MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPYHOLLYJOLLYHOLIDAYRUSHRUSH!
Before you head out for last-minute holiday gifts for the kids on your list…
Consider these confidence-building gifts that could positively influence kids of any age… for a lifetime.
OK, so they may not be asking Santa for these – and no, you won’t find these on any Hot Gifts list. And they likely won’t be featured by brands positioning for your holiday dollars or purchasing power – at least not for these reasons.
I created The BOLD! Factor® to inspire success with self-leadership, ownership & confidence – self-empowerment for emerging leaders and motivated professionals.
For adults. Not for kids. So…
Why Suggest Confidence-Building Gifts For Kids?
We all know where self-confidence can begin and flourish… yes, right there… early on… in quiet moments when kids still have a chance to dream their own dreams… before adults try to decide their future for them.
Whether you’re in that favorite category of retail marketers everywhere: professional aunts or uncles buying for nieces and nephews… or a wise grandparent or holiday-crazed Mom or Dad tired of tracking down top-selling toys as they become burnt out and the toys become sold out.
Here’s my favorite solution or two – ok, three – which kids on your list just might eventually love…
3 LAST-MINUTE CONFIDENCE-BUILDING GIFTS TO POSITIVELY INFLUENCE KIDS… FOR A LIFETIME!
…along with few DO ONE BOLD THING action steps to eliminate the guess-work… and hopefully positively impact YOU.
! 1. THEIR OWN FULL-LENGTH MIRROR
The greatest gift we give ourselves, when it comes to happiness and success, leading and living the life we want? CONFIDENCE.
Confidence is Believing In Yourself(!) even in that moment – especially in that moment – when it’s easier not to.
Give A Gift To Build Self-Confidence. Their Own Full-Length Mirror.
With ever-decreasing privacy, and ever-increasing parading of kids through social media as magical mini-me’s living up to our mega vision of what success and happiness could look like in their amazing life… (oh, the pressure!)
Take a step back, and let the real gift in this gift be whatever reflects in THEIR view.
The simple gift of a Full-Length Mirror gives kids the gift of quietly discovering, play-acting, pretending, creating, wondering, dreaming, dancing, making faces, smiling, crying…
… learning to love themselves just as they are… as they start learning to feel comfortable in their own skin now… building their own confidence for whatever comes later.
In mirrored self-reflection, simple smiles transform as bigger questions:
How will I ask her to prom? Will I get married on a tropical island? What kind of business will I own someday? What do I really want to do when I grow up?
DO ONE BOLD THING: Buy a full-length mirror. Simple or decorative. Hang it on the back of their bedroom door. So they can close out the world, eliminate distractions (yes, even closing out you ;) as they immerse in their own little dreamland…
Where they can learn to create their own happiness, believe in their own greatness, build their own self-confidence, love who they see reflecting back…
And they just might have a greater chance to become adults who are comfortable in their own skin, staying true to who they are, while also seeing the greatness in others.
(I could say more on this but you get it, and I didn’t intend this to become a lesson in self-leadership… only in positive-influence gift giving ;).
Quiet time for you. Dream time for them.
!! 2. THEIR OWN VOICE RECORDER
As adults we know the importance of trusting our own voice, developing our own point of view, and the confidence it takes to speak up for ourselves in both everyday and challenging situations in our work and life:
Give A Gift To Build Voice Confidence. Their Own Voice Recorder.
So often we learn this on the go, in action, in front of others, which is when fear and impostor syndrome threaten to set in, to overwhelm, stifling our best efforts as we struggle in self-doubt, self-sabotage… often silencing our own voice, in some cases, before we’ve even had a chance to develop our own point of view.
What if kids had an opportunity to build their confident voice naturally, individually, getting use to that not-at-first-familiar tone, adjusting for whatever emphasis they want, becoming their own ME in their own special way, thru play?
DO ONE BOLD THING: Gift a Voice Recorder. One they can operate on their own. I’m not writing to promote any brands – only sharing from experience: when our kids were growing up the Fischer Price recorder was exactly the gift that inspired this idea – way back then – some of the best strategies are exactly that: timeless!
Get ready to smile as you start hearing singing and crazy-fun voices and new characters coming to life in your own home… inspiring new personaes, new possibilities…
*Welcome Ladies & Gentlemen!* or *Introducing The Star Of The Show!* or *And The Winner Is…* or *Everyone find their seats, quiet please, shhhh, it’s time for class…*
A much safer way to build confidence… trying out new voices as kids… rather than getting to our stage of life when it can feel like too big a risk to test a new voice, or voice a new idea, or share our own fresh perspective…
And so we don’t… because it’s too risky… and because it’s just easier not to.
!!! 3. SHOES THEY WANT TO MOVE IN
As adults we know the best way to get unstuck when we’re struggling – Get Moving! DO Something! Take Action!
Sure, at times introspection calls for stopping, getting quiet, thinking, reflecting… and then at some point you’ll need to get moving again… !
Give A Gift To Build Confidence In Action! Shoes They Want To Move In.
I do believe in giving in to brand-passion when it’s justified (and hopefully when it’s on sale!) If the shoes they really want are the ones that will inspire them to get outside and get moving, playing, trying out new sports at least long enough to experience being part of an action-focused team…
Investing in favorite shoes they can play in and want to move in can be money well spent!
Teach kids early on the importance of choosing outfits they want to move in… starting with shoes they can move fast in!
DO ONE BOLD THING: Buy whatever favorite shoes they want to move in – shoes they LOVE – shoes they’ll want to walk in, run in, play hard in.
Oh and let them get dirty!
Great minds and active bodies are not built by stepping around mud puddles, staying off wet grass, or walking inside the cracks on finally-dry sidewalks.
Do gifts of Full-Length Mirrors, Voice Recorders and Shoes They Want To Move In actually play a role in helping to build and reinforce kids’ Self-Confidence? Passion? Success? Happiness?
Discover the positive impact for yourself…
I’d love to hear what happens when you do!
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© 1993-2014 Ann Ulrich, THE BOLD! FACTOR® Catalyst, Strategist, Leader, Keynote Speaker & Mentor: “Navigating Success With Confidence! Self-Empowerment For Emerging Leaders & Motivated Professionals.” Subscribe to receive blog posts at: AnnUlrich.com
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ANN TATARELLI ULRICH 