The beauty of being a child is that you dream without limitations. You believe that you will make your dreams come true and become successful. As adults we should follow that example more often.

Research shows that most adults don’t have a clear written down plan for life and fail to achieve the goals they do set. This means most people go through life without having a clear plan for their future in mind. 

The real sad news is is that it’s not only adults that lack faith in their ability to achieve what they want. A recent survey among young teens shows that 78 % of teens don’t expect that the career they dream about (when asked what they would do if they could do anything in life they want) is the career they realistically expect to have in the future . That means that this generation already believes that their dreams are unrealistic and their goals unachievable BEFORE they are well and truly on their way in life.

And why would they? We all want our kids to be happy. We teach them that means having a good job, making enough money to get buy until your pension and raise a family so the next generation can do it all over again.  That’s how children grow up into teens and adults choosing production over passion.  In this fast life with a thousand distractions per minute, do we take the time to sit our next generation down and ask them about their dreams? Do we talk to them about why they are significant? Do we teach them what they need to plan, pursue and achieve their real goals? 

You can’t believe in yourself and your dreams if you don’t have clarity on what it is you are after.  You can’t be successful in your achievements without any form of planning.  Nor can you efficiently grow as a person or in your career/business without having a clear target or direction. 

No business would just wing it and then cross their fingers hoping they will eventually get results they want. Every successful business has a clear vision for their future. Every successful business sets short and long term goals. Every successful business creates a strategy to make best use of their resources and individual talents to get the best results. Because management knows productivity, results and engagement go up, when there is a clear focus and action plan.

Imagine the confidence you experience when you have the skills to take be the manager over your life.  Imagine the head start you have when you learn to believe in yourself, set goals and make actions plans at an early age.  If they learn how to prioritize, make action plans and develop the discipline to work hard on achieving it.

At school children focus on cognitive and social skills for their future: math, science, biology, playing by the rules, waiting your turn.  But to be successful in life you need much more than just these skills. Kids need to develop a stable personality, strong communication skills and connect with their personal talent to reach their full potential. 

We owe it to our youth to let them develop the skills they need in real life. They need to be provided with the tools that help them move forward in all areas of life.

Children that grow up feeling self-aware, confident and know what they are passionate will make smart choices for the future when it comes to friendships, study choice and money. When you grow up knowing that you can actively work on your dreams by setting achievable goals, you will excel on whichever path they choose to take. 

Teens that are encouraged to discover their inner talents and are provided the tools to make constructive plans for their life, grow up inspired. And inspired teens grow into inspired adults that feel the inner need to always develop themselves and make a positive contribution to the world. 

Once you know your own unique strengths and know what you want to achieve in life, you gain confidence and grow up believing in your personal success. If you then learn to value and respect others as well, you will work together (instead of against each other) and become part of a strong, growing community.  Start teaching about goal setting at home by answering the following questions with your kids: 

• What is my dream for my world and my future?
• How can I turn a dream into a goal?
• How do I make a plan to achieve a goal?
• What actions do I need to take to achieve this goal?