Always-be-your-best

Always Be Your Best

On Friday of this week, I have the opportunity to speak to middle school students and parents for their school’s National Junior Honor Society program.  I choose to talk about “Always Be Your Best.”  I want to tell them how proud I am and their parents, the teachers, staff, and school is for specifically making time in their life to make school and their performance a priority. When I was at Northwestern University in Chicago, IL working on my master’s degree, I had a professor tell me, “Rich, Opportunity begets opportunity.”

Your first opportunity may lead to other possibilities down the road.  I have found that to be so true in my own life.  I plan to encourage them to continue their trek.

Areas where I made a personal effort, have resulted in my having other beautiful opportunities because I extended my efforts, pushed myself to do better, took the time needed to be my best.  Being our best is so important, but so is realizing that there will be obstacles along the way.  I want them to understand how to meet some of those obstacles in our lives, understand them and move on.  I like to use the story about snowmobiling.

As a snowmobiler, I want to ride off-trail high in the mountains in Colorado.  The downside to that is that you will likely get stuck at some time.  If you’re going to hang here in the high country, you need to expect some of this (a photo of me stuck).

In short, I am encouraging them to continue to work to be their best, to be proud of those accomplishments, and to be determined and have an uncommon desire to succeed.  I am looking forward to speaking to this group and plan to enjoy my time with the audience.

Being Your Best is closely related to your self-confidence level.  Work with your child on their self-confidence by reading this, Self Confidence – Dr. Rich Patterson (pattersonphd.com)

Psychology Today has some articles on Being Your Best Self here, Being Your Best Self | Psychology Today

Yours for Better Parenting,

Rich