Thriving Through Mastery

I'm not crazy about the title of this wonderful article by Gary North, "Time to Get Rich." I think it misleads the reader into thinking it's another of those smarmy get-rich-quick articles, and it's nothing like that. In fact, it explains the opposite: how young people can invest time in mastering certain skills so that they benefit throughout their lives.  It's certainly worth your time if you're a parent who's concerned about raising children who will thrive in the new economy!

Entrepreneurial Kids Finding Success

The high unemployment rate of the past few years has been particularly hard on teens, who are at the age where they're eager to get started on their working lives.

These teens decided to be proactive by starting their own businesses, and the results they've gotten will encourage your teens. Send them the article link; it may be just the inspiration needed to get going on a dream.

A Young Man on the Right Track

Here's a great story about a young man who, in addition to his studies, has developed a popular website using modern technology. He's proactive and is pursuing a personal interest while gaining skills that will serve him well in the future. He uses social media to find the information he needs to be a good source of information for others. With the skills he's developing, he could eventually excel in several different areas. At 16, he's on his way to thriving in the 21st century.

What Do Your Kids Love to Do?

What do your kids love to do? What are their interests, their passions? It's likely that doing the things they're good at could be the key to their future employment.

Sir Ken Robinson is a creativity expert who has studied successful, creative people. In his book The Element, he addresses the issue of helping kids find their talents and passions:

The only way to prepare for the future is to make the most out of ourselves on the assumption that doing so will make us as flexible and productive as possible…..

Many people set aside their passions to pursue things they don’t care about for the sake of financial security. The fact is, though, that the job you took because it “pays the bills” could easily move offshore in the coming decade. If you have never learned to think creatively and to explore your true capacity, what will you do then?

More specifically, what will our children do if we continue to prepare them for life using the old models of education? It’s very possible that our children will have multiple careers over the course of their working lives, not simply multiple jobs. Many of them will certainly have jobs we haven’t conceived yet. Isn’t it therefore our obligation to encourage them to explore as many avenues as possible with an eye toward discovering their true talents and their true passions?

How do we, as parents, encourage our children to develop their talents and passions? By helping them when they ask for it, and then getting out of their way. Given the opportunity, young people can find their passions on their own.