I had Marcy Morrison, Best Selling Author and Founder of Career With Wings, on I HAVE TODAY with Diane Forster (watch here) recently. Marcy is so passionate in her work and her life and helps others figure out their Passion + Purpose = World Change formula. We talked a lot about her path to finding her purpose, and when helping and supporting underprivileged youth became part of her passion and purpose as well.
We are both parents, and it’s important for us to instill strong values in our children. As parents, we always want what’s best for our kids. So, it got me thinking about ways we all can help foster empowerment in our younger generation.
Here are my top three ways to help foster empowerment in our younger generation:
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Encourage Their Dreams!
I saw a Ted Talk by Emilie Wapnick titled, “Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling” (watch here). She described that you could be a “Multipotentialite.” That is someone who has many interests and creative pursuits. Being a creator, with many interests myself, I LOVED this! As it relates to your children and the younger generation, we all need to be ENCOURAGING all their interests! Imagine telling a child “I’m sorry, Johnny, but you can only play with your trucks. You’re not allowed to dig in the sandbox, color with crayons, play basketball, or build with Lego’s.” The only way to find out if you really like something is to try it. If you don’t, for goodness sake, don’t keep doing it! Teach them that it is OK to QUIT and pursue another dream! I didn’t discover my true calling and purpose until I was in my 50’s. And, frankly, it continues to evolve all the time! So, please encourage them to pursue their dreams…all of them!
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Talk to Them Like People
Don’t have a different way of communicating with your kids than you do with anybody else! Talk to them and treat them with the same level of respect as you would anyone. When you do, they will feel seen, heard, appreciated, acknowledged, and feel SAFE telling you anything! If you judge them, restrict them, worry more about what other people think than them, they will go into “self-protection mode” and shut off in some way. You may have given them life, but you were the conduit, the vessel. They are the ones that chose to come, and they have their own path and purpose. Encourage them, support them, give them freedom and room to safely express who they are and what they want. (Of course, within reason…nothing dangerous to anyone or themselves.) The best way is to talk to them like the PEOPLE they are.
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Lead by Example
Words don’t teach. Action does. Children start modeling the adults surrounding them at around age 7. They are watching you…even into adulthood. Pursue YOUR dreams, don’t be afraid to quit or make changes if something isn’t working for you, and go after what YOU want. If you don’t, you teach them that their dreams don’t matter and that they need to put other people’s needs above theirs. You may be raising your eyebrows at me right now, and that’s ok. I will tell you first hand that the relationship with my children got richer and deeper when I went after my own dreams, picked up and moved cross country and reinvented my life. They were watching, they were paying attention, and now, they are both strong, independent young adults who are both pursuing their dreams without any fear of failure. They KNOW they’ll be ok. That is such a good feeling! We think we’re protecting them and helping them, but we are not! We hold them back and teach them to be fearful when we don’t go after our own dreams.
Our younger generation is our future. Part of living intentionally, the I HAVE TODAY way, is living in and owning our power. By raising confident, empowered kids, there’s less insecurity, more self-worth, and greater levels of happiness and fulfillment! These are all good things!
Affirmation Statement:
“I HAVE TODAY to…Lead by Example.”
With Love,
Diane
Quote: “Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.” ~Aristotle
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