PARENTS PERCH JULY2014

P E R S I S T E N C EYoung students: No matter how tough, I won’t give up!

Older students/teens/adults: The determination to keep going even when faced with challenges or initial failure.

UPCOMING POWERFUL WORDS

August CompassionSeptember ConfidenceOctober Respect

Week 1 Persistence defined: What it means to keep going and what it means to quit.

Week 2 What gets in our way? Fears, priorities, poor character & peer pressure

Week 3 What keeps us going? Support-Passion-Action-Reason-Knowledge (SPARK)

Week 4 When we are having trouble persisting: Self-talk, confiding & recharging!

Dear Family,

This month we are going to be discussing the powerful word, persistence.

The person who persists makes a choice. Instead of giving up when faced with challenges or failure, the persistent person tries something else. He keeps going because something inside him tells him to strive. The goal is in sight and he knows he can achieve it if he stays determined and focused.

People who persist have “grit.” Angela Duckworth, who has made a career focusing on the development of grit in young people, tells us that a person’s “grit score” predicts achievement under challenging circumstances-- a result that we desire in leaders, teammates and competitors of all kinds. For example; a West Point cadet’s grit score was the

best predictor of success in a rigorous summer program while the grittiest contestants of the Scripps Spelling Bee were the most likely to advance to the finals. Needless to say, grit and persistence are admirable qualities in a person.

There are many barriers to success that can derail even the grittiest people. From naysayers to repeated failures, poor self confidence to lack of resources, persistent people must weather the storms. Persistent people aren’t without their frustrations and challenges but they are more likely to keep going even as they arise.

There are also many ways to help a persistent person stay the course. Providing Support, igniting their Passion, encouraging them to take Action, reminding them of the Reason they want to see the goal to fruition and providing

them with the Knowledge they need to move forward are vital. By lighting a person’s “S.P.A.R.K.,” the gritty person can persist until the end.

That means that we need to stress effort and grit over intelligence and talent. Research tells us that those parents who stress effort over innate gifts, tend to rear children who try harder and work longer on achieving their goals than others.

We thank you for your support. You are pivotal in helping to make our school one of the best personal development centers in the world.

Best Regards,—Your Motivated and

Dedicated Instructors

© 2014 Powerful Words Character DevelopmentFor more Powerful parenting information, go to www.DrRobynSilverman.com.