One of my favorite holiday stories is Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The best rendition is the 1965 stop motion animated TV special. It is still going strong. Compelling tales have a life of their own.

Rudolph of course is the young reindeer with the shiny nose. He wants to be like the other reindeer but his shiny red nose appears to be getting in the way of things. So what happens? His parents try to cover it up so he can fit in .  It doesn’t work and his fellow reindeer are not kind. Even Santa does not want to stamp Rudolph’s ticket.

It doesn’t get much worse than being rejected by the herd, Rudolph sets off on a journey. He is joined by Hermey, an aspiring dentist trapped in an elf’s body. They form a shared purpose and Hermey declares , “Let’s be independent together!”. They are two outliers out on an adventure, both realizing they want to simply be who they are. They go on a hero’s quest, meet up with prospector Yukon Cornelius, tangle with the abominable snowman, and end up in the land of misfit toys (my favorite part). Here they meet others just like them and their shared purpose grows. While Rudolph wants to help, fear and self-doubt continue to show up inside of him. His journey continues until he chooses to return home. His travels and actions have helped him grow and with the help of his fellow outcasts he rescues his family and saves the day with the same shiny nose he was previously ridiculed for.

Rudolph knew he had to be himself. He learned to accept himself, even if it meant being judged weird by others. He also had to notice his own self-judgements. Along the way he developed a shared purpose with other fellow “weirdos” and together they discovered the secret that we are all a little weird and that it is okay, even catchy once you get the hang of it.

In these difficult times, we are all feeling a little weird, maybe a lot. We can notice and even accept that it will continue to be part of us. We can also notice that we a part of a shared purpose of doing our best to help each other through the fog. Let’s be weird together.

In these challenging times, educators and other influencers are in need of tools that they can use with students both online and in-person. The ACT Matrix laminated guide was built to promote psychological flexibility and safety with students and adults of all ages. Dr. Polk and I are on Crowdcast now three times per week with free webinars helping to spread psychological flexibiity to the world. The Guide is our way of putting it directly into the hands of anyone working to make a difference. It will free you up to do more teaching, help your students with obstacles, and give everyone a shared language that grooms cooperation and collaboration. 

Click on the box below. You can sign up (it’s free) to watch the replay  where we introduce the ACT Matrix Guide and get started right away!

This guide has been over 10 years in the making and was developed from the daily interactions of teachers and learners. It allows you to dive into social-emotional learning with no additional training or expertise. That is because it quickly establishes an engaging point-of-view with a simple diagram and a few respectful questions. It is for the busy professional, youth worker, assistant, or other specialist working to make a difference.

The ACT Matrix Guide transforms social-emotional learning by building self-awareness, self-regulation, and prosocial behavior in real-time with no need for downloads or manuals. It is meant to be used alongside whatever you do that works. With a little practice, you will help others move toward shared purposes, valued actions,  and common goals. You will reduce your stress and spend more time influencing and less time managing.

It is available through National Professional Resources, a leader in resources for busy professionals.  If you order now, you will receive a 15% discount by entering the Promo Code SEL1520. Click below:

The ACT Matrix Guide

Dr. Kevin Polk and I are hosting multiple weekly webinars. The purpose is to teach and train others on how to dramatically increase psychological flexibility and safety for everyone.

Check out our Crowdcast topics and experience for yourself the power of this dynamic process.