I hope you make the most of your last two weeks of summer . . . but if you are home you can do a lot to get your child ready for school so they have their best year ever!

It’s our training theme for the week “I always start STRONG!”

Here is the key. Most people and most children just do not start strong at anything. They kind of just slowly slide in and take weeks to get to full speed if they even get to full speed at all?

Thanks to this fact other people make is so easy for the strong starter to lap the pack. Besides, this helps teach your child “the small things are what make you great”. It is not the few big things you do in life but the much smaller things you do every day.

Speaking of small things done every day, probably the most critical skill you can teach your child is what all these small things really are – they are just your habits! We are creatures of habit. Our character is just our habits.

What if the habit you taught your child was the habit of starting everything they do strong? Can you imagine how this would affect their entire lives?

So, are you in? Let’s get started! First, you can only lead by example and you can only teach by doing it yourself. So, you need to be a strong starter first.

Sounds easy, but how do you do it? Just start by learning how to use this simple pattern then teach it to your child:

“Notice - Decide - Act”

First just become much more aware and notice what you do, what others do and what your children does that are thoughts and acts of starting slow. Then notice your and others acts of starting strong.

Now just take the next step of making a decision. Just decide which actions you are going to do. Be decisive. Don’t wait (another word for procrastination). Once you make a dicision the last part will just naturally happen. You will do it.

And it all just started with awareness. How are you as a starter right now? How about your spouse? How about your co-workers? Friends? Your child?

The first easy area you can work on is getting back to your school year routine. In particular, the time your kids go to sleep and wake up. (While you are at it get them an alarm clock and teach them to get themselves up!) Then in that last week actually do your normal school day start of the day routine from wake-up to wash-up/brush teeth to get dressed to breakfast to jump in the car or go to the bus stop!

If you are an over achieving parent start a regular “homework time”. If there is no homework just substitute reading.

Is strong parenting hard? YES. Is the payoff worth it later? YES!

Remember to start strong and make this your best school year ever . . . but even better help your child develop valuable success habits! See you at the dojo . . . start STRONG! Sensei