How to train a child to be successful

How do you train a child to be successful?
Millionaires! Billionaires! Entrepreneurs! Influencers! All share a universal message to people who want to be successful.

“You need to stand out from the pack! To be the outlier! You need to be better than everyone else!”

Whether you want your child to be the next ‘big thing’ or are just happy as long as they are happy, success, in all its perspectives, is something every child wants to feel. But how do you train a child to be successful? Read on and learn how to help build a child’s capacity to succeed.

Work ethic is vital in success! Try and name someone who you perceive as successful that has not had to work hard. So let’s analyse two successful people that have found success in different fields, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kerwin Rae.

The incredible Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the greatest footballers to ever have graced the field! His success is inarguable. In one of the most popular sports in the world, how did he become one of the greats?

In an interview with RSNG, Ronaldo states:

‘I will always tell everyone that it is about the whole package. First of all, the talent helps a lot, of course. But from the very beginning, it’s important that you have a very strong work ethic when you are a professional – not just physically, but also mentally.’
Cristiano Ronaldo

One of Ronaldo’s coaches at Manchester United revealed that Ronaldo would train by himself for a further 20 minutes AFTER each training session, such as doing extra passing drills with added legs weights. (Fourfourtwo – 2017)

Now the Aussie entrepreneur, Kerwin Rae! Kerwin has become one of the worlds greatest business influencers, with having over 1.2 million followers. In Kerwin’s video about ADHD, Kerwin accredits his success to his ability to work past the 9-5 hours. Kerwin’s work ethic is higher than the average person, allowing him to stand above the over business strategists, and claiming a trophy as one of the worlds best and most influential.

Can you see the common link between the two? A work ethic that surpasses all the others in their field!

My bit of advice to give to a child who wants to be successful:

Most people only do what is required, they do the bare minimum to get through. But if you do more, you train yourself to do more. You subconsciously learn to excel at things and become ahead of the pack! At university, there was the saying “P’s get degrees,” implying that by just passing, you will get the same degree as someone who gets a high distinction score. My response to that? “P’s may get degree’s, but HD’s will get you to where you need in your career!”

Some tips to all parents and teachers who want to train their child to be successful:

Give homework: Homework is not just about learning the content and becoming better at it; it is also training the child to work harder, to work outside their allotted schooling hours.
Push past the ‘tired’ barrier: Everyone feels tired, and when we do, we want to stop! By training the child to push past this barrier, you are preparing the child to still function during their time of being fatigued. However, I would like to add a caution to this. Too much pushing during fatigue will lead to a burn-out. To avoid a burn-out, I advise that you set small achievable tasks during this fatigued state (i.e. just read two more pages OR write one more paragraph). I also suggest that the child has ‘switch-off’ time for their brain. Alike an adult taking a vacation from work, a child that is becoming fatigued also needs time away from being pushed.
Show initiative: Initiative leads to independence and a ‘just-do-it’ attitude! By directing a child to do what is needed without any instruction, teaches the child to show initiative. A great way to do this is to set an end goal and have the child do what they need to do to achieve it.
Independence: One of the worst things for a child (aimed towards older children) is for the child to be entirely dependant on their parents to live. They end up becoming young adults with no concept of money, budgeting, time management, cleanliness, and more. I call it the ‘Peter Pan Syndrome’ – the child that has never grown up! From a young age, you should teach a child to cook, to clean, and to save and budget their money. Give them a taste of adulthood!
Bounce Back: Life continually knocks us down! So we need to teach our children how to get back up again. By not allowing the child to quit when things get tough, you are teaching the child push through the pain and become stronger. You are teaching them to see past the initial negativity and aim for the future positivity.

These are just some, of many ways to train a child to be successful, no matter how you perceive success. I genuinely hope you have learnt something from this information and that you too can help a child achieve success.