Kids+Confidence=Success
Young people are always looking for ways to gain success. Endless hours are spent on YouTube, Instagram and Tic-Tok searching for the magic formula to produce the right look, right friends and future. To often, our kids are left discouraged and disappointed because the formula is constantly changing. So, what can we do to help them find that recipe of success they are so desperately seeking? Trends and fads come and go but truth remains constant, so we help them to discover “Their” truth.
Truth #1. You Are Valuable.
There are a million voices screaming at your child telling them who they should be. You’ve known them longer than any of those other voices so tell them often who they are.
- They are loved by you.
- They are friendly and kind.
- They are beautiful inside and out.
- They are creative, smart and talented.
They will have plenty of people challenging these truths so make sure that they hear them from you often at home. As a man thinketh, so is he/she?
Truth #2. You Are Confident.
The simplified definition of confidence is to believe in yourself. Did you know that multiple studies have proven that the more you hear something, the more it becomes truth, even if it is completely false? That takes us back to the voices that we hear daily and why it’s so important to continually speak the truth to our children. What you believe, is what you will become. There was a story about two twin brothers, one smart, the other not so smart. The not so smart one was told repeatedly that his brother was the smart one. It came time to take the SAT’s, he wondered why he should even bother but his parents told him if he took it, they wouldn’t bother him about college any further. Well, he took his SAT’s and received a score of over 1400, better than his brother. After receiving such a high score, he wound up applying to a good college and did exceptionaly well. Several years later, after he was quite successful, he learned that there was an error in a particular batch of scores, his was one of the errors. His actual score was in the low 900’s. He was asked how disappointed was to learn this, but he wasn’t, in fact, he said receiving that score made him believe in himself which changed his entire outlook on his life.
When you believe in yourself, it doesn’t matter what others think about you. Confidence allows you to see beyond what others see so that you can do what others won’t.
Truth #3. You Have A Future.
One of the biggest keys to success is having the ability to see beyond where you are now. If you stay in the past, you’ll become too fearful to move forward. If you stay focused on what’s going on now, you’ll become frustrated when things aren’t moving faster. Looking forward allows you to see that today is part of the process of tomorrow. We have the ability to demonstrate to our kids that by setting goals and being consistent, we can achieve our dreams and become anything we desire. There are going to be days when things don’t work out. There are going to be days when it’s hard and painful and you just want to give up. These are the days when they are going to need a motivational coach. When you’ve worked hard and still get a D. When you’re singled out or isolated from a group. When your best friend finds a new bestie. They won’t want it, but they’ll need that coach. You can help them see and create a brand-new picture of hope. How?
- Be a constant reminder of the truth.
- Don’t minimize tough times, be a guild to work through the tough times.
- Don’t allow them to talk themselves down, bring that negative language to light. If they say, I’m just so stupid. Ask them, is that really what you want?
- Find examples of others who have overcome their challenges and are now enjoying the benefits.
It’s never too early or too late to recognize that the secret of your success is safely hidden away inside of you. You have the power and ability to choose your own path.