The acquisition and internalization of various character strengths are telling and reliable indicators of likely future success and the achieving of a life that is not just materially successful, but also happy, fulfilling, and meaningful. Some researchers and educators have identified seven core performance character strengths--zest, grit, self-control, social intelligence, gratitude, optimism, and curiosity--that can be emphasized, taught, and infused throughout the curriculum to instill in students the inner resources they need to succeed in any and every environment. The process of acquiring and developing these seven character strengths forms the centerpiece of this groundbreaking collection which is designed to help students shift themselves out of the negative thinking, unconscious fears, self-defeating behaviors, self-destructive habits, and other forms of self-sabotage and short-circuiting that become a habit of the mind in the middle school years.