Are You Teaching Your Kids to Be Employees or Entrepreneurs?

WHAT TYPE OF WORK ADVICE have you, or are you, giving your children? It goes without saying, we all want the best for our kids. We give them the very best advice we know, however, sometimes, that advice is not the best advice to give them, as it comes from our own limiting beliefs, past conditioning and fears. Many don’t recognize the advice we have grown up with, is not relevant in today’s changed world, yet many are still giving this advice because they don’t know any different. There are some basics that never change, such as values, character, etc., however, the world of employment is a different world than when many of us grew up in through the industrial age.

Parents and the educational sector lay out a path for students to follow. Go to school, get a degree, and get a “good job”. Often not considered is what worked in the industrial age, is not working for 21st century students. Astronomical student debt, along with underemployment is at an all time high. Young grads are waiting longer to settle down and get married, many are moving back in with their families in their mid to late twenties and some young people are being denied mortgages because their student debt is so high.

Stop for a moment and think back to when you were in your early twenties…imagine how it must feel to these young grads to have debt of $30,000-$50,000+, before you even buy a car or a home, and before you can even think about getting married and having a family. To top it off, you can’t even find work in that field to justify the debt. A domino effect of this, is young people can lose hope in their futures and fall into depression.

Every parent should be thinking about this, as there is no longer “job security”. People are looking for work that never thought they would be, as a result of layoffs, downsizing, contracts not being renewed, etc. It isn’t unique, it is affecting every sector and all ages.

The good news is, at the same time, there is so much opportunity in fields that were not previously even available. It’s been stated that over 65% of the work that will be done by today’s youth hasn’t been invented yet. We must encourage youth to become the CREATORS of work, finding opportunity in places that are outside of “conventional wisdom”….not the VICTIMS of underemployment. Many parents and teachers ask the question “what do you want to be when you grow up”, followed by suggestions such as nurse, policeman, firefighter, etc.

Instead ask better questions…

– what do you love most

– how could that help you start a business of your own someday

– is there something you think could be done better

– what ideas do you have to start a business of your own

Different questions, bring about different answers, thinking, actions and solutions.

Thinking differently….developing a more self reliant mindset and taking personal responsibility to be the creators of our own work….it is a mindset that can be developed. We need to encourage kids to do things that create work for themselves as they are growing up. It teaches them personal responsibility, leadership, self reliance, and to utilize their natural creativity.

There are lots of things kids can do when they are growing up to nurture this mindset…..

Lemonade stands, newspaper routes, selling handmade jewelry-help them set up an Etsy account, cutting grass, snow shoveling, yard clean up, watering gardens, babysitting, car washing, dog walking, pet sitting when people are away, go to garage sales revamp items and sell them, or encourage their interest in technology….do they have any ideas for app development……there are tons of things kids can do to generate spending money. The only limits are the limits in imagination. It teaches them to create something out of nothing. It teaches them to think out of the box, and it teaches them to tap into their creative side to find solutions….through this they learn and grow and find meaning and personal satisfaction about what they create.

It’s easy to put the blame on government and education. People tend to want someone to “solve” the issue….to bring about needed change. This is not being personally responsible. To raise strong, self reliant, confident young people, we must stop blaming and start acting. PARENTS can take a stand to BE the change and provide change for their kids. Just because the educational system is not promoting this thinking, does not mean we have to wait for approval to start teaching our kids to think differently, embrace creativity, learn self reliance, personal responsibility and leadership. It starts in the home. If we don’t want our kids to be the victims of a changed economy, we must show them there are alternatives and they can create anything they choose.


Published on http://bizcatalyst360.com/are-you-teaching-your-kids-to-be-employees-or-entrepreneurs/
Reach out to Debbie personally if you would like assistance in developing the critical mindset necessary for success as an entrepreneur. She works with entrepreneurs, provides corporate training for businesses and works with the educational sector to develop strong, self reliant entrepreneurial leaders. You can reach Debbie directly by email: Debbie@TheSuccessEducator.com, by phone 1-800-576-2917 or on her website below.