This post is dedicated Miss Shalimar.  You are stronger than you think you are, Darlin’ 🙂

Forgive me, my sweet sketchy scribes, if I go on a bit about my new class.  They are a great bunch of kids.

This year, I decided to dispense with the usual All About me posters and books my grade level usually likes to create.  Instead, I decided we should try to make All About Me Pyramids.

First, I had the kids answer a series of psychological questions.  Of course, my students didn’t realize I was asking them to answer psychological questions.  I got these questions from my new guru Jayson Gaddis.  I put each of his eight questions in a classification map (which the kids at our school are VERY familiar with) and gave them to the kids to answer.  I told them it was OK if they repeated their answers. They just could not repeat their answers for the same questions.  Here is how just one of my students decided to answer the questions…

After the kids finished answering their questions, I let them color a Mandala as I had each one come up and sit with me.  I took each of their answers and made a list.  Some answers came up over and over again.  These answers were given a higher weight in the child’s pyramid than other answers that just came up once.  Once I was finished, I was able to create a pyramid showing the child what things in their life were most important versus things which were less important.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Gaddis suggests that by answering these questions a person creating the pyramid can see their life in a more concrete way.  You can easily see what parts of your life you are putting energy into and what isn’t so important.  For example, I could see which kids were REALLY into school and which kids really were not.  And it was totally OK if they were not.  From their pyramids, I got to see all the cool things they are into.

What was really cool was that they knew that I knew what they were into.  I could see each kid as a very distinct person.  What a cool gift for a teacher to give a kid the first week of school, huh?!  Some of the things my students are into include: cooking, animals (dogs), skateboarding, Jake Paul (a You Tuber), and various video games.

So, how does all of this help you out, my sweet Sketchy Scribes?

Well, check out the Classification Map at the beginning of this post. What if you answered the same questions for yourself?  Then take each answer and weight them to see how often you are choosing to do/think about that item.  Create your own pyramid.  Voila!  You have your very own All About Me Pyramid.

Why should you do this?

This Sketchy Scribe has a saying:

Into every life, a little drama must fall.

You are going to have to deal with someone being angry or upset at you at some point.  None of us can avoid this.  Perhaps they will give you the silent treatment.  Perhaps they’ll try to make a scene with you in a restaurant.  What can you do?  Well, in all instances… YOU DO YOU.  You focus on the things that are most important to you.  When someone starts going ape on me, I think about the character of Qui Gon Ginn from Star Wars.  I remember that time he was in the fight with Darth Maul.  The battle descatales at one point and Qui Gon does something remarkable…he sits and refocuses himself for the next phase of fighting.  Darth Maul paces up and down just waiting to start the fight again, but Qui Gon centers himself. Check it out…

Knowing who you really are and what is most important to you puts things into perspective. Fights just don’t get so upsetting if you are standing strong in your personal power.

And that isn’t to say you do not help others.  Of course, if you can. But you must also remember to help yourself.  As one of my favorite quotes from Rabbi Hillel goes…

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?

If I am only for myself, who am I?

And if not now?  When?

Help yourself so you can help others.  The pyramid keeps you balanced and focused on the things that are really important to you.  And remember, I did NOT create this.  This work belongs to the love warrior himself, Jayson Gaddis.  Here he is, direct from the Relationship School giving you a few choice words on how you can stop allowing people to treat you badly.  Take it away Jayson…

And if that doesn’t help, maybe listening to the iconic Aretha Franklin a few times will remind you what you deserve in this bad ass world.