With a heavy heart, I write this post as a plea for people to stop obsessing over achievements. You are not your possessions, your work, or your achievements. Life is about so much more than goals, trophies, and coming in first. The truth is, is that "your soul doesn’t care what you do for a living - and when your life is over, neither will you. Your soul cares only about WHO YOU ARE while you are doing whatever you are doing."
So rather than obsessively pushing your children to come in first all the time, teach them that true strength and happiness comes from learning to enjoy each moment as it arrives. Teach them about developing personal character qualities, such as trustworthiness, resilience, and integrity. Win or lose, right or wrong, straight "A's" or F's. Every child is a unique gift of divinity to be cherished for exactly who they are. Maybe your child excels at riding a ripstick - that's wonderful, balance is something we could all use more of, Celebrate it! Maybe your child makes several mistakes on their homework, but their wrong answers are pretty dang funny - Celebrate it! Find every moment you can to celebrate them for exactly who they are.
You don't need to be picked first to have a happy life. A happy life is something you can choose at any moment on any given day. Teach them this. When it's raining outside - pack everyone into the car, drive to a secluded place, and turn the music up. Get out of your car and dance. Show them that a little rain isn't going to steal your joy. If money's tight for extra activities - turn to YouTube. Together with your children, you can learn literally anything you can think of. We DO NOT have to be pushed around by our circumstances. True strength comes from knowing and experiencing the art of dancing in the rain.
Recently a highly celebrated, young football player passed away from my hometown and it has completely broken my heart. This lie that "we are what we do" is to blame. Building our esteem on anything other than loving and celebrating exactly who we are contributes to depression, self-hatred, and a huge lack in self compassion - and IT HAS TO STOP.
So please, I beg you - cherish the people in your life. Your friends, your family, your kids, and your Co-Workers. Celebrate every little thing you can think of and bring it to their attention. Don't compare them to anyone. They don't ever have to become a "somebody" And just because they're a not a "somebody" - doesn't mean they're a "nobody." Teach them about their uniqueness. Embrace every gift you can see in them and Celebrate It! Maybe it's their smile, maybe it's their inquisitive nature, or maybe it's just they way they bring calmness whenever they're around. The more focus we bring to finding the good in others, the more they just may see it in themselves at the time they need to see it.
Be Light and Find the Good Today,
Myranda
So rather than obsessively pushing your children to come in first all the time, teach them that true strength and happiness comes from learning to enjoy each moment as it arrives. Teach them about developing personal character qualities, such as trustworthiness, resilience, and integrity. Win or lose, right or wrong, straight "A's" or F's. Every child is a unique gift of divinity to be cherished for exactly who they are. Maybe your child excels at riding a ripstick - that's wonderful, balance is something we could all use more of, Celebrate it! Maybe your child makes several mistakes on their homework, but their wrong answers are pretty dang funny - Celebrate it! Find every moment you can to celebrate them for exactly who they are.
You don't need to be picked first to have a happy life. A happy life is something you can choose at any moment on any given day. Teach them this. When it's raining outside - pack everyone into the car, drive to a secluded place, and turn the music up. Get out of your car and dance. Show them that a little rain isn't going to steal your joy. If money's tight for extra activities - turn to YouTube. Together with your children, you can learn literally anything you can think of. We DO NOT have to be pushed around by our circumstances. True strength comes from knowing and experiencing the art of dancing in the rain.
Recently a highly celebrated, young football player passed away from my hometown and it has completely broken my heart. This lie that "we are what we do" is to blame. Building our esteem on anything other than loving and celebrating exactly who we are contributes to depression, self-hatred, and a huge lack in self compassion - and IT HAS TO STOP.
So please, I beg you - cherish the people in your life. Your friends, your family, your kids, and your Co-Workers. Celebrate every little thing you can think of and bring it to their attention. Don't compare them to anyone. They don't ever have to become a "somebody" And just because they're a not a "somebody" - doesn't mean they're a "nobody." Teach them about their uniqueness. Embrace every gift you can see in them and Celebrate It! Maybe it's their smile, maybe it's their inquisitive nature, or maybe it's just they way they bring calmness whenever they're around. The more focus we bring to finding the good in others, the more they just may see it in themselves at the time they need to see it.
Be Light and Find the Good Today,
Myranda