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

Throughout July 2011, we’ll be working on the concept of “perseverance.”

All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand what it means to never quit, and to stick with your goals until they are achieved.

To inspire your own discussions at home, here are five of our all-time favorite quotes on perseverance:

“Never give up. Never, never give up!. We shall go on to the end.”
—Winston Churchill

“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another.”
—Walter Elliot

“Set a goal, get a goal, assume the glory and the cheers? No; The one who achieves the goal is the one who perseveres!”
—Dr. Robyn Silverman

“I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.”
—John D. Rockefeller

“Consider the postage stamp; its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing until it gets there.”
—Josh Billings

There’s no better way to drive home the lessons we teach at Urban Martial Arts than by reinforcing them… well, at home!

To give you ideas for conversation topics, here’s a run-down of what we’ll be discussing this month:

Week 1 – Perseverance defined: What it means to keep going and never quit
Week 2 – What gets in our way? Fears, priorities, character flaws and peer pressure
Week 3 – What keeps us going? Support-Passion-Action-Reason-Knowledge (SPARK)
Week 4 – What are the benefits of perseverance? Goal-getting, character, & confidence

We’d love to hear how your conversations go with your child so do share with us!

Photo Credit: LaughingRhoda on Flickr

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

Throughout July 2011, we’ll be working on the concept of “perseverance.”

All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand what it means to never quit, and to stick with your goals until they are achieved.

In this video, Dr. Robyn Silverman, creator of our character development curriculum Powerful Words, gives advice to a parent who’s looking for ways to teach a child that quitting is not an option:

We know it’s best for kids to see something through to the end so they can feel successful, but that doesn’t always happen.

Dr. Robyn recommends using the following 5 techniques to teach your kids about perseverance.

1. Adjust the language your family uses
Use language that demonstrates to your child that their family is filled with people who don’t give up. Say phrases like “we persevere,” “I can do it,” “winners never quit,” or “I will never give up.”

2. Point out perseverance when you see it
If your child is showing perseverance, notice it and tell then you’re proud. Tell them you know it’s difficult, and ask them how they feel about persevering. Keep track of their accomplishments and record them in a scrapbook or display them on the fridge. Let people know that your kids persevere.

3. Be a persevering role model
Your child should know that when you commit to something, you follow through with it. There’s no better person for them to learn from than you.

4. Agree on a family motto about perseverance
Call a family meeting to decide on a motto related to perseverance. You can come up with your own, but here are a few to inspire you:
“When we fall down, we stand up.”
“Always finish what you started.”
“Don’t give up.”
“We will try. Never fear. We will always persevere!”

5. Remind your child that to start something is to commit to something
Your child should understand that whenever they start an activity or learn something new, they need to commit to that thing. Whether it’s for just one session or for a whole year, they should be fully committed for that period of time. Have your child sign a commitment paper and display it in a public place so everyone knows.

The more you personally believe in the importance of perseverance and model it for your family, the more they will know that quitting is not an option.

There’s no better way to drive home the lessons we teach at Urban Martial Arts than by reinforcing them… well, at home! To give you ideas for conversation topics, here’s a run-down of what we’ll be discussing this month:

Week 1 – Perseverance defined: What it means to keep going and never quit
Week 2 – What gets in our way? Fears, priorities, character flaws and peer pressure
Week 3 – What keeps us going? Support-Passion-Action-Reason-Knowledge (SPARK)
Week 4 – What are the benefits of perseverance? Goal-getting, character, & confidence

We’d love to hear how your conversations go with your child so do share with us!

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

It’s the beginning of a new month, and that means it’s time for a new Powerful Word!

Throughout June 2011, we’ll be working on the concept of “perseverance.”

All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand what it means to never quit, and to stick with your goals until they are achieved.

Powerful Words is the name of our character development curriculum here at Urban Martial Arts. 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.

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

The decision to persevere even when challenged says a great deal about someone’s character. People who persevere show mental toughness, commitment, focus, reliability and integrity to follow through with what they said they would do. Perseverance is a very important trait of a leader and a goal-setter.

There has been an interesting realization recently. Research shows that perseverance is a far more important predictor of future success than the prestige of a person’s school or faculty. It’s about effort, hard work and stick-to-itiveness.

A recent study out of the University of Michigan tells us that parents who stress effort over innate gifts rear more successful children. These children tend to work harder and longer on their goals than those who are raised to believe that it’s the end result that counts rather than one’s determination and perseverance. We must teach our children that doing their best means enduring through the rough spots.

When it comes to perseverance, many things can get in our way. It seems simple– just keep going and never quit. But children experience fears of success as well as fears of failure. They feel the weight of peer pressure telling them to stop prematurely and do something else. Some children have trouble working through the mounting hurdles or don’t have the support and encouragement to stick with something. We can help.

Children and teens need what our child/teen development specialist, Dr. Robyn Silverman, called “SPARK.” This stands for Support, Passion, Action, Reason, and Knowledge. When children have the support system, are engaged in something that truly interests them, take necessary and consistent action, have a strong “why” they are doing something, and the skills to do it, they can persevere and achieve.

To give you more ideas for conversation topics, here’s a run-down of what we’ll be discussing over the next 4 weeks:

Week 1 – Perseverance defined: What it means to keep going and never quit
Week 2 – What gets in our way? Fears, priorities, character flaws and peer pressure
Week 3 – What keeps us going? Support-Passion-Action-Reason-Knowledge (SPARK)
Week 4 – What are the benefits of perseverance? Goal-getting, character, & confidence

There’s no better way to drive home the lessons we teach at Urban Martial Arts than by reinforcing them… well, at home!

We’d love to hear how your conversations go with your child so do share with us!

Photo Credit: kaymoshusband on Flickr