How To Encourage Your Kids To Be Go-Getters - Page 14

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Every parent hopes their kids will be go-getters, but you can do more than hope. Some parents might tell you that you can either light a fire under your kid’s butt early—get their motor going and inspire them to always aspire for more and more—or, you’ll struggle forever to turn them into go-getters. That ambitious attitude may be hard to develop after a certain age. We all know someone in her late thirties or even forties who just…doesn’t go and get. Maybe she makes excuses as to why her circumstances aren’t better, but you personally know she isn’t doing certain things to progress. Is it her parent’s fault? Maybe. Maybe not. But it certainly couldn’t hurt to do your part when your kids are still young and malleable. Here are ways to encourage your kids to be go-getters.

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Give bonuses for extra jobs

Your kids should have chores. But you can also offer them extra cash to do jobs that go above and beyond their standard chores. Offer them $20 to clean your car, shine your shoes, or fold and put away your clothes. Put them in the mindset that going above and beyond yields rewards.

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Require weekend or summer jobs

You could require that your kids get summer or weekend jobs, as early as they legally can. If you don’t make a kid get a job until she graduates college, you could do her a disservice since the workforce can seem very intimidating to her. Get them comfortable with being in the workplace early on.

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Match their salary

You could even offer to match your kids’ salary, or at least them give a cash bonus if they work a certain amount of hours. So, if your kid makes $500 for the summer during her summer job, you could offer to give her another $250.

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Expose them to go-getters

Getting them around go-getters will always be helpful. If you have friends who are very impressive, have that ambitious energy, and do something your kids would find cool, invite them over for dinner. Ask them to talk to your kids about their work.

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Get them comfortable with adults

Your kids will benefit greatly from befriending adults from a young age. Too many adults put their kids at the “kids table” until they’re 15 years old, or don’t require their kids to join them in the kitchen for appetizers with their friends, letting them stay in their rooms until dinner is ready. But it’s good for kids to get used to interacting with adults from a young age, so they can start asking those adults questions about their work.

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Get them volunteering early

Volunteering can be helpful for a lot of reasons, including the fact that it could put your child in contact with those who don’t have much. Sometimes, scare tactics can be useful.

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Ask for book reports

Ask your kids to write book reports on impressive individuals. You can pay them a little, since this is outside their regular school homework. It’s good for them to focus on and track the steps of successful individuals

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Have them work for the neighbors

Encourage your kids to talk to neighbors and see if anyone needs their dog walked, lawn mowed, or driveway raked. They can charge a little money, and get a rotation going.

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Have a progress chart

Have a progress chart on the fridge or on a wall. You can have short-term and long-term goals on there, and small and large rewards on there. Your child can, for example, get an extra $15 for each week he walks the dog every afternoon.

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Have a big prize

Large prizes are always an incentive. These will obviously change as kids get older. They could start with a new video game, go on to a trip to Disneyland, and evolve to part of a down payment on a car.

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Praise them in front of company

When you have friends and family over, tell them—in front of your child—all the great things your kid has done recently. He may be a ham for the attention, and aspire to do even more impressive things by the next time guests come over.

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Don’t spoil them

Making your kids go-getters will be a combination of things you do and don’t do. Don’t spoil them. One child doesn’t need the master bedroom and a big-screen TV in her room. Kids should clean their own rooms, rather than having housekeepers do that. It’s very hard to transform a spoiled kid into a go-getter.

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Make them clean up their messes

If your kid spills something, she should clean it up. If the puppy she asked for threw up, she should clean it up. If she steals something, she should serve community service to make up for it—don’t bail her out of that.

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Be a go-getter

Naturally, it will be hard to motivate your child to be a go-getter if you aren’t. So go for that promotion. Go for that raise. Go for that job. Don’t be afraid to take chances and self-promote.