HOW TO GET YOUR CHILD AHEAD OF 95% OF OTHERS IN 2023
Ok, so here's me being real.
Not many people know this, but I wasn't a good student in my early school years.
Even though I worked hard, I scored badly in exams.
This had a profound impact on my growing up years... but it did not stop me from being passionate about the creative arts.
Thankfully, I qualified to a private art school, read design communication and specialised in illustration.
Soon enough, I discovered my passion for photography and spent most of my time chasing this one thing.
It led me to opportunities to collaborate with the biggest brands like Apple and Louis Vuitton.
When I started Gosh! Kids, it got me featured in publications like FEMALE magazine.
The past 10 years of experience empowered me greatly as a individual, and anchored me deep in my creative confidence.
Here's the thing.
While traditional academics laid some foundation in my life, it was my passion that led me to a more confident, unique person I am today.
My focused, relentless pursuit of perfection to my craft.
Now, let's think!
Instead of aiming to score the best in exams, how can we ensure success BEYOND the classroom?
More importantly, how can your kids thrive in a future that is being revolutionized by technology?
It's simple.
To live for something that they can call their own.
Success is not just about earning bags of $$$.
Success is about “APIFA”
Altruism - doing something above yourself
Power - getting people to do things for you
Influence - making others buy into your ideas
Freedom - having freedom to choose what you want to do in life
Adaptability - the ability to reinvent yourself whenever you want to (and need to)
Success = survivability
Survive, then thrive.
While 95% of other children are grinding on things that don’t matter, let your child be the different one that focus on things that truly matter.
And to do that, they need to carry different identities that can bring them through whatever life throws at them.
Today, let me share with you 4 identities that can help your child maneuver through the twists and turns of life and achieve success and satisfaction, like how it did for me.
Leader
“The future leader will not be the one with the most degrees, the best grades, or the most experience, but the one who can navigate ambiguity and complexity with grace, curiosity, and adaptability.” - someone famous
Anyone can become a leader - even your child.
It’s not a title or position.
Neither is it defined by age.
It is about having the ability to influence and motivate others towards a common goal, at any level of the hierarchy.
There is an urgent need to raise a generation of children to lead their peers as the world becomes increasingly complex due to technology, sociocultural shifts and influential popular culture.
Leaders (your children) will gather masses and
give them clarity
lead them in the right direction
provide them access to resources
show them a better way
Leadership is not a job.
It’s a way of life.
Entrepreneur
The future will belong to those who find solutions to the biggest problems.
They must think like an entrepreneur:
be resourceful
find solutions to problem
see opportunities others are unable to see
not relying on traditional paths and develop new ways forward
Throw passivity out the window.
Start solving problems.
The world needs active children to step up to the challenge.
While the world becomes increasingly complex, humans are becoming increasingly similar.
To succeed, your children need to stand out among the masses and provide a unique idea or solution to the problems around us.
Be the entrepreneur that takes calculated risk and be willing to roll the dice on what is necessary for change, even in the smallest and most mundane of tasks.
Influencer
The most powerful form of influence is the ability to persuade and inspire others to take action.
With the internet, your child's influence is no longer restricted to those within their physical reach.
Leverage the tools of our time to reach an audience that respect no physical boundaries.
The world is your oyster!
Children must use technologies to craft their personal brand and build trust with the people around them.
Instead of using social media for mindless activities, why not use it to share their:
passion
values
goals and achievements
ideas, opinions and perspectives
It’s like giving a microphone to your child and giving them permission to say whatever they want.
Suddenly, they are empowered to use their voice to inspire.
Machines can’t replace their identity.
Your child’s personal brand = their identity.
Foster an environment that your child can use the internet to have a positive impact.
Creator
“Creativity is about being good at art or drawing well”
100% false.
Creativity is the ability to come up with original ideas and transforming them into something tangible.
With machines and algorithms being able to do many tasks, it’s the human creativity that puts us above everything else.
It’s what makes your child human.
And the thing is, your children are the most creative people ever lived.
Children’s minds are an imaginative playground filled with fantasies and dreams.
They have an insatiable desire within them to explore.
As their parent, unleash their imaginations by:
Investing in the creative arts (e.g. photography, art, design) that will transform imaginations into reality
Digital play (e.g. gaming) that uses their imaginations and come up with creative solutions to meet game objectives
Mental processing through journaling and storytelling to express their thoughts and make sense of the world around them.
Give children the permission to fill up the white spaces in their minds.
Success will be inevitable.
So there we go, these 4 identities. So simple, yet often misunderstood.
I believe in children. I believe they can make a difference at any age. They are never too young.
Be well,
Captain Explorer,
Miss G
