Life challenge us everyday and the difference between a great success or an early failure resides only in the power of persistence. Is not as easy at it seems, because persistence implies three other components of a trained personality: desire, ambition and the confidence that you can succeed.
The desire means you can always dream big! The ambition comes from the believe that the desire result is achievable/ realistic. The self confidence is the trust you have in yourself and your power to achieve your goal.
But how to build in our child’s heart all those layers which finally have only one goal: to be happy individual?
1. Be yourself the role model
The imitation is the greatest form of admiration. Nothing more true than this. The kids always imitate the ones they admire and the prime role model for them is given by their parents. So, if he needs to be working on his persistence, first of all, you have to create a situation and let him follow you from the beginning to the end of your work, but it has be one to require few days, maybe weeks, then enjoy both the results of the consequent work. For example, if you build together a tree house, it won’t be ready over night, but at the end of it, the happiness will be double.
2. Talk to your child about motivation, ambition and happy ends
Sometimes is very hard even for adults to represent abstract concepts and we all understand better from specific examples. So, you can read or tell your child successful stories of modern heroes, the obstacles they overcome and personality they expressed. Try to find the examples in his interest area, either is sports, cinematography or music, because he will be more tempted to listen and more curious about the story.
3. Encourage your child to take responsibilities
This is a very common mistake that parents do. Kids try to take responsibilities that exceed their powers to make their parents proud of them. So, the parents say no, because it is indeed too big for the child or they can’t do it properly. Either way, our advice is to never say no to his willingness to help, you can thank him for thinking of doing it and try to give them the easier part of the task.
4. Challenge your child with doable projects
Create the situations in which he can measure in his eyes his powers. If a child doesn’t have opportunities to succeed, he won’t learn the value of perseverance. Allow your child to experience situations where he has to overcome a certain obstacle. If your child asks for help, give it willingly.
But never accomplish the task for him.
At the end celebrate his success and remind him in the future that he was strong enough to succeed.
5. Teach your child to become independent
When you see that your child is trying to do something and he is struggling, resist the urge to rescue him. Come with a solution only when he asks or is about to give up. Encourage his trails and ask him curiously about what is his next plan to resolve the task when it didn’t succeeded from the first trail. If you keep saving your child from difficult tasks, he might start believing that you do so because you don’t think he can.
When your child learns from failure, he becomes happier and more confident when he succeeds. And more importantly, he will keep on trying until he does!
Earned is always more exciting then received!
6. Be there! Just be always there for your child
Failures, successes, hours, days, weeks, you have to be there confident, proudly and supportive. And this should be enough for him to feel loved and confident that only sky is the limit.