If I Want My Kids To Be Successful In Life, They Need THIS

This past weekend I was at home in northwest Iowa at my parents’ farm. I got to spend some time with my two brothers, Joey and Jason, and whenever I’m around them I truly become the proudest big sister in the world. Joey’s 18 months younger than me and Jason’s 18 months younger than him, and they are some of the most solid men I know.

As I was hanging out with them, I noticed that one thing we all bring to the table is a CAN DO attitude. We don’t pout and complain about what isn’t, but we generally focus on what IS!

As I go through life, I notice time and time again what makes people successful. It isn’t how much they know, or how much money they’re making. It isn’t having the perfect circumstances TO succeed.

The thing successful people have that others don’t is a successful MINDSET. It’s a mindset that says, “I’m not a victim. I’m not a product of my circumstances. I’m not defined by my income. I’m not defined by what other people think of me. I GET to work. I GET to face these challenges. I GET to create opportunities for myself! I’m not going to wait around for someone else to build something for me. I’m going to find the materials and resources I need to BUILD IT MYSELF!”

When it comes down to it, a successful mindset is determined by how GRATEFUL you are.

So why is it that my brothers and I all have a successful mindset? Why is it that we overcome our excuses?

I’m 100% confident it’s because of how we were raised.

Every day, we saw my parents working hard. We saw them wake up early and have coffee together at 5am before my dad headed out to work on the farm. (We lived in a small century old farm house when I was little and the upstairs was usually too hot to sleep in the summer and too cold in the winter, so we spent a lot of nights sleeping in the living room, next to the kitchen where my parents had their morning coffee. I remember hearing them get up in the morning and smelling the coffee brewing, while they did their devotionals and talked about their day. I was half asleep, but the impact of knowing they were in the next room talking filled me with security and has had a life long impact on me.)

We saw my mom tirelessly encourage my dad while she worked full time outside the home as a nurse.

We heard them affirm us OFTEN. They were constantly speaking confidence into us. They were constantly telling us how proud they were of us, even if it was just us putting the dishes away from the dishwasher.

Above all, they told us how much they LOVED US. Were they perfect? No! No parents are! But to this day they know how to UNCONDITIONALLY love and have taught us to do the same!

All this got me thinking. I want my kids to have that same positive mindset. I want them to be grateful! But what am I doing on a daily basis to encourage this?

I heard something a while back that said research shows that parents can play a huge role in hardwiring their kids to have a positive mindset instead of a negative one.

By simply having our kids sit around the dinner table every day and asking what they are thankful for, we can help them to focus on the GOOD, instead of the bad.

We started doing this a few months ago. At the dinner table we go around in a circle and ask each of them what they are thankful for. Baylen goes first, then Emersyn and Mckinley, then Case. They TOTALLY get it. We usually start by talking about each family member, and then they want to keep going around in a circle, and we end up talking about how we’re thankful for the grass, and for food, and for toys, and for rain, and for band-aids. My littlest guy just turned two and even he LOVES to participate.

The other morning, I put the kids’ breakfast on the table and went back into the kitchen. The next thing I heard was Baylen taking the lead and asking everybody else what they were thankful for! My heart exploded into a million pieces. Positivity is CONTAGIOUS. We LONG for it!

I’m convinced it’s the little things we expose our kids to day in and day out that make the biggest difference. Sometimes I put all this pressure on myself to do all these amazing and complicated things as a parent to make sure my kids turn out okay, but really, it comes down to the simple things.

Maybe you didn’t grow up in an environment that fostered a positive mindset. Maybe you know your default is generally negative. It’s NEVER too late to start training your mind! Start TODAY! You are worthy of feeling EXCITED about your life.

The things we do today are going to determine how our kids act today. I’m so grateful my parents instilled an attitude of gratitude in me, and I pray every day I can do the same for my kiddos!

xo,

Amber

P.S. For more reflections on parenthood and life, follow us on Facebook (Hun Let’s Run) and on Instagram: @ambermariekuiper and @jakekuiper! We’d also love for you to subscribe to our Hun, Let’s Run Podcast! For more info about joining our fitness community as a customer or coach, please email us at amber@mommysmetime.com!