by Bob Berry

Instructions and Guidelines

Answer each of the questions in the activity below, as completely and honesty as you can.  The questions and answers are intended to help you understand and take responsibility for choices you’ve made.

A further option is to sit and discuss your answers with a trusted peer partner or an adult counselor or sponsor; write any additional discoveries, thoughts or feelings below.   Then, you can also share your answers in a group format, moderated by a counselor, instructor, or other adult sponsor. Again, write any additional discoveries, thoughts or feelings on the printed form.  With comments, suggestions, and feedback from the one-on-one discussion and from the group discussion, go back to your answers below and update them.

Explore Peak Choices – Our in-depth program for better choices for at risk youth

 

Awareness and Deterrence

This Activity should help you think about where you are, and how you got here. Everyone’s life is determined directly by the choices they make. Answer the following questions to get conscious about your decisions. This will help you increase your ability to choose your actions.

What behaviors have put you at-risk? 

 

 

How did it feel before and leading up to those choices? 

 

 

How did it feel during those choices? 

 

 

How did it feel afterwards? How does it feel NOW? 

 

 

Choose one occurrence to examine

With a partner or friend or adult, choose one past event that caused you problems or got you in trouble. Read, discuss, and answer the following questions about that event. Be honest and open. Tell the whole story, and tell ONLY your part in it.

 

What happened in this case? 

 

 

Be totally honest: in the moment, did you REALLY chose, or not? Or did it “just happen”? 

 

 

What was your attitude going into the situation? 

 

 

How did you react and feel afterwards? 

 

 

What can you say now were your “reasons” for doing this? To be cool? To gain something? To please someone else? Because you were angry? For laughs? Or other reasons? List them all… 

 

 

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 Consider the Impact 

Reflect on worst case outcomes for each choice above, for you, in your life. What’s the WORST that could have happened, or may yet happen to YOU? 

 

 

Reflect on worst case outcomes for each choice above, for other people. What’s the WORST that could have happened, or may yet happen to OTHERS? 

 

 

Who else does this impact? 

 

 

What consequences might be forced or imposed on you? 

Some of our choices bring consequences from others, such as the legal system, the schools, parents, trusted adults, or friends. Some of these may be required, such as suspension from school or jail time. Some might be decisions by people we care about, such as parents (or other trusted adults) taking away privileges or friends deciding not stick around. Choose three negative choices, and list three consequences you face from others for each choice:

First negative choice: 

• First consequence: 

 

• Second consequence: 

 

• Third consequence: 

 

Second negative choice: 

• First consequence: 

 

• Second consequence: 

 

• Third consequence: 

 

Third negative choice: 

• First consequence: 

 

• Second consequence: 

 

• Third consequence: 

 

What influenced your decisions with these behaviors? 

What is it about YOU, as a person, that allows or does this? What do you know about your personality, temperament, attitude, or beliefs that influences your choices? 

 

Describe what it is about YOUR LIFE or YOUR SITUATION that created the likelihood of this happening. 

 

 

Now, consider what outside of you influenced your behavior. Your decisions and your choices are ultimately yours. But we are all influenced by our friends, families, and our personal history.

What impact did friends have on these choices? 

 

 

What else might have influenced your decisions and choices?