Hi everyone,
Those who watched last night's sermon with Bishop Duffy and fellow priests, heard some interesting thoughts and learning from the mass. Some points of note:
- Being grateful- these are tough and uncertain times and especially so for people who find it difficult. However, we need to be grateful for these times as well (the lovely weather, the chance to slow down, our family and friends). We and the children are missing out on things however this is a fantastic time to learn new things and become closer to family and God. It has been proven that gratitude leads to a happier and longer life, encourage this in your children. We have loads of lovely things that many others do not. Be grateful for parents, people that help us, teachers and school staff who work for the community among others.
- The opportunity to grow each day- in terms of your education and your work. Mindset is key and the more reading that I do and the greater experiences I have with people and children, I realise that the mindset of someone is really important. You can spot someone with a negative mindset straight away and on the other hand, see someone whose mindset is on point and they learn from each and every moment. The good thing about mindset is that it can be changed just like habits- you can change to a growth mindset.
- Re-defining failure- I have been on a number of webinars recently, listening to a number of podcasts and also through life experiences, this is another area which is key to success and something children and many of us still believe in. We all do it- we fail and that sometimes can put us off something. Or we fail and we think it's the end of the world. I've done it and I'm trying to shift this mindset- it's getting there and I also see it with our children as well. Children and all of us will fail in life (that is a given) and it's something that needs to be seen as a positive and an opportunity to grow. One recent activity on Seesaw and the negative element of not completing work at school was commented on by a few children. The word that appeared the most on the negative side was (yes, you guessed it) failure. So, I leave you with these questions to ponder:
What is failure?
Why is failure mostly associated with a negative?
What are the consequences of thinking that you will fail?
Can failure be a positive?
Is failure an opportunity to grow?
Did many successful people fail before they made it?
Should I be afraid of failure?
Failure is a positive and needs to be looked like that. Again, it comes down to mindset and when you fail- it is your decision and your responsibility to make a decision (e.g. positive or negative). Children and adults should be encouraged to learn from failure and their mistakes and come back again to grow further. Failure is not something that means we stop, it is a chance to grow and a chance to learn.
Take care everyone and we can all work on these mindset tips! There are some activities with the photos and online. With the school term coming near a close, I would encourage parents to take part in some of these activities with their children and add to their growth for the new school year whenever that will be. Start now!
Enjoy the sun and the weekend!
