9781422277911

Leadership Skills & Character Building SELF-DISCIPLINE & RESPONSIBILITY

TITLES IN THE SERIES

• Communication Skills • Initiative, Grit & Perseverance • Integrity & Honesty • Organization & Problem-Solving

• Self-Confidence • Self-Discipline & Responsibility • Tolerance & Cooperation

Leadership Skills & Character Building SELF-DISCIPLINE & RESPONSIBILITY

Sarah Smith

MASON CREST

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, Pennsylvania PA 19008 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll free)

Copyright © 2019 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN: 978-1-4222-4000-7 Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3994-0 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7791-1

Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

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Cont ents

Introduction

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Chapter One: How to Build Character & Leadership Skills With Self-Discipline & Responsibility

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Chapter Two: Getting Organized Chapter Three: Financial Responsibility Chapter Four: Planning Your Schedule

15 21 29 37 47 53 58 60 61 62 64

Chapter Five: Taking Care of Your Mental & Physical Health

Taking Responsibility for Your Family, Friends & Pets

Chapter Six:

Chapter Seven: Planning for Important Events

Series Glossary of Key Terms

Further Reading & Internet Resources

Organizations to Contact

Index

Picture Credits/Video Credits & About the Author

KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR:

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills.

Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis.

Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout the series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

INTRODUCTION: INSPIRATION TO THE READER The most effective leaders have a combination of intellectual intelligence (IQ), technical skills, and emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence is an essential ingredient. EI is the act of knowing, understanding, and responding to emotions, overcoming stress in the moment, and being aware of how your words and actions affect others. Emotional intelligence consists of five attributes: self-awareness, self-management, empathy, motivation, and effective communication.

The Unrelenting Athlete “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why

I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

The Bold Poets

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou “What’s money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do.” – Bob Dylan

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Self-Discipline & Responsibility Becoming more confident as a leader in any capacity will help you inspire others and set a positive example. Gaining confidence in yourself, and finding more joy and peace of mind as you go about life, will help you handle all the successes, challenges, and setbacks along the way. Inside the pages of this book we will discuss all the components to improving your leadership skills, bringing you more confidence and building your character to become the leader you want to be some day.

The Inspiring Creators

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein

The Captivating Writer

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

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Words to Understand

academic: of or relating to schools and education challenge: to arouse or stimulate, especially by presenting with difficulties common: done by many people

A good leader will build the confidence of their team by trusting in their abilities to compete tasks. At the same time, the team leader will take responsibility for making sure the job is completed properly on time and on budget.

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Chapter One HOW TO BUILD CHARACTER & LEADERSHIPS SKILLS WITH SELF-DISCIPLINE & RESPONSIBILITY

A nyone can be a leader. A leader can be a teacher, a principal, a boss, a parent, a captain of a sports team, or even a friend who stands up to bullies or does something else courageously. A leader can be loud or quiet, outgoing or introverted, up front and center or working quietly from the shadows. Leaders can be found in just about any area of life, which brings up the following question: What do good leaders have in common? Of all the important things he or she does, a good leader inspires . By setting a positive example, a leader encourages others to take action, work together toward a common goal, and challenge themselves to learn and grow. But this same ability to inspire others is exactly what helps a good leader inspire himself or herself as well.

In other words: Good leaders don’t just make their team better: they make themselves better, too.

Self-Discipline & Responsibility: Two Key Traits of the Effective Leader

When it comes to leadership, it doesn’t matter if a person is leading a family, a sports team, a business, a community, a movement, a nation, or even the entire world—anyone hoping to make an impact needs two essential traits: self-discipline and responsibility . These

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How to Build Character & Leadership Skills With Self-Discipline & Responsibility

Leadership skills are learned through hard work and self-discipline. The good news is that every act of self-discipline you do will increase your confidence and leadership qualities. Martial arts, including karate and judo, are arts of combat through which one’s self-discipline can be improved. traits are intricately related and at the heart of what this book is all about. Readers will learn how being disciplined and responsible can benefit every aspect of a person’s life, especially when it comes to succeeding in relationships, mental and physical health, financial wealth, careers, and personal goals. First, the topics of discipline and personal responsibility will be applied to a person’s organizational skills, which are essential to completing tasks and staying competitive in an academic - and career-oriented world. Next, the reader will learn how developing a habit of discipline and personal responsibility can improve their financial wealth. They’ll be introduced to specific tools that can help even a shopaholic save more money and increase their net worth. Of course, time is considered the most valuable commodity there is (even more than money!), and the person who can master themselves will be able to get the most out of the precious time they have. This book will teach a person how to use

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Self-Discipline & Responsibility

their burgeoning skills of self-discipline and responsibility to make and keep effective schedules, accomplish tasks, and achieve goals. Besides time, of course, a person’s mental and physical well-being is also extremely valuable. Health is essential to living a fulfilling life and succeeding in school, relationships, careers, and beyond. The reader will see how discipline and responsibility are a prerequisite to mental and physical wellness. This book will also introduce the reader to certain healthy habits (and how to adopt them) that stand to make a positive impact over the course of an entire lifetime, no matter what age a person is. Research consistently shows that a person can have everything in the world, but without meaningful relationships, their health and happiness will suffer. So this book will help the reader understand how being more disciplined and responsible can improve the relationships they share with their friends, family members, and even pets.

Healthy eating and exercise are good habits to get into, both of which require self-discipline. Once established as routine, these beneficial habits will have a positive impact over an entire lifetime.

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How to Build Character & Leadership Skills With Self-Discipline & Responsibility

Poverty to Wealth: Bruce Lee Perhaps the most famous and beloved action star of all time was Bruce Lee, a Chinese-American martial artist, actor, and filmmaker who starred in classic television shows and films such as The Green Hornet , Enter the Dragon, and Fists of Fury . Born in San Francisco in 1940, Lee spent his youth acting in China until returning to the United States in the 1950s, where he began teaching dance and martial arts. Lee was known as a highly disciplined and hard-working individual. In his short life, he opened his own martial arts school,

became a box-office movie star, and even created his own style of martial arts known as Jeet Kune Do, which combined several styles of martial arts into a set of principles and movements that are intended to help develop both a strong body and mind. Tragically, Lee died at the young age of 32 from a cerebral edema (swelling in the brain) that doctors believe may have come about as an adverse reaction to a prescription medication he was taking at the time. However, his philosophical beliefs about personal fulfillment, consciousness, and life meaning remain hugely popular to this day. Of the many words of wisdom he is known for, the following quote alluding to self-discipline and focus is perhaps the most famous: “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I do fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

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Self-Discipline & Responsibility Lastly, remember that life is about the memories we make. By reading this book, a young person will learn how developing a practice of discipline and responsibility can help them plan for and adapt to important life events, allowing them to get the most enjoyment and fulfillment out of these experiences. Nothing great was ever accomplished without discipline, responsibility, and hard work. Fortunately, much like academic intelligence, the degree of responsibility and self-discipline a person has can actually get better over time. But just like a person has to study in order to learn a subject and pass a test, the young person who wants to become more responsible and disciplined needs to practice certain skills regularly. This commitment to practice in itself can help develop these skills, but focusing on core elements (taken from research and the examples set by well- known leaders and innovators around the world) can help even more.

So let’s take a leap of faith and dive in!

Text-Dependent Questions 1. How can martial arts training improve leadership skills? 2. When did Bruce Lee die? 3. Why are discipline, responsibility, and hard work necessary for success? Research Project Using the Internet, search for three influential people who faced adversity as they grew up. Write a brief biography on each of them.

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Words to Understand organized: having one’s items, tasks, thoughts, and affairs in order so as to deal with them in an optimal and structured way responsibility: the ability to do the things expected or necessary, the “right things”; the ability both to take action and accept the consequences of one’s action self-discipline: the ability to control one’s impulses, emotions, and behaviors

A well-organized bedroom or study area will make your life so much easier. Staying organized saves mental energy, since you won’t be wasting time searching for things.

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