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The difference between mediocrity and greatness is... how you acknowledge the greatness in others as well as how you acknowledge the greatness in yourself.

Intention of the Make A Difference with the Power of Acknowledgment UTRAIN™ Program for You:

The learning activities provided in this UTRAIN™ activities program are designed to help everyone in your school reach a sense of a greater "community" by learning how to successfully Acknowledge our own greatness and therefore the greatness in every one else. This program intends that:

1) We have a responsibility to educate children to be contributors and valuable members of society and to help them to believe in themselves and to not only have dreams, but honor their dreams daily by putting one foot in front of the other –one academic and personal success at a time –so they can make a difference in the world.

2) We ALL have the responsibility to each other to step in and make a positive difference when opportunities present themselves, because being a part of a community of caring people, we learn that "me" becomes "we."

3) You can change the world one person at a time by encouraging students to encourage others by passing acknowledgment on. If 1 of them can touch 1; then 1 can touch 3! This becomes exponential in its reach. Daily Acknowledgment of Others and of Oneself is Energizing!

Excerpt from Make A Difference with the Power of Acknowledgment UTRAIN™ Program for Education

The social-emotional issues within our schools today can and will either make or break a student's ability to settle down and focus their attention on the learning tasks at hand so they can perform well on tests.

If you are stressed out and upset about something that's happened, our breathing becomes shallow. Shallow breathing means less oxygen to the brain. Less oxygen to the brain mean's a decreased ability to think and reason.

Research about the brain reveals that compassionate thoughts literally LIGHTs UP the frontal lobe of a person's brain. (The frontal lobe is where the mind can access solutions!!!) When we are resentful or angry, there is no light in that part of the brain, and so we shut down and fail to function well. As soon as we deliberately think - or are on the receiving end - of compassionate thoughts or actions, this part of the brain LIGHTs UP, and we can literally go from thinking something is IMPossible to deal with or understand to it Is Most Possible

LET'S GET THE LIGHTS TURNED ON and KEPT ON in all of our students, all of the time with the empowerment that the daily practice of acknowledgment brings!

Compassion must be learned ... and the best place to begin is through experiencing the transformative power of Acknowledging others and ourselves in positive, affirmative ways.

An unconditional, heart-felt connection never causes harm to one's self or to others. Very simply put, authentic acknowledgment creates a connection that gives a sense of something greater than the self.

The practice of connecting with affirmative Acknowledgment creates a ripple effect that changes attitudes, reinforces the positive, and can have an impact far greater than we realize. A psychological sense of connection is a feeling of union and transcendence, motivated by compassion, awe, peace or joy. This is all about bringing the intention of compassionate connection into our conscious experience every day.