The Balanced Life, Huntsville Alabama

I recently attended a leadership training conference where one of the speakers made the statement, “Close minded Leaders, Close Minds.”

I haven’t been able to get this statement out of my head. It has caused me to think about leadership in a different way and as I began to think about this more, it occurred to me that of all the leaders in my life, for better or for worse, my parents had impacted me the most. With this in mind I wanted to share some insights with you on how to stay open minded and encouraging so that the dreams and potential that is growing in your child can flourish into something beautiful.

• Be a “Balcony person.” As noted in the book “Balcony People”- by Joyce Landorf Heatherley. A balcony person is the loved one in your life that cheers you on. They encourage and energize you with affirmation. We all need affirmation.
• Focus of the “Wow not How.” When your child has an idea, refuse to immediately focus on how they might accomplish it, instead just say “Wow” and continue to listen.

It’s so easy to be a critic. To discourage others and remain negative with society. Our children are getting flooded with this through social media and other daily life experiences and so are we as parents. We are going to have days when we struggle with negativity, but we don’t have to stay there. We have to be willing to push through, choose to focus on the “Wows” of life and less on the “How’s” and remain persistent in our “Balcony” approach. When we do this our kids are able to push through, overcome and pass on the positivity to others. How we treat our children impacts the way they treat us and others.  If you’d like to learn more about positive parenting strategies contact me at jessica@thebalancelifellc.com or 256-258-7777 ext. 103