The other day my 4 year old son came to me and said “Daddy, I want to run as fast as the Flash.“ I knew that if he was going to be fast as the Flash he would have to practice running a lot every day. His answer was “ok, lets do it! We quickly agreed that the next day I would pick him up from daycare and run home about 4.5 km’s away. When it was time to pick him up, I drove to the daycare and he was ready to run! He said “Daddy, Im going to run SO FAST!” “You can’t run too fast,” I said, “because you will be too tired to complete the run.” We agreed that we would run at the same speed at a pace we could both do. We ran and we ran along the bike path that lead us home. As we ran, I kept waiting for him to give up and tell me he could not go on. Instead, he just kept on going while telling me how much he loved me and loved to run with me. We were approaching the main intersection, about half way home, as my son looks up and me and tells me that he is really tired. Of course, he was tired! This little 4-year-old boy just ran over 2km’s. He said “Daddy, Im really tired but I promise I wont give up, ok!”
I was so proud of him in that moment. My young boy already understood that when things get hard, you just keep on going, a lesson I have been repeating to him and all the other kids I teach for many years. I told him how proud I was of him I was and right there in the middle of the bike path he asks stops and says, “ Daddy, can we hug?” I picked him up right there and hugged him with tears in my eyes. After all that, we had supper at home and ran back to daycare to pick up the car. By the time we went to bed, my 4 year old boy had run 9 km’s!

Changing the world starts with changing how we educate our children. As parents and teachers, we need to start saying “YES YOU CAN,” instead of “NO YOU CAN’T.”

In today’s world, kids need to grow up with great time management skills, creative problem-solving skills and the ability to quickly adapt to change. As parents and teachers, we often focus on perfecting our children’s “skills.”  More important than any one skill, is their character. We need to build their character. Below are 5 guidelines that can help parents and teachers guide their children to building a strong character for success and self-fulfillment.

 

 

1) SAY YES TO THEIR DREAMS

HOPES and DREAMS are the seeds from which all success in life is achieved. Feeling inspired to go after something that you are passionate about, something you believe in, is the only path to self-actualization. It is essential for young children to quickly learn that no dream is too big and that nothing is impossible. The only hopes and dreams that are unacceptable to have are none at all.

My son asks me if he can grow up to be “The Flash.” The answer is YES!

2) BUILD THEIR CONFIDENCE

So much more can be achieved by increasing children’s self-esteem than can be achieved by crushing it. Building a child’s confidence takes more than a high 5 and a “good job.” While consistent encouragement is essential and helps to show your support and reassurance, inspiring kids to take on challenging tasks and to overcome their obstacles is crucial to increasing self-confidence. In school, at work, in sports, you are most proud of yourself when you do something that YOU can are impressed with.

Is 9km’s for a 4-year-old kid a lot? YES!
Is it going to be difficult? YES!
Can he do it? YES!
If he can do it, will he be proud of himself? YES!

 

3) TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT TAKING ACTION

It’s great to have hopes and dreams and if you take the time to identify them and write them down, even better. But until you actually start, a dream, is all it will ever be. The time to take action is NOW!!!

Kids need to see the grown-ups take action, adapt to change and pursue their own goals. As parents and teachers, we can’t just talk to the talk, we need to walk the walk. The best way to teach someone to take action is to take action yourself. If your child expresses interest in something, its time to get totally involved in it with them!

When do we start the challenging task that will lead us to fulfilling our dream?
Right NOW!

 

4) STAYING POSITIVE

For many of us, the pressures of life can be overwhelming, but it is how we conduct ourselves during the hard times that shows our true character. From the day we are born we are faced with so many challenges and changes. We must learn to adapt to new environments and expectations almost every day.

Going after your hopes and dreams and taking action is hard work. When things get hard, we often need a reminder of the ultimate goal of todays sacrifice to reinvigorate our drive to complete the most difficult tasks. With every step you take you are one step closer to succeeding.

 

5) PERSEVERANCE

You will never get what you want by stopping, quitting or giving up.  Perseverance is about dedication and consistency. Staying the course. This is a concept that is rarely reenforced with children today.  The message we need to pass is that once you start something, you finish it. Being accountable to your commitments and your dreams is something that must be learnt at a young age.  Effort is the currency we use to pay for achieving our goals.

It all starts with how we interact with our kids and what we teach them about what kind of person they are and who they want to be. How our kids approach the world and their life comes from the guidance they receive as children. Lets teach our children to love life and live their dreams. Lets teach them to wake up every morning with a drive and a vision for their future that they will actively pursue.  Lets show them that they really are the amazing person that they want to be and they can achieve anything if they put in the effort.