By Sensei Serge Sognonvi and Carmen Sognonvi
Originally published at http://www.urbandojo.com/blog

We’re excited to debut our brand-new character development curriculum this month, called Powerful Words. It’s designed by one of the nation’s leading childhood development experts, Dr. Robyn Silverman.

Every month, we’ll focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character development.

In March 2011, we’ll be working on the concept of “confidence.” All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand what it means to feel “sure” of themselves, their skills, and their worth, and how to demonstrate to the world that they are confident in who they are.

Here’s a video from Dr. Robyn Silverman in which she introduces some of the concepts we’ll be covering this month:

Confidence is a combination of trust and assuredness. Confident people embody a feeling of inner certainty that everything will work out as envisioned. They believe in themselves, their abilities, and in those they trust.

Confident people are aware of their strengths but don’t feel they need to brag about them for validation. They already have that certainty inside. They can admit their weaknesses — but not in a way that heaps on shame. Rather, they talk about weakness in a productive way that helps them to reach out for help, strengthen their skills, and connect with others.

Confident people “put themselves out there.” They follow their passion, try new things, meet new people, and embrace their own identity even if they’re different from others. They have faith in themselves and their ability to succeed.

These days we have a great deal of media that can open our children up to information and people all across the world every day of the week. While there are many benefits of such access, including learning from people who come from different cultures, there are also some drawbacks for those who spend time on social networking sites.

As you might imagine, those children who feel ostracized or bullied online have lower self esteem and confidence (Developmental Psychology, March 2010). It’s important to help our children surround themselves and connect with people who bring out their best.

This month, talk with your children about all the people and experiences that help you to feel confident and worthwhile.