How Would You Rate Your Child’s Self-Esteem?
If you were asked to rate your child’s self-esteem from 1-10 how would you rate it? If you are like most parents you probably don’t think too much about it…until there’s an obvious problem.
The value or lack of value placed on a child’s perception of himself and the impact that perception will have on him throughout his life became crystal clear recently while I was on a coaching call with Direct Marketing Guru Sandi Krakowski. The topic was “5 Steps to Getting Unstuck In Business… Understanding What is Holding You Back!”
Sandi is a powerful speaker because she speaks from her heart. I have been studying under Sandi for some time now and I have learned to pay close attention when she speaks because you never know when her next sentence will be the golden nugget you have been waiting for!
However, on this particular call, my ability to focus on what she was saying totally left me shortly after she began.
The first point she raised to the over 800 people who registered to hear this call, concerning what holds people back, was our beliefs…in ourselves, in our ability to succeed, in the probability that we will succeed and whether or not we believe we should succeed.
That was when it hit me…this was a powerful real life example of how real people struggle to achieve their heart’s desire because of the enormous impact our self-esteem has in our lives.
The blocks that Sandi spoke of were mainly rooted in a host of ideas, beliefs, and negative misconceptions people have as a result of experiences in their childhood… everything from not feeling deserving to a lack of belief in our capabilities to the inability to see life as being full of unlimited possibilities
As Sandi continued, my focus drifted in and out…when I was focused I heard her say things like “we are all loved by God and we’re designed to succeed”…when my focus wandered away from Sandi’s words I became fixated on how difficult it is for people to release negative beliefs that limit what we want to achieve in life.
I see proof of this every day in all walks of life, in every economic level and all educational backgrounds. Adults struggle as a result of low self-esteem.
Being a life-long student of psychology, I know that the foundation of our self-esteem begins during childhood. This is where we receive the building blocks to create a solid foundation of self-worth, confidence and a mindset that says all things are possible in life.
If the goal is (and I believe with all of my heart it is for most parents) to raise children who are empowered with a positive confident mindset and a healthy self-esteem, parents must understand that successful parenting begins within the parent.
Parents are the primary source of information, ideas, thoughts and beliefs for their children. Children look to them and will reflect what they see.
As an advocate for children and a parenting coach I hear the concern of parents every day. For the most part parents want to know how to control their children’s “inappropriate ” behavior, which form of discipline works best, or they want to understand what is wrong with their children because they don’t feel their child is living up to his/her potential.
They see their children suffering from the effects of poor choices…everything from isolation to bullying and they are looking for answers.
What Sandi was sharing fell right into place with the message I have devoted my career to sharing with parents. In addition to paying attention to their children’s physical needs, academic requirements, and even their social skills, parents need to be vigilant about their children’s mindset and emotional needs.
It is vitally important for parents to take action, step up to the plate and carefully examine their ideas, thoughts and beliefs not only for their own well-being and level of success but to be sure they are not passing on ideas, thoughts and beliefs that will one day rise up and create blocks in their children’s lives and interfere with their heart’s desires.
Parents have the power to protect their children from limiting beliefs that will block them from living the life they deserve…a life of realizing their dreams and passions easily and effortlessly exactly the way the Divine intended it to be.
So, back to the opening question…
“How would you rate your child’s level of self-esteem?”
