Hurray, there are only a few days until our conference on how we can help our children trust themselves. You already know that we have prestigious guests who will guide us through the 5 hours we spend together to discover what it means to have self-confidence and how we can increase our self-esteem. Here you can find more about the conference.
Robert Malone is an instructor in the Shichida method, a method that aims to develop children’s intelligence. We live in a world where we don’t seem to know how to think for ourselves because everything is just a click away. Which can be very dangerous. That is why the school where the children study is very important. As well as other activities that children do when they are not at school.
What is self-confidence for yourself? Do you think there is a difference between self-esteem and self-confidence?
Self-confidence is an opinion that is based on your abilities – it’s your capacity to make something happen. It consists of the everyday tools that you use in life, such as an ability to delegate, to schedule things you need to do, to manage people’s expectations, to manage your own emotions, etc. For example, I need to have a difficult conversation with a colleague. I have confidence in myself that whatever happens in that conversation, that I will communicate clearly, that I will listen to their point of view, and I will persist until the issue is resolved. Basically, I can trust myself to handle the situation, even if it is new, even if it is unfamiliar, and even if I feel anxious about it.
Self-esteem is an opinion based on yourself – who you are for yourself as a person. This opinion is derived from the summary of your daily actions and how you go through life. For example, how you treat people, how you resolve conflict, how you overcome challenges, all contribute to the kind of person you think you are. This can be a positive opinion, such as “I am a kind and caring person”, or it can be a negative opinion, such as “I am useless, I always make mistakes, and I’m a burden to other people”.
How can we help our children become self-confident? How important is self-confidence in living a balanced and meaningful life?
It’s imperative that we teach children the kind of skills in early life that will result in being self-confident and to have a positive sense of self-esteem. But first you need to understand the difference between the process of doing that and the result.
Self-confidence and self-esteem are both a product of the same thing – your ability to deal with the circumstances and challenges presented to you in life. However, as human beings, we have a tendency to view goals as the ultimate objective, rather than the result of a process. For example, consider a football game. You might think that how you win is by scoring more goals than the other team. But that is the result of a process. In fact, it is teamwork that wins a game. That is the process. So how you win a football match is to focus on teamwork and the goals will come.
Just as fitness is a product of exercise, or a goal in football is a product of teamwork, self-confidence and positive self-esteem are both products of something. So if we want to raise confident children with high self-esteem, then what process must we focus on? This is the question I will address in the upcoming conference.
How can The Shichida Method help children become more self-confident?
We as parents and educators can get caught up in the pursuit of academic success, or having our child achieve a specific goal (for example, a 10 in a specific subject). When we do this, we neglect or ignore the development and cultivation of the child and place the results on a pedestal while ignoring the process that leads to those results. And to a certain degree I see the pursuit of self-esteem or self-confidence in a similar light. It’s the same pattern of behaviour, chasing after a result and ignoring the process that produces those results.
If you rear children this way, chasing after this goal, or some other goal that might appear in the future, then you ignore their potential, their emotional development, and what makes them unique in the process. You’ll have blinders on that will make you oblivious to everything that isn’t directly aligned with producing the goal you are fixed on. Additionally, they won’t develop the necessary skills that are part of the process in cultivating healthy self-esteem and self-confidence.
The Shichida Method addresses this issue. How to cultivate the hearts, minds, and souls of children so that they can grow up to be healthy human beings who positively shape the world around them. We also train parents how to work with their children at home – with love, praise and acceptance. Because when a child’s primary relationship is nurturing, and parents understand how to provide what is required emotionally for their child to develop a love of learning, children’s natural and innate potential flourishes. But in practical terms, you’ll need to come and see for yourself.
The partners for this event are: EBM PAPST, Clinicile Dr. Leahu, Shichida România, Inter Broker de asigurare, Maia Language Club, Printshop Oradea, Bencomp. And the mass media partner is: Bihon.ro.
