Lesson 5 Transcript

Below is the full transcript of Lesson 5

This lesson and transcript are part of the RAD for Life social-emotional learning program. Educators, counsellors, and parents may view and use this material for personal learning or classroom discussion. The content may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used commercially without permission. The lesson is provided so you can preview and plan how RAD may be used in your classroom or particular setting. Copyright © RAD for Life. All rights reserved.

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Lesson 5 Transcript: Making RAD Moves

The following transcript accompanies the RAD Lesson 5 video and focuses on applying the Recognize, Accept, Do framework in everyday life. In this lesson, learners explore what it means to make “RAD moves”—actions that align with their values and move them toward the kind of person they want to be.

Welcome back to radforlife.com — the home of the RAD SEL Lessons.

This is Lesson 5: Making RAD Moves.

Let’s do a quick review.

So far we have covered all of the letters in RAD: Recognize, Accept, and Do. We learned several skills for each of those letters, including recognizing the differences between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, labeling our thoughts and feelings as comfortable or uncomfortable instead of good or bad, and learning the importance of accepting uncomfortable thoughts and feelings instead of fighting them.

Last, we practiced identifying our values — the big ideas that reflect the person we want to be.

So now that we have done all that, what’s next?

RAD moves.

Now I can see you’re worried. What’s a RAD move? Am I going to ask you to dance, or worse, make you watch me dance?

So what is a RAD move?

RAD moves are actions we take that align with our values. They are things we do that move us in the direction of what matters most to us.

If our values are like a compass that guides our actions, RAD moves are the actions that follow that compass.

The opposite of a RAD move is — wait for it — a NotRAD move.

NotRAD moves are actions that move us away from our values.

Let’s use an example to understand this.

Imagine someone values honesty. One day they find a wallet full of money with an ID still inside, meaning they could easily find the owner.

Do they run off to a collectible store and buy rare Martial Arts Axolotl figures with the money?

Or do they return the wallet?

Returning the wallet would be a RAD move because it aligns with their value of honesty.

Keeping the money would be a NotRAD move.

Now I know what you’re thinking.

“What if I value being unique, and those collectibles help me express that value?”

Nice try.

One important rule about values is that they cannot be used as an excuse to do things that hurt other people or yourself. That’s simply not how values work.

Of course, in real life it’s impossible to only make RAD moves.

Being human means making mistakes.

However, a great goal in life is to make more RAD moves and fewer NotRAD moves over time.

Living a RAD life means choosing actions that align with what matters most to you.

When life is going well and things are going our way, making RAD moves is usually easier.

But there are many situations where making a RAD move is difficult.

For example, imagine you value kindness. You notice a classmate sitting alone at lunch.

A RAD move might be sitting with them or inviting them to join your group.

A NotRAD move might be ignoring them or even making a joke at their expense.

Of course, making the RAD move might feel difficult. Maybe you’re worried about what others might think, or maybe you feel nervous about talking to someone new.

There are lots of reasons why making RAD moves can be hard.

In the next lessons, we will explore some of the things that make RAD moves difficult and learn skills to help us deal with those challenges.

For now, take a moment to think about your own life.

What is one RAD move you made this week?

And what is one NotRAD move?

Remember, everyone makes both.

One of the goals of RAD is simply to help you make more RAD moves and fewer NotRAD moves over time.

If I had to summarize this lesson, I would say this:

When we live according to our values, our lives become more meaningful, connected, and true to who we want to be.

However, living according to our values means doing things that align with them. We’re not just thinking about our values — we’re living them.

And doing those things isn’t always easy.

Still, that’s the point of making RAD moves. Not to be perfect, but to keep choosing actions that reflect what matters most to you so you can live the RAD life we keep talking about.

Until next time — Be RAD.

Activity Five

For Activity Five, look at each scenario and identify whether the behaviour is a RAD move or a NotRAD move.

For each situation, ask yourself a simple question: does the action align with the person’s values, or does it move away from what is important to them?