#PowerOf23# Day 17 - 23 Things To Teach Your Children to Prepare them for Future !

“Children are like Wet Cement. Whatever Falls on Them Makes an Impression - Haim Ginott!”

“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence - Carol S. Dweck!”

It’s the duty of each parent to ensure that the education formal as well as informal which they impart to their child prepares the child for the Real World. With this wonderful Thought, let us continue with our #PowerOF23# series wherein we list down those 23 Things To Teach Your Children to Prepare them for Future

1.Ask Why: To be inquisitive. To question everything. To not accept things blindly.

2.Dream Big: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world - Albert Einstein!” To dream big. Grades are your entry ticket in the world, how you achieve success thereafter depends on your capabilities which your dreams define. Like it is said a person who has no dreams does not have much.

3. Self-Awareness: Self Awareness is acknowledging your positive traits and negative traits. Few people can actually do it. It takes practice and once it becomes a habit this can be a virtue as your feet are firmly rooted on the ground.

4.Problem Solving: To inculcate the quality of solving problems. The ability to come up with different solutions to one problem is crucial because in life there is not only one solution to every problem, there could be multiple solutions too.

6. Be a Life Long Student: Never to give up learning. Learning could be formal/informal. It could be structured/unstructured. Adopt the mindset that every person you meet has something nuance to teach you which you don’t know and it is in your benefit to learn it without being judgemental about his/her age, formal education and lifestyle.

7. Its Ok to Commit Mistakes: Studies have shown that the use of “productive failure” is more effective than simple, direct instruction. It’s ok to fail. Mistakes make you focus better and you strive for success with more zeal.

8. Persistence: Not failure but not trying hard enough is a crime. Its ok not to succeed but to give up on things which you desire, your aspirations, your dreams by not being persistent in your approach and towards your goal could be the biggest mistake you commit.

9. Resilience: The courage to stand tall once fallen, the ability to bounce back, the power to recover from difficulties, the willingness not to give up will determine the levels of success one will reach.

10. Real Vs Fake: The prudence to differentiate between real and fake people, the shrewdness to distance the fake ones, the capability to know the real ones.

11.Work Smarter, Not Harder: Grades are your entry ticket in the real world. How you perform in the real world depends on your competence, your shrewdness and understanding of how the world works.

12.Leadership & Teamwork: Leadership works on the five “I”’s – “Leaders have Insight, Initiative, Influence, Impact, and Integrity- Michael Hyatt” A effective leader also understand the importance of team work.

13.Time & Life Management Skills: The importance of learning time management, valuing your time and others time will go a life long in ensuring discipline, perfection and managing life.

14.People Skills: The ability to listen, listen not just to speak but to understand other person’s view and interpret their thoughts, to communicate their needs, their thoughts, to understand the simple fact “That you may never know unless you ask” and the most important the art of negotiation – the ability to put across your point assertively. Great negotiation happens when both sides reach an amicable solution.

15. Public Speaking Skills: Fear of public speaking evades professionals and the earlier one is taught to speak in public the less vulnerable he/she will be in future.

16. Mental Health/ Emotional Intelligence: “The capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically- Google Defn of Emotional Intelligence mental health awareness is effective and all should be taught practising mindfulness and meditation to deal with and cope up with stress which will also teach to control/manage anger.

17. Cooking: Cooking is a skill that can impress friends, bosses and perhaps most importantly, keep you in good health. By teaching children cooking with little emphasis on some tasty, healthy recipes could really help children into little chefs and manage themselves in life.

18. Coping with Harsh Reality: Life isn’t fair. If you expect it to be, you are still in way away from reality. There would be occasions where life would seem a party & scenarios where everything would be failing at one time. Being prepared will help you deal with harsh realities.

19. Money isn’t everything: Study hard in school is often repeated. Working hard at school = Better grades = Better prospects = More money. But money isn’t happiness. On the contrary, money can mean Trouble if handled in the wrong way and has the ability bring out the worst in people who are unable to separate it from joy. Wealth and happiness are two very different things and this needs to be learnt early in life.

20. Forgiveness: Better to forgive, best to forget. Its better to move on rather than keep on thinking the same things and getting petrified about the incident and person. However easier said than done, it is a process that requires patience and understanding.

21. To expect the unexpected: The world is an utterly unpredictable place. It’s harsh, its cruel and yet at same time it’s magic and wonderful, if you’re prepared for it. Develop an attitude that “You will deal with it, when you get to it!” This attitude will keep you humble when success greets you and keep you from falling when adversity hits you. Being prepared will assist you when life is harsh.

22.Value of relationships: Nothing in life is worth it if you have no one to share. Treasure your family, your friends, your better half and realise that everything is worth it, if you are with people who make you happy.

23. Balance: Achieving a great sense of balance is paramount in order to live a happy, heathy life. Managing your time, emotions, money, life well will allow you to make sure the things that ought to come first do indeed come first, and not at the expense of anything else and you just get one life to live, you better live it on your terms, guilt free, stress free and happily.

All the above skills if adopted will develop the ability to think for oneself, the ability to have clear, constructive opinions, to be self aware of one’s needs and desires which are most important and not be blindly guided by set society norms, peer pressures, established customs.

(C) Prachee Kamat @PowerOf23 @PowerOfPositivity @BeliefOfAWoman @BeingAStrongWoman @BeingHappy @LifeIsGood