3 TOP TIPS TO RAISE A CONFIDENT CHILD  

By Sally Forrest

Managing Director, SoulKids, www.soulkids.org

21st May 2018

One of the most attractive qualities a person can have is self-confidence.

It starts young and it is a skill worth learning.

One of the core principles of SoulKids is that confidence is a teachable and learnable skill.

Here are 3 top tips that you can start with for your child (and of course for yourself):

1) CULTIVATE POSITIVE THINKING

At any moment, we have a choice. We can see the good in a situation, or we can see the bad. No matter what the situation, develop the habit of thinking “What positives can I find in this situation?”

For example, if your child brings home their grade card and 4 subjects are above average and 2 are below average, do not over-react and start to focus on the negatives.

Instead treat each moment as a learning opportunity.

Ask your child what went well, and how they feel about those subjects. Also ask your child what did not go well and why that was. Ask your child for their action steps to make improvements going forwards.

You can also encourage the child to take accountability for their own success. This way the conversation is positive and productive and you do not react to the disappointment of a few low grades.

2) VISUALIZE POSITIVE OUTCOMES

At SoulKids we believe that Visualization is a powerful tool to use.

Encourage your child to learn the art of visualizing positive outcomes in all aspects of their life.

Visualize doing well in school exams.

Visualize winning at sports.

Visualize having a healthy body.

Visualize having great friends.

Once the mind visualizes a positive outcome, the body responds, your child will begin to feel more confident and will take more positive actions, which naturally will have better results than taking action half-heartedly.

The child will develop confidence in this technique with practice. The more you practice doing positive visualizations, the easier it becomes.

3) CREATE A NETWORK OF SUPPORTIVE FRIENDS

At SoulKids we coach children on the truth that ‘You become who you surround yourself with’ and this is very important to understand if you want to have a positive life and future.

Who your child mixes with, will play a large role in their life.

If your child mixes with friends who encourage and support them, then they will become more confident and grounded in life.

If your child gets in with the wrong crowd and starts to do things to please others, then they are in effect moving away from their own personality and confidence.

It is important to explain to a child early the importance of relationships and what to nurture in them. Encourage positive friends and discuss with your child how these relationships will indeed support them going forwards in life.

These are 3 simple SoulKids tips that are easy to implement and that will make a positive difference in the lives of your children.

Your child learns best from experience, so become a role model in these aspects and your child will learn from your actions.

Sally Forrest is the founder of SoulKids.

If you would like your child to benefit from a SoulKids program, a personal coaching or by reading the SoulKids books, then please do connect on www.soulkids.org

The next SoulKids Self-Confidence program is coming up on 11 / 12  / 13 June. An ideal moment for your child to grow self-confidence and have fun during the school holidays at the same time.

For registration, click here.

One on One coaching sessions can be booked at your convenience by contacting the SoulKids Manager, Vidhya on soulkids@soulcentre.org.

Becoming a SoulKids Mentor was life changing

Becoming a SoulKids Mentor was life changing 

By Sally Forrest
Managing Director of SoulCentre, www.soulcentre.org

30th April 2018

Sally recently interviewed Swapna Menon to find out about her journey to become a SoulKids Mentor.

What made you decide to become SK Mentor?

I happened to glance at a SoulKids programme brochure in school and I was completely wowed by the benefits it talked about.

I decided to take the course thinking that how beautiful it would be to transform myself and others and to see children “blossom" from buds into beautiful flowers

Personally I think that the most beautiful thing one can give back to the world is to “create a difference in the lives to others”.

Did You enjoy the SoulKids Mentor training program?

Yes! Without a doubt, it was amazing.
I particularly liked the transformation I saw in myself and then in the people I interacted with.

I loved the tools and teaching techniques used and in particular the stories!
As individuals, all of us connect to stories. Our eyes and ears are totally focussed and engrossed when we listen to a great story.
The stories shared at the SoulKids Mentor training are simple, unique and life changing.

The learning is so profound.

I could grasp and connect to it really easily and it also helped to change my perspective and my attitude.

It made me realise that I am in charge of my life!
Every thought I have and every action I take brings change to me and to my life.

The most beautiful part of the programme was to watch Vikas in action as he taught the program. He has such authenticity and passion, moving from one story to another with high energy. He never tired and I was totally focussed and concentrating all the time. It was enjoyable and the time just flew by. I was mesmerised.

SoulKids Mentor training is a programme that transformed me as an individual.

Have you incorporated the teachings into your life? 

Yes, I immediately incorporated the teachings.
First I changed my thoughts as I realised that as individuals we have numerous thoughts coming to us every day.
Some thoughts can be positive while some can be negative.
Of course the positive thoughts are great, however one negative thought is enough to influence our entire day and can spoil the moment.

Of course it can be a challenge to always have positive thoughts, however now I have this new awareness I am making a daily effort to keep the negative thoughts at bay.

How have you used SK with your family? 

Yes, I use it with my family.

I have all the SoulKids books and I read the stories to my daughter.
She loved the stories so much that she asked to attend a SoulKids program.

Every day when the opportunity arises I reiterate the learning from the stories.

There are situations when she may be impatient or may not be happy with her results.
I take situations like this as an opportunity to help her learn key life lessons from SoulKids like to “be patient” and “to not give up”
The stories of the patient spider and Bruce Lee help her to realise everyone in life goes through challenges and it enables her to focus and to be eager to change.

Every story that SoulKids teaches has invaluable life lessons that really benefit children (and adults).

Have you been involved in teaching a SoulKids program?

Yes I have and I loved every minute of it.

It is so rewarding to make a difference in the lives of others.

I am a very energetic person and I bring lots of enthusiasm and drama while narrating stories. 

The children definitely enjoyed the program and certainly left happy and smiling.

Many thanks Swapna for this enlightening interview.

We wish you continued happiness and we know that each child who comes into contact with you will most certainly benefit.

For more details on SoulKids please do connect with us on soulkids@soulcentre.org

How to raise a confident daughter?

How to raise a confident daughter?

By Vidhya Shailesh, SoulKids® Program Manager, www.soulkids.org16th April 2018

Confidence is a nurtured skill. As children grow up, they go through phases of confidence in their own abilities followed by phases of self-doubt. Peer pressure, comparisons with their friends, changing social environment all contribute towards their own self-belief. As girls grow up, body image issues, the need to be accepted and belong among others can affect their confidence. As parents or guardians, we can support them through these formative years to help them grow into confident young ladies.

1.    Encourage assertiveness

Encourage your daughters to stand up to their choices. Often when girls find their friends are making different choices, they feel compelled to choose otherwise. Encourage them to be assertive. Train them to stand by their choices, train them to make their own independent choices. It might start with simple choices like what to eat at a meal. Encourage them to make these choices often and stand up to them.

2.    Encourage competence

Teach her that competence takes effort and persistence. And it is only through persistent effort that competence is built. Encourage her to focus on her strengths and build on them. It doesn’t matter what her strengths might be – it could be academics, arts or sports or anything else that she is really keen on. With effort, she can keep growing and this leads to greater self-belief. Refrain from making assumptions on her strengths and weaknesses.

3.    Never compare her with others

Comparisons with friends, peers or siblings hurt a child’s confidence the most. It makes them feel they are not good enough. And with girls, this can have a much deeper impact. Remember, all children are special in their own way. Appreciate her efforts not just the results. Tell her often how she is doing something well, or what you think is special about her. Girls often need reassurance and this is where parents play an important role. Don’t judge her mistakes. Instead help her rise above them. Help them understand that mistakes are normal. Speak openly about your own failures or mistakes and embrace them. Avoid setting perfect ideals for her to live up to. Instead encourage effort and growth.

4.    Encourage a healthy body image

As young girls grow into their pre-teen years, body image plays a very important part. As their bodies change, encourage them to be accepting. Start by complementing them often. Girls are often lured by the images they see in magazines and can get caught up in their own idea of a perfect body. Tell them constantly how beautiful they are just as they are. Help them appreciate imperfection.

5.    Encourage them to have positive role models

Encourage your daughters to have positive role models. Help them see the effort that is put behind the success and the causes for which their role models stand. A positive role model can help inspire your daughter and encourage her to have the right mindset.

At SoulKids® we teach all children to believe in themselves. We teach them to be happy just they way they are, to never compare themselves with others and grow their own strengths. Essential skills such as this when taught early, lay the foundation for the rest of their growing up years. We work with many children on group programs and on one-on-one basis.

Parents can also learn how to inspire their own children and bring out the best in themselves. Our mentor training program is specifically designed to train adults in the SoulKids® philosophy. Mentor training happens only once a year and we have people flying in from all over the world to get trained. Mentor training in 2018 is happening from April 22-26. Sign up for this transformational training program and grow your own life and be a positive influence on everyone around you.

To find out more about our programs or one-on-one coaching, please visit www.soulkids.org or email us atsoulkids@soulcentre.org for more information. Register your children for our transformational programs and help them grow in confidence.

3 Secrets To Raising A Happy Child

 

3 Secrets To Raising A Happy Child

By Vikas Malkani

Founder of SoulKids®

Raising happy children is the goal of every parent. Children are naturally drawn towards happiness, and as parents, we must understand what it takes to nurture and raise a happy child.

Here are my top 3 secrets to raising a happy child.

1.    Feed their self-confidence

As parents, it is our responsibility to raise our child’s sense of self-esteem so high that nothing or no one can break it.

Boost their confidence by always encouraging them to try new things. Appreciate their efforts not just the results. Support their interests, desires and strengths. Encourage them to do more of the things they are naturally good at. This provides a positive reinforcement and helps them grow in confidence; it also strengthens them to produce positive results in their endeavors.

Make sure that you do not compare them with others. Comparisons with peers devalues their self-confidence and also affects their inner beliefs.

2.    Make your home a positive one

Children learn more by imitation than by instruction. Be aware of your words, actions and behavior and keep them positive, as your children are watching you constantly.

Engage in fun activities together. Develop a positive and happy mindset yourself so they learn by watching you.

Let them see you making mistakes, learning from it and moving forward. Encourage open communication so they know they can always come to you for guidance and not be judged.

3.    Inspire, don’t perspire your children

Motivate children, don’t dictate to them. Acknowledge and reinforce good work and behavior. Notice them doing things right, don’t just catch them doing things wrong.

Encourage them to make small efforts and support them. It is always the small victories that lead to greater ones.

Children learn best through positive and constructive feedback. Remember failure has a purpose too – it shows you what you need to work on. Help them develop this growth mindset.

The award winning SoulKids® programs are designed to give children the life-skills they need to create their own happiness and success.

At SoulKids, children learn skills such as resilience, emotional intelligence, teamwork, personal leadership, creative problem solving and more in a fun and engaging environment. They always leave happy, excited, positive and wanting more.

We offer group programs for different age groups and also offer one-on-one coaching to provide specific help and guidance for your child.

Click here to see SoulKids program dates and register http://www.soulkids.org/events

Vikas Malkani is an authority on personal development, happiness and success. He has coached CEO’s, Hollywood Stars, Royalty, Sports Champions and more…

SoulKids is an award winning life skills program that makes children future-ready by teaching them leadership, resilience, emotional intelligence, teamwork and more.

Find out more about SoulKids programs and one-on-one coaching here www.soulkids.org or email us at info@soulcentre.org

Count your Blessings to ensure a happy start for 2017

Vikas Malkani
9th January 2017

 

Count your Blessings to start the year right!

‘Counting your Blessings’ is one of the essential pillars of my teaching. My students will know why, as I have explained the many reasons spiritually, scientifically and practically too…

Try it for yourself and see the difference that being focused on your blessings makes in your life. I can guarantee that counting your blessings will make you happier, healthier, energetically attractive and will encourage a positive mindset that is resilient and able to handle challenges.

By counting your blessings you raise yourself energy levels, you attract more blessings and you experience all the goodness that a meditative mind brings. After all, counting your blessings is a technique of meditation and mindfulness from ancient times…

So start 2017 in a positive, peaceful and powerful manner – by counting your blessings with me.

Here are my top 5 blessings as I start 2017 -

1) I am blessed to be alive and have good health

2) I am blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people and friends

3) I am blessed to do work I love and share wisdom with the world

4) I am blessed I have recently enjoyed some time off and seen the beauty of our wonderful planet

5) I am blessed to be living and working in Singapore and meeting great people every day at SoulCentre®!

I’ve shared mine with you, what are your top 5 blessings?

To make 2017 a great year for yourself, connect with SoulCentre® and get started with meditation, mindfulness, reiki or start coaching yourself to a life of happiness, prosperity and fulfilment.

Attend a ‘Life Lessons with Vikas’ on 18 January or ‘Meditation Made Simple’ starting 07 February and start to make your life better in all ways.

Connect with us at info@soulcentre.org to find out more.

www.soulcentre.org

Self-Confidence In Children – 5 Ways To Create It

By Vikas Malkani

Founder of SoulKids®

31st October 2016

Contrary to what some believe, self-confidence doesn’t develop simply by telling kids they're wonderful, special, and unique. Simple words will not do it, nor will giving every child a trophy at the end of every contest.

The reality is that your child will face competition in life and must learn how to manage it. Regardless of the result, when children compete, they can see that their own preparation and hard work makes a difference. Getting a prize contributes to self-confidence only when the child knows they have earned it.

A positive self-confidence is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child. The self-confidence a child develops is the result of numerous experiences that help a child feel accepted, loved, respected, capable and effective. And it is always built over time.

www.soulkids.org

SoulKids® teaches that children with high self-esteem feel loved and competent and develop into happy, productive people. They tend to feel valued and accepted, feel proud of a job well done, think good things about themselves and feel prepared for everyday challenges.

Conversely, children with low self-esteem often feel self-critical and are hard on themselves, feel insecure, or not as good as other kids, focus on the times they fail rather than the times they succeed, lack confidence to step out of their comfort zone, and constantly doubt their ability to do well at things.

At SoulKids® we believe that self-confidence is important because when children feel good about themselves, it sets them up for success — in everything from school to friendships. Positive self-confidence helps children try new challenges, cope with mistakes, and try again. In contrast, children with low self-confidence feel unsure of themselves, think others won't accept them, and may allow themselves to be treated poorly and have a hard time standing up for themselves.

Here are 5 SoulKids® tips to help your child develop self-confidence :

1) Help your child learn to do things - At every age, there are new things for kids to learn. When a child does something new, it gets them out of their zone of comfort and into their zone of discovery and growth; it makes them grow. Doing new things is absolutely essential for the constant development of a child and also great for building their self-confidence.

When teaching kids how to do things, show and help them at first. Then let them do what they can, even if they make mistakes. Be sure your child has lots of opportunities to learn, try, and feel proud. Don't make new challenges too easy — or too hard.

2) Praise your child, but do it wisely - It's good to praise children and your praise is a way to show that you love them and are proud of them too. But research shows that some ways of praising kids can actually backfire so avoid over-praising. Praise that doesn't feel earned is not beneficial and in fact can have the reverse effect. Kids are masters at detecting insincere praise or baseless compliments.

Praise your child often, but be specific in your compliments so your words sound and feel true. Telling a child he played a great game when he knows he didn't feels hollow and fake. So it's better to say, "I know that wasn't your best performance, but we all have off days. I'm proud of you for not giving up. Tomorrow, you'll be back on your top game."

At SoulKids® we believe that it’s better to praise the efforts they make rather than just the results they achieve. This kind of praise encourages children to put effort into things, work toward goals, and try. When kids do that, they are more likely to succeed.

3) Ban negative criticism - The messages kids hear about themselves from others easily translate into how they feel about themselves. Harsh words such as ‘You're so lazy’ are harmful, and not motivating at all. When children absorb negative messages about themselves, especially from the parents or family, they feel bad about themselves, and act accordingly.

Never belittle your child's feelings. If you get angry take a short break so you don't say anything you'll regret later. And remember, you can dislike a child's actions without disliking the child.

Words have power, so be conscious of what you speak to and around your child.

4) Focus on strengths - Pay attention to what your child does well and enjoys. Make sure your child has opportunities to develop these strengths. Developing their innate strengths will feel natural and joyful for your child.

For developing positive self-confidence, nurturing strengths is better than focusing on weaknesses if you want to help kids feel good about themselves and succeed in life.

5) Be a good role model - When you put effort into everyday tasks like making a meal, cleaning up the dishes, or washing the car, you're setting a good example for your children. Your child learns to put effort into doing homework, cleaning up toys, or making the bed because they see you so the same.

Modelling the right mind set and attitude counts, too. When you do tasks cheerfully, or when you avoid rushing through chores and take pride in a job well done, you teach your child to do the same.

The SoulKids® creed is simple and effective – ‘Be what you want your child to become!’

It works, every time!

SoulKids is an award-winning training program of essential life-skills for children.

To have your child benefit from our next class, click http://www.soulkids.org/events

Leadership for Children – SoulKids®

Sally Forrest

24^th October 2016

The right skills learned at a young age are priceless and leadership is vital to the future success for all children.

At SoulKids® we encourage each child to bring out their very best and during the programs they take on leadership roles.

One of the main lessons for a leader is that you lead by example – this means how you communicate, how you walk, how you hold yourself - all makes a difference.

Children are given roles where they soon realize the importance of clear communication and of setting a good example in order to succeed.

They are exposed to team activities where the teams are allocated randomly; sometimes they lead and other times they are part of a team.

This is a true test of working with people not like you, people who may have different strengths than you, and people who you may not have picked for your team should you be given the choice.

Negotiation, getting along with others, looking for the strengths in others - are all valuable lessons that children experience and lessons that set the foundation for success in life.

Confident communication, negotiations skills, positive thinking, planning and focus are all vital to success and all lessons that children learn through fun, games, stories and experiential learning.

Once connected with our SoulKids® family there are many exciting opportunities open for children to learn.

We select children to become SoulKids® Ambassadors and they feature on videos inspiring children with the wisdom they have learned and applied in their own life.

We encourage social entrepreneurial projects and work with children to achieve their dreams.

SoulKids® is more than an enrichment class, it is a family for life where children feel loved, comfortable and know that they will be encouraged to step outside their comfort zone and to bring out their very best self to every occasion in life.

Do connect with us to register your child for our upcoming programs or for one on one coaching.