Photo by chantrybee, used under Creative Commons licence.

Where things can go wrong for children and young people – and older people–  is if they feel that they are surrounded by nay-sayers.

I think children need to be rewarded for good things. (And one of the best things about being around young learners is…. the things you learn yourself).

Right from the beginning, we involve parents in their children’s learning of martial arts. Kids do best when their parents are supportive and on-side. So we want to build confidence both ways.

All children starting their Panther Taekwondo training should make sure to practice the basics, stances, and life skills in order to prepare for a regular training schedule And we know that they’ll do best if they are surrounded by positive support, encouragement and re-inforcement.. if they hear YES, and YOU CAN.

Choose to be around people who lift you up and inspire you

And now – the lesson for grown-ups.

A child can’t choose the company they keep at home. 99 times out of 100, they are with their family members. They didn’t choose them – they were born there. So we can create a positive environment for them.

For us as adults, there’s far more choice. So we need to make good choices. Be around people who uplift and inspire us, who help us to be our best selves… not people who always see the negative, or fill us with doubt, or put us down. If we are already in those patterns, we need to think about why, and about how we might go about changing it, to create a better future for ourselves.