The Gift of A Well-Managed Mind

Learning how to manage your mind is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. Since our minds create our perception of ourselves, the people around us and the world in which we live, they create our entire human experience. 

Learning how to manage their mind will help our children face and deal with difficulties in their lives and realize and achieve their full potential.

As parents, we want our children to succeed and often seeing them receive good grades and excel at sports makes us feel like they are achieving this success. But in reality, it is merely a phantom benchmark for their true success as a child. 

Mind management is the foundation upon which everything else can grow in a child’s life.

Unfortunately, the weight given to different parts of a child’s life appears to be out of whack, with little attention given to the most important part of a child’s life  - a healthy mind. 

Think of the Healthy Eating Pyramid you were shown in health class when you were in school, where the bottom (biggest) portion contains healthy foods like fruits and vegetables and the top (smallest) portion contains the unhealthy foods that should be eaten in moderation. 

The same concept can be applied to a child’s life. Grades and sports shouldn’t be at the bottom of the pyramid. Rather, a strong sense of self and a positive mindset should have the largest spot. 

Once we cultivate a strong sense of self and a positive mindset, then the child can thrive in the other areas of their life. But take away a healthy mind and the infrastructure falls apart and every area of their life will suffer. If a child cannot control their emotions, bounce back from failure, see things from a different perspective or generate thoughts to change their feelings, it doesn’t matter how many “good” things are happening in their life.

I am always amazed at the amount of money we, as parents, are willing to spend on our children’s sports and activities. Yes, I am guilty of it too.

I do believe that sports and other activities are very important in a child’s life, as they provide a creative outlet, a way to develop confidence, and a means to stay physically healthy. 

But mind management should always take precedence over these other activities. 

Does it really matter if our child is receiving straight As and made the A team in their chosen sport if they cannot deal with the stresses these activities bring?

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics,  youth suicide is responsible for more deaths in individuals ages 10 to 24 years than any single major medical illness. 

So why are we not focused on fostering healthy mindsets in our kids? Why are we not investing in programs and resources that teach children the power of their minds? 

We need to start thinking about mind management as a long-term investment in our kids.

If we want our children to succeed in life, we need to build the infrastructure that will support them in the long term. One that will cultivate the self-confidence, curiosity, and fortitude they need to succeed in life. 

That is why a well-managed mind is one of the greatest gifts we can give our kids. 

Challenge: This week, every time you drive your child to their sports or activities, have a conversation about how they are feeling at that moment and then ask them to identify the thought that is creating that emotion.

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