique feelings and qualities and to introduce you to the actions you can take to strengthen your sense of self.
Let's start with the idea of confidence!
Think about the image of a confident hero commonly portrayed in movies and comic books...like Superman or Batman. What do their costumes have in common? A cloak! Even Harry Potter has a cloak - it makes him invisible. The cloak identifies these imaginary characters as someone special and gives them confidence to do things they might not try in ordinary street clothes.
While they are imaginary, and their super powers are imaginary - the idea of confidence making you stronger is very real. In fact, confidence can be like a protective cloak that shelters you when someone says or does something that hurts you in some way. When you wear your Confidence Cloak, it is easier to stay true to your own thoughts and feelings and not be influenced by pressures or unkind acts or words of others.
Let's have a little fun with this idea!!
Let's start with the idea of confidence!
Think about the image of a confident hero commonly portrayed in movies and comic books...like Superman or Batman. What do their costumes have in common? A cloak! Even Harry Potter has a cloak - it makes him invisible. The cloak identifies these imaginary characters as someone special and gives them confidence to do things they might not try in ordinary street clothes.
While they are imaginary, and their super powers are imaginary - the idea of confidence making you stronger is very real. In fact, confidence can be like a protective cloak that shelters you when someone says or does something that hurts you in some way. When you wear your Confidence Cloak, it is easier to stay true to your own thoughts and feelings and not be influenced by pressures or unkind acts or words of others.
Let's have a little fun with this idea!!
Click on the small picture of a cloak on the right hand side of this paragraph. It will open a larger picture that you can print. If you don't have a way to print, you can draw one on a piece of paper.
Once you have a "cloak" to work with, think about some of the pressures you might be experiencing at school, with friends, at home, or elsewhere in your life. Some examples might be pressure to fit in or not be different, or to do something you don't want to do. (If your Barbie was real - based on some of the reasons she might not have been your first choice as a new friend, some of her pressures might be having the "wrong" hair color or looking too much like some other Barbie.) Using the cloak you printed out, write your own personal pressures outside the cloak. Now, think about what keeps you feeling good and strong, no matter what you might be facing (things like talking about your feelings, learning about yourself, trying new activities, knowing everyone is different. Put all of these things on your cloak. Always remember that everyone feels pressure, but it is how we handle that pressure that keeps us strong! The more ways you find to cope with pressure, the easier it is for your confidence to shine. When you have completed that activity, take a minute to fill out the following survey to share your results. Take time to read the pages of your Girl Scout sisters to see if there is something on their cloaks that helps keep them strong that you hadn't thought of. If you want to email me a scanned picture of your cloak - I will post it on your blog! |