Joys Of Parenting: Helping A Child's Dream Come True
By Donovan Grant
Teenagers growing up today all have a dream in their heart. On some days they believe that it’s possible to live their dreams yet on other days they have negative views of themselves. And often the dream just slips away.
From my own youthful experience of much trials, errors and successes I know the value of having goals in your life. As a teenager I was a rugby player and my goal was to get myself in the 1st XV and to become captain for school team. The only reason I achieved this was because I really wanted it and put in tons of effort in training. We had to turn up for every practice session, run the four mile stamina builder and do all the skills & grunt work that it takes to get yourself in best condition. To say we went through pain and pleasure would be an understatement for sure, but the main thing is that we enjoyed playing the game!
Hey! Some days we won, some days we lost and on many days we got rained on.
If you see a teenager with a goal and a reason for achieving it, if they have the right team around them anything is possible! Sure, we got knee injuries, hamstring tears and sprained fingers that slowed us down; and we bounced back because of the goal to be the best player just kept moving us forward.
As a mentor, when you’re sat across the desk from a fresh faced 14 year old boy, you never know what to expect.
This was just the second meeting with this young lad I was matched with on our company’s business mentor program. We had our initial nice to meet you session so today we got down to business.
“So what do you what’s your dream in life then Paul?”
“My dream is to be a racing driver!”
Gulp!!!
I didn’t make a sound but, I’m sure the look on my face must have said it!
“Wow, that’s awesome!”
Most young lads I meet want to be footballers, lawyers, scientists, journalists and one or two movie stars. This was the first time I met budding racing driver! This young man was had different ideas from the norm.
What was your dream as a fourteen year old child?
Can you still remember your dream?
In fact, do you have a dream for your life right now?
When you look into the eyes of someone who is passionate about their dream, you feel compelled to take them seriously. Paul was passionate alright and he wants to make it happen.
Does he have a track record of racing cars? Yes indeedy!! He has been playing with toy racing cars since he was a kid; he’s been watching motor racing on television since he was nine and he’s been driving motorised racing carts since he was eleven. He didn’t just wake up one morning out of the blue with some wild idea to race cars; and get this…. He studies books on the subject (currently reading the biography of Lewis Hamilton).
Let me ask you a question, because what he said next knocked me back a little…
How many 14 year olds say to you “I’ve been using visualisations to help in my school work”? When you can turn a grade D in maths around to an A grade, you’ve got to be doing something right. Paul had done this just this past year. He had a simple strategy to sit in silence for five minutes and ‘run the play’ in his mind how he would tackle even the toughest sums that came his way. Based on what I saw in this session alone assured me that he has definitely got the right attitude to succeed in anything that he wants to.
“I can see myself as a racing driver already!”
I could sense the signs of a hard worker… in his own words “my strengths are commitment, determination, and I want to be the best – I don’t like getting beaten by anyone!”
There doesn’t seem to be a lack of confidence; so who knows, maybe I am sitting across the table from a future world champion.
What big dreams do your children have?
Are you giving them a chance to grow?
Just suppose that you gave your child the opportunity to develop their own big goal. The possibilities could be endless. The thing is having a goal, a dream, a mission is essential for them becoming all that they can be. The bottom line though is this- there is no magic wand or lucky star, it takes work. It takes us parents sitting down with our child and say what do you want?
You may have heard people say something like “what’s the point of having a dream, we’re in a recession so no one’s dream is going to come true.” You are not some people and your child is not just some child.
You are a caring parent. Your child is an Achiever.
You want the best for your child and you help by equipping them with all the tools and resources they need to go from where they are now to where they aspire to be.
YOU are not a crowd follower. You are not a doubter, who believes that your child can only go so far in life. YOU are an opportunity giver and you are encouraging your child to dream big, because you know that this is an investment in their future.
Remember this- When your child has a big juicy exciting dream that seems far away, all they need to know is what is the next step?
Let’s keep the dreams of our young people alive!
It's an honor to share and work with you!
Donovan Grant is a coach, mentor, blogger, speaker and IT professional who brings his wisdom of parenting for the last 21 years and coaching clients through the stages of raising youth and empowering leaders with life lessons that are changing generations. He is a passionate and committed leader who believes that we all have the ability to help to change someone else’s life. Actively doing so as a catalyst for many years he teaches how to live a life of success, balance, integrity and fun, whether at work or at play. www.donovangrant.com
