Confidence! Self-Esteem! Strength!
My son received a recruitment brochure from the Army today. On the cover were the words: Confidence. Self-esteem. Strength.
This really hit home for me. I have felt for years that the #1 thing I can do for my kids is to give them self-esteem. Without that, nothing else works very well. And here’s the Army telling kids everywhere that they don’t have enough self-confidence, enough self-esteem, enough personal strength.
I agree. I think it’s an epidemic that is feeding most of the social problems that we have.
It take a solid self-image to say “no” to peer pressure. It takes a positive self-image to avoid eating disorders. It takes feeling good about yourself to stop giving-in to your dates pressure.
Kids must be strong, confident and have self-esteem to realize that they are just fine being WHO THEY ARE! They don’t have to be someone else in order to be “liked” or to be “attractive”. But we know that too many kids are not that strong.
If you are a great musician, a great intellect or a great athlete, and you don’t have the self-confidence to perform beautifully, to ace the test, to come through in the clutch, then your greatness goes unnoticed. In fact, it is impossible to be great without self-confidence.
What do your kids do because they are afraid they won’t be “accepted”? Where do they compromise? Where do they move from being true-to-themselves? How does that make them feel?
~ Tomorrow I’ll discuss the young adult-side of these thoughts. Then Wednesday I’ll discuss the adult aspects. Stay tuned and please add your wisdom.
Filed under: Be True to Yourself, Maximize Your Strengths, Minimize Your Weaknesses, Self Confidence