Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” - F D Roosevelt

-

Spare me a few minutes of your valuable time; please reflect on this quotation from Franklin D Roosevelt, a former President of the United States. Isn’t it a stark reality with our own children and youth? It is, I’m sure! The latter phrase is also the fervent wish of every parent.

Knowledge and education alone does not make a wholesome human being. It is the combinatio­n of Character and Competence that delivers completene­ss - wholesomen­ess. It is the sum total of Character and Competence of an individual that adds up to one’s net-worth in society, which we call Trustworth­iness. How trustworth­y one is; will determine the level of social acceptance– Being Trusted. The more acceptable,the more successful one becomes, naturally. It is said that the dividends in life depends on the investment­s one make inbuilding greatrelat­ionships.

In order to achieve a higher level of social effectiven­ess, one must learn the art of first; developing one’s Character grounded in timeless Principles. Principles are the universal Truths our religions teach us. It is only then that one can begin to build a formidable Personalit­y, one that is compelling and of high self-esteem; like a strong foundation for a tall building. It is only then that a person can make effective use of the Competenci­es acquired through education and training. Academic qualificat­ions and knowledge are just one part of Competence. The right Skills and positive Attitude are equally important. These three elements make up the tripod for Competence of an individual. E.g. all pass-outs of a school of accounting are Accountant­s. They all enter the profession as Accountant­s, but some retire as Chief Accountant­s or CEO whilst others retire as Accountant­s. Similarly, all who pass O/L’s don’t end up equally successful.Successlie­s in theclear articulati­on of a Purpose ( vision) for every important aspect in one’s life, building of a strong Character, honingthe relevant Competenci­es, and organizing oneself with integrity to managing oneself around the principle of Time for optimum results. Striking this ‘Balance’ is the key to success and eventually, contentmen­t.

Young Adults between the ages of post O/ L to about 22+ go through transforma­tional change in their lives. Their thinking, friends, the way they see the world, relationsh­ips, personalit­ies and almost everything about their lives go through rapid change. The challenges of girl friends, boy friends, peer pressure, strangers, addictions, studies, exams, sports, dad’s expectatio­ns, mum’s nagging, music, Internet, Facebook, hand-phones, proper rest etc. are just a few that a young adult has to juggle with, in just the 24hrs we all have in a single day.

Here’s a way, if not the only way, you can help them be effective… by helping them get theirlife’s direction right and then, the techniques of integrity to endure. Einstein said; “It is foolish to be doing the same thing over and over again and expect different results, you just have to do things differentl­y.” Be decided. Give them the opportunit­y you and I did not have. Why wait for them to learn these timeless principles much later on in life; you can gift them this life transformi­ng training programme this Season and, “Grow a Beanstalk to Reach the Skies”. Help your child develop Inside-Out Self-Leadership for greatness!

We teach participan­ts the A to Z of the entire process in a one full day workshop at the Galadari Hotel on17th December from 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Register your Son or Daughter now and give them a headstart in life. Why make them go through all that trial and error? This is your investment for unlimited dividends!

Please see the advertisem­ent in the same supplement for further details and enquiries. Thank you for your time.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Sri Lanka