Failure is Not an Option!

It's nearly impossible to ignore the "doom and gloom" reports on the news, in the papers and on the lips of most Americans today.  We are bombarded daily with information about mortgage foreclosures, unemployment and higher prices.  Even if you are not personally experiencing the challenges discussed in these news reports, it can be difficult to maintain a positive attitude about our economy.

I choose not to focus on the negative thinking surrounding our economy.  I prefer to concentrate on the abundance in my life, not the lack.  However, just when I think I'm doing fine with my mental perspective, my 10 year old daughter, Morgan, steps in and offers a bit of advice.

Recently, we needed a quick meal as the kids were each headed in different directions after dinner.  I was due for a trip to the grocery store (with two teenage boys in the house, we are perpetually low on groceries) but didn't have time that day for a major re-supply.  A stop at the market and $38 later, I turned to Morgan and said, "Wow!  We could've gone out to eat on that."

As we walked to the car, Morgan was deep in thought.  She stopped in mid-stride, turned to me and spoke with absolute conviction in her voice, "Mommy, as the cost of food goes up and the cost of gas goes up, so will our income.  The Universe WILL NOT allow us to fail!" 

Perhaps this is an obvious question but I need to pinch myself and ask, "I am the parent, right?"  Conventional wisdom tells me I am older, presumably wiser and more experienced in the ways of the world yet my child taught me something new.  Indigo and Crystal children like my daughter are often old souls who have much to teach us, if we listen.  In fact, I asked Morgan to share her statement at the dinner table that night.  Quick meal or not, the message was just too powerful to keep to myself. 

Just think .... isn't it fabulous for someone at such a young age to move through her world with the absolute confidence that everything is just fine?  Knowing she cannot fail empowers her and thus empowers me.  How brave and relaxed we both can be when failure is not an option! 

Can you see how this concept, wrapped in the innocence of youth, could be infectious?  Imagine a whole generation of positive thinking, empowered children knowing they will always succeed.  Parents can assist their children in this process.

As a parent, I made a conscious choice to embrace my daughter's statement.  I chose not to "educate" her on how the world really is according to the news reports.  Somewhere along the way, we parents have adopted the philosophy of telling our children what they should be thinking.  We convince ourselves that we're telling them the truth in order to protect them from the harsh disappointment when their rosy picture of the world is shattered.  In actuality, we are shattering their world.

The truth is this:  our kids create the world they choose to create.  Henry Ford said, "Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right."  Encourage your child to believe in limitless possibilities, abundance and success.  Their future depends upon it.
© Copyright 2008 Marsha Calder