Teach Your Child the Importance of Will Power

When we try to attempt something new or difficult or challenging, what is that one thing which works in favor or holds us back? It’s the will power or the lack of it.

Depending on who you ask and to a large extent, most people will agree that will power is the only thing that helps them accomplish the most difficult tasks, especially if the task requires unrelenting effort.

While this holds good for adults, how about will power in children? Do they need will power? How can they get the will power they need to study, crack exams, do something new like sports, music, theatrics, and others?

There is more to will power than meets the eye and by knowing how will power works, children can use will power to their advantage both personally and professionally.

Before understanding how will power helps children, it is important to know its main advantages.

Will power is the ability of a person to keep away from negative feelings and thoughts as well as thwart unwanted desires to achieve a goal and gain some benefits. Will power is all about determination, discipline, gut feelings, and self-control of people to shun thinking that pull them down and their strengths. Regardless of whether a person is old or young, will power is something that will take people places and help them achieve greater things in their lives.

Will power is the key ingredient for children’s success because it promotes behaviors that can give long term benefits. With strong will power, children can develop good habits and not get into bad ones. It also helps them stay focused and act with maturity and toughness. In short, will power is the most potent weapon in children’s armory to move toward success.

Children that are strong at using will power will always do better academically, know their importance and worth, have less stress, are healthier, and have successful careers, relationships, and are a lot happier than others.

How Will Power Helps Children and Parent’s Role Here

Will power is always associated with motivation and discipline and that’s the reason it’s essential to teach children the importance of having will power from an early age. Contrary to popular belief, a child grows into a strong adult if he/she learns will power during childhood. Therefore, parents need to lead with example and be the role model for the children. As parents, you should answer all the questions your child asks you regarding will power.

How to Teach Your Children to Have Will Power?

Will power is not just about knowing what’s right and wrong. It’s also not about telling yes and no at the appropriate times. But it’s much more than that. It’s also about achieving the impossible when things are not easy.

Here Are a Few Tips to Teach Your Children Will Power

Lead By Example

It’s often said that parents should lead by example if they want their children to learn anything. Similarly, if you want your child to learn will power, then you must lead by example. If you are with your child at a mall and see a nice shirt that you desperately want but can’t afford, then you need to resist the temptation. Another example you can follow is to resist the temptation to eat at a fancy restaurant. With these examples, you will be teaching your child will power. Stay consistent. If you are on a diet, stay true to the diet and don’t gorge on sweets or oily food. This way you are showing your will power and your commitment to stay healthy.

You need to be consistent with this and shouldn’t stray as this will lead to a bad example. This also shows your children how things should be done and the benefits that consistency brings.

• Become Disciplined

It’s hard to make your child disciplined because their mind is everywhere but you must make an effort to establish discipline at home. That’s because the success of will power is completely dependent on success. Therefore you must make discipline a habit. To begin with, ask your child to perform the same task every day as it will make him perfect at it as well as instill a sense of responsibility. It will be difficult at first, however it possible to make your children disciplined.

• Slow Down and Follow Your Child’s Pace

You should never expect your child tolisten to you or follow your instructions immediately. They are slow and will take time. Therefore, you need to slow down too and have patience with your child. Giving your child the time to slowly follow your instructions will empower them with patience to ponder over their next move, which is very crucial for having the will power. No one can learn will power in a day or two. A consistent effort over several months is needed. Both of you need to have patience.

• Don’t Give in to Peer Pressure

Children, especially teenagers, are prone and in all likelihood succumb to peer pressure and that’s the time their will power goes for a toss. In order to ensure that your child knows and understands what he wants in life, he needs to use his will power to stay away from pressure.

• Reinforcing Will Power

To ensure that your child learns will power, he should have examples at home.  therefore, parents must be consistent in their actions and behavior. You need to practice will power at all levels of the home and tell your child that the same is expected of him.

There are other ways how you can improve your child’s will power—

1. Attitude and belief in self
2. Positivity and mood
3. Food and right nutrition
4. Plenty of sleep
5. Domestic and external environment
6. Parents and friend’s influence
7. Motivation
8. Daily routines and habits
9. Single-minded focus
10. Practice
11. Planning

What Leads to Depletion of Will Power?

Will power is finite and just like some good things that don’t last long, will power doesn’t last long.  It takes years and a lot of effort to get will power but only one wrong decision or one wrong step to lose it. Here are some things that can affect the will power of children:

• Doing or asking them to do things they don’t like or enjoy
• Temptations
• Thinking of short term or immediate benefits
• Trying to impress people who don’t matter (especially true among teenagers)
• Fear of trying new things, forming new habits, or behaviors
• Distractions
• Controlling impulses

While this is not an exhaustive list, this is indicative of the pressure that can affect children’s will power. This is exactly the reason why children must try to manage their will power by applying it to things that matter the most. This will slowly become a habit and can be extended to other work that they do.

Conclusion

If you want your child to learn will power, then you shouldn’t be too strict as that may lead to rejection or rebellion from your child.  Having will power provides several benefits that will help them academically, professionally, and personally. That’s why it’s so important to cultivate it in your children from an early age.

Finally, just remember that will power not the only tool but the most important tool that they use to grow in life and achieve name and fame for themselves.