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Universally, people acknowledge the relationship between intelligence and personal achievement. However, it is also widely known that there is another human quality that has immeasurable impact on how much one can do – and that is attitude. In this case, more specifically, confidence. The courage to do whatever one wants without wavering is often the driving force behind the world’s greatest leaders, achievers, athletes and success stories. How then can you, as a parent, instill confidence in your child?

Positive reinforcement

There’s a direct relationship between positive reinforcement and one’s willingness to do things. Due to very young children not having a perfect sense of what is right and wrong, and not always knowing when they’re doing something well, it is the parent’s job to always congratulate children when they achieve.

Even if it’s for doing something as simple as assembling a complex puzzle for the first time on their own. Your children’s confidence in themselves is directly related to their knowing you’re proud of them.

Encourage cultural activities from a young age

While nobody likes parents who live their own failed dreams of stardom and achievement vicariously through their children, encouraging your child to take part in cultural activities like plays, public speaking and music is a great way of building confidence in children.

Help children understand fear

Incidentally, encouraging your children to be brave in front of an audience will help them learn to face fear head-on. In fact, it’s fear and not shyness that is the greatest inhibitor of confidence in children – according to some it is the greatest inhibitor of confidence in everybody.

The influence parents wield on their children’s life trajectory is immeasurable, and if you do the right things for them early on, they’ll reap big rewards as adults.

Tags: children, confidence