The Power Of Positive Thought
8/22/2016
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Michael Jordan was cut from his basketball team around his sophomore year of high school. Imagine if he had listened to the person who told him he was not good enough and decided to play baseball instead. What would the outcome have been? Would Air Jordan exist? I wonder…. As our children head back to school this fall we are hopeful and excited about all the possibilities that the year will bring for our kids. There are so many wonderful things to look forward to and some high anxieties await as well. I can't stress enough the need for all of us to give our students the emotional tools they will need to deal with all the highs and lows that new beginnings can bring. Here are a few things we can teach our kids to help bring about the best outcome for their school year.
Use Your Imagination-Visualize
Nothing can be accomplished without a big picture dream. Think about what it is you are trying to accomplish. Good grades, a spot on the cheer squad of football team, a scholarship? None of these things are accomplished by luck. Imagine the steps that it is going to take to achieve your goal. Visualize in your mind each step being accomplished then do the work necessary to make the vision real. Seeing your success is more than just hope it is a road map to your goal.
Ignore Negative Attitudes
The world is full of those who "won't" not those who can't. We are constantly being told you can't do that, it won't work, and how about "been there, done that". Only those who concentrate on the positive stay focused and work hard for what they want, succeed. Rarely does luck play a major role in success. Block out negative talk and concentrate on forward thinking.
Talk About Perseverance
Dictionary.com defines perseverance as "a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement. Positive thought breeds positive attitude and a positive attitude is the greatest gift we can give our kids. Show your child that the only way to success is to put in a steady stream of positive work until the goal is attained.
Encourage Self-Discipline
Teach self-discipline. Our kids are growing up in the atomic microwave world where gratification is judged in Nano seconds. Teaching kids to forgo the immediate gratification for something greater down the road is a solid step toward happiness. Teaching children how to save for a future item that they want is a great example of how to build self-control and discipline.
Celebrate Victories
Be thankful and celebrate each and every success along the journey, for it truly is the journey and not the end result that you will look back on. The memories created are the treasures kept and the end result is the shine on the prize. We often look for that big sales contract, job opportunity, project completion as the end result of success. Along the way there are big and small challenges and we should pause a moment to enjoy overcoming obstacles and each accomplishment.
- Child Development, the Bell Curve, and the Twenty First Century - September 28, 2016
- Pay Them (Teachers) And They Will Come! - September 17, 2016
- The Power Of Positive Thought - August 22, 2016
