MindSwitch Mondays #29 The Best Advice: Do What You Can’t by Casey Neistat
Build the confidence your kids need to thrive in this creators world!
Hi MindSwitchers!
This week was my last week as a Write of Passage mentor, and often what feels like the end is often the beginning.
The last session of Write of Passage focused on motivation and “see you laters!”
Casey Neistat’s video “Do what you can’t” was shared during this last session, and I couldn’t stop the idea of “How important it is to build confidence early on in our kids!”
Play it safe, follow the rules, keep your head down, wait your turn, ask permission, and learn to compromise. We teach all this to kids, in schools, at home, everywhere. We continually feed the “you can’t” message, willingly or unwillingly.
But have we ever stopped to think how much this advice hits the brakes on our kid's potential?
I first experienced this dilemma in high school when my counselor told me not to apply to TUFTS University because I wouldn’t get in. I was told “I can’t,” but I applied anyway and got in. Fifteen years later I am writing my newsletter using my experiences and knowledge.
Thirteen years ago I started baking at home. First, it was a hobby that then turned into a business. Others told me “you can’t open a bakery with no experience in baking”. After ten years of running the business, I successfully sold it.
However, the most hurtful messages are the ones we tell ourselves.
I was telling myself “You can’t be a writer, you were never good at writing in school and you make grammar mistakes all the time”. But I did. What pulled me through was grit: my passion for education and my perseverance to learn. But what was key, was the confidence in myself to “do what I can’t”.
A new generation of content creators is thriving in the world.
The gamers, the influencers, the bloggers, or the internet-famous do things that “they can’t do.”
For example, you can’t have a talk show. Right? Wrong! You have a webcam, access to the internet, and lots of ideas to share. Ding! A new Youtube channel right there!
In Casey’s words, you just need a phone ($500 approx), internet access ($25 /month), and a creative idea. So with as little as $525, you can build your next business!
But there’s a piece missing.
Confidence.
You may have all the great ideas in the world, and the money to pay for the phone and internet. But no confidence means no steps to create and publish. Which leaves you where you are.
How do we build confidence in our kids to build & create to thrive in this creator world?
Ban Harsh Criticism: Kids easily translate the messages they hear from others into their internal language.
Instead of “Oh, how lazy” try “are you feeling tired? Let’s give this one more try.”
Praise the effort: Avoid giving praise on results (getting a good grade) or on fixed qualities (you are so smart!).
Instead, offer most of your praise for effort, progress, and attitude. For example “Wow, I can see you worked really hard to achieve that!”
Focus on Strengths: Be attentive to what your child is good at and make sure they have chances to develop these.
Focus more on strengths rather than weaknesses.
Let kids help and give: Kids’ self-esteem grows when they feel that what they do matters to others.
Thanks for reading!
If this newsletter inspired you to mindswitch hit the reply button, and let me know how! or leave a comment below.
Until next week!
Alexandra
P.S. You want to learn more about the creator mindset? Read my piece on Encourage kids to play “out of the box” and not “in the box.”
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Watch Casey Neistat’s video “Do what you can’t” if you haven’t done so already!
Before you leave to watch the video, remember to hit on the heart below the email’s title! This will let me know you liked the newsletter! :) Cheers!
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