Self-doubt and lack of confidence hold more kids back than any other factor.
Confidence affects the way you live your life, affects the relationships you cultivate, the primary one being with yourself. It plays a huge part in what you put out in the world and what you get back. It is not arrogance but the realization of who you are and what you can do if you commit to yourself.
As a mother of two young boys, it is important to me my boys feel confident now so they can grow up to be the best versions of themselves in later years. This is one of the years why I wrote Sleepy Magic and I still get goose bumps knowing how much of an impact it has had on not only my children but others too.
Genuine confidence, the true kind that comes from within is founded in a sense of security and self-assuredness, usually developed throughout childhood.
In her book, We Shall Not Fail – The Inspiring Leadership of Winston Churchill, Celia Sandy (Churchill’s granddaughter) describes what she calls contagious confidence.
Sandy writes, “Inspirational leaders are beacons of hope. They project an aura of confidence and resolve that is quite literally contagious. Churchill had this gift. So did Roosevelt, Truman, Patton, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and more than a few of today’s leaders. They inspire followers and get things done.”
Confident men are assertive whilst remaining loving and nurturing. They stand up for themselves, others and what’s important to them. They are assertive in what they want and aren’t afraid to pursue their goals and dreams. They feel assured in themselves and their values with the ability to form healthy, loving relationships.
Real confidence building is the most important skill you can develop as a parent. Children with healthy self-esteem and self-confidence learn more, achieve more, have more friends and are generally happier than those with low levels of confidence.
I want to help my boys develop real self confidence now while they are young so they can grow up to be confident men with the necessary life skills to lead the life they deserve, cultivating healthy relationships, with the ability to study subjects their passionate about and pursue fulfilling careers that will make them happy and reach their full potential in life.
I believe it is important to help prepare our boys now to become more confident men later. I wrote an article earlier about how to help build more confidence in your child here.
“Once you feel nice about yourself, you have planted the first seed to develop self-confidence.”