To lay the foundation for a promising tomorrow, take advantage of the building blocks you have today.
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So many of us struggle in the world today. At times, our problems and issues seem to overshadow any foundations for a positive future. When bad news piles up, it’s difficult not to despair. To a significant degree, your own personal outcomes depend on your attitude.
Let’s go back in time and see how your attitude was formed. What kind of childhood did you have? Was there a time when you believed you had begun to lay the foundations for a great future? Has your life been filled with uncertainty? What was your upbringing like? Did you struggle? Did your family wonder where the next meal was coming from? Did you have solid role models? Were things complicated? Were you loved and supported or were you lost and largely alone with no-one and nothing to show you the way?
I was fortunate to have had two loving and responsible parents who took their roles seriously. Mum and Dad always put the welfare of their children before their own. I also had one sister and four brothers who were also loving and supportive (in a sibling kind of way).
There was always love, encouragement and assistance. There was also discipline. We were treated as equals—rewarded for good behaviour and punished for disobedience. Mum and Dad were always mindful of the need for a strong foundation for a positive future, and so they were fair and impartial where love and care far outweighed the discipline. It laid the groundwork for my future success.
Everyone’s upbringing is different, and while you can’t change what you experienced as a child, you can control what your children experience with you as their parent.
When you have children, be mindful of the following aspects of life:
- Let them know how much you love and care for them
- Give time to meaningful communication
- Discuss their day and show genuine interest in their achievements
- Read to them regularly and engage their attention
- Answer their questions and communicate fully
- Show interest in their lives
- Be honest with them at all times
- Teach them the value of respect, integrity, compassion and generosity
- Shower them with love, attention, support and encouragement
We can never hope to create emotionally rich and empowered adults without raising loved, supported, encouraged, and inspired young people. They are inextricably linked.
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We can never hope to create emotionally rich and empowered adults without raising loved, supported, encouraged, and inspired young people. They are inextricably linked.
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In addition to our children, it’s important to be mindful of those around us who might be struggling. There could be young people in your community, on a local sporting team, or the workplace who are besieged by personal and work-related issues (and also, it’s not always the young people who are in trouble and in need of support and guidance).
Reach out and lend a helping hand. Adopt conscience-based leadership principles and assist them to begin building that strong foundation, because it’s only with your support and encouragement that others will evolve into positive and connected adults.
Many people have endured less than positive upbringings. They often come from dysfunctional families where they are belittled and abused each and every day. Violence and abuse have many faces—spiritual, emotional, physical, and sexual. Over time, it does have an impact and can leave scars. And in some cases, the negative behaviours are repeated as young people grow into adults.
No matter where you live, you’ll have vulnerable people in your community. By caring and getting involved, you can help them to lead fulfilled lives. Take on the role of a conscience-based leader and be on the lookout for problems and issues. Empower and enrich their lives through offering support and encouragement. Give them assistance without overstepping the mark or putting yourself in harm’s way. Find and enlist professional help if necessary.
Be upbeat and inspired. Adopt a true leadership attitude to everything you do. Lay the solid foundation for a positive future and watch how the world around you begins to change in extraordinary ways. Take the steps today and become an extraordinary force for good in the global community.
Imagine the possibilities …
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This post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: Holger Zscheyge/Flickr