I love it when a picture tells its own story. A friend posted this beautiful picture the other day and it immediately made me think of how one bright spark, splash of color or ray of hope can change our whole perspective.
There are many truly sad things happening in our world at the present time. In fact, terrible things have been occurring since the beginning of time, but now we have the benefit of immediate media coverage that brings such injustice much closer. If only we, as individuals, could make a difference and help make the world a safer and happier place to live in and bring up our kids.
It is true. You and I may not be able to radically change the wider world, but we can make THE difference in our own homes. We do have choices. We can view our own circumstances with a sense of hopelessness, or with great anticipation of hope. I am not saying that there is a ready answer to all issues we are facing, but we can look at things differently if we have a positive attitude. You may know the old adage - 'Two prisoners looked out through prison bars - one saw the mud and the other, the stars'.
WHAT WE SAY IS WHO WE ARE!
What comes out of our mouths will confirm in our minds what we think about ourselves. If a parent tells a child they are hopeless and won't amount to anything, that is what the child believes until he/she realizes that it was their parent's opinion and doesn't have any resemblance to fact. We don't always realize that what we say to our kids is a reflection of the way we feel about ourselves. 'I can't, so you certainly can't either!' On the other hand I have heard people say, "You can do anything you put your mind to." What a liberating thought that is! It gathers even more traction if you make it personal. "I have been watching how hard you have been practicing your violin, and it sounds terrific. Well done!" It is even more liberating when you tried something, but you made a mistake. All you can think of is what you did wrong, but an observer makes no reference to your error. He only sees the good and encourages you for what you did right. Now, that is a winner right there. That really makes you want to walk on water!* We shine when we feel good about ourselves.
* We feel good about ourselves when we believe in ourselves.
* We believe in ourselves when we are encouraged for our successes rather than being berated
for our faults.
Sure, we want to work at it until we get it right, but the key is recognizing that effort carries more weight than the end result. With enough endurance, we will succeed in our goals.
Check out your home environment. Are conversations uplifting or critical? What/who is the source? Don't get into the blame game, but start with 'I'. When our attitude is positive, then the whole tone of the home changes and our kids see that they, too, have the opportunity to shine. Let's be a color standout against a gray world.
Written by Sally Burgess, Forefront Families LLC
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