How Calm Applies to the Election
It's Election Day in America and I am not going to tell you how to vote, but we are going to discuss anxiety and who has power over our lives. We're in North Carolina for a series of workshops to train teachers, parents and students over the next three days-so I am going to keep this brief.
During a Q&A session at a Workshop in New York earlier this year, a Marine stood up and asked this question: "How can we expect to achieve peace in our home if my seven-year-old son cannot execute simple commands?"
I had to apologize for laughing, because I recognized those words as the son of a Colonel. But what really hit me was the implication of the father's words-he was relinquishing power over his home to a little child.
When we say, "My son is driving me crazy" or "My daughter is pushing me over the edge," who is in control? Who has power over our emotions?
When we consistently give attention to the negative, interruptive behavior of a student in class, we are giving that student power over our classroom.
When we say, "IF only my husband/wife would do x, our marriage would be better," we are placing the power for our happiness in another person's hands. That's a dangerous proposition.
When we instantly react to a daughter rolling her eyes or our son saying, "Whatever," we are giving them power over our emotions and reactions.
Later this week, we will be conducting assemblies for elementary, middle and high school students at a very progressive school in the Charlotte area. Our message to students is this: you have the opportunity to be the most powerful person in the world. When you give in to peer pressure, you are giving strangers power over your decisions. When you look to a girlfriend or boyfriend to make you happy, you are placing your fragile emotions in their hands. When you miss an opportunity to be kind to a student who is different or alone because you fear what your friends will say, you have now become a puppet. But when you control your own emotions, when you calm your own fears and anxiety so that no one can move you, then you have become the most powerful person in the world.
As parents, when we conform our family's life to what the Jones' are doing, we have given power over our family's life to society. It's time to take back control.
Let's discuss the election. We believe in being actively involved in the political process. My teenage son volunteered this past weekend, knocking on doors and helping educate neighbors about his preferred candidate. But here is some perspective for you.
When we say, "If my candidate does not win, the next four years are going to be awful," we are giving power to a politician. We are giving power over our emotions to an event outside of our control. By the end of the day, half of the country is going to be ecstatic and half will be depressed. I refuse to give power over my emotions and future to any candidate.
In fact, I urge you to make this bold declaration today: During the next four years, no matter who is President, we will grow closer as a family; we will cultivate and use our gifts and passions to help others; we will forgive and show compassion to everyone we meet; we will give more money to charity and those less fortunate than us; we will help impact more people's lives; we will empower our children to be understand themselves and be responsible for their actions; we will grow personally to be more wise, mature and calm.
No candidate, no policies, no outward circumstances can change that declaration unless we allow it. I hope that you will use this moment, this historic election day, as a defining moment to give your children and students the greatest gift you can ever give them: modeling for them an adult who is in control of their own emotions, who demonstrates calm and power over their attitudes no matter the circumstances. It is the greatest challenge you will face, but the one with the greatest reward.
Kirk Martin
Director of Education
www.CelebrateCalm.com
It's Election Day in America and I am not going to tell you how to vote, but we are going to discuss anxiety and who has power over our lives. We're in North Carolina for a series of workshops to train teachers, parents and students over the next three days-so I am going to keep this brief.
During a Q&A session at a Workshop in New York earlier this year, a Marine stood up and asked this question: "How can we expect to achieve peace in our home if my seven-year-old son cannot execute simple commands?"
I had to apologize for laughing, because I recognized those words as the son of a Colonel. But what really hit me was the implication of the father's words-he was relinquishing power over his home to a little child.
When we say, "My son is driving me crazy" or "My daughter is pushing me over the edge," who is in control? Who has power over our emotions?
When we consistently give attention to the negative, interruptive behavior of a student in class, we are giving that student power over our classroom.
When we say, "IF only my husband/wife would do x, our marriage would be better," we are placing the power for our happiness in another person's hands. That's a dangerous proposition.
When we instantly react to a daughter rolling her eyes or our son saying, "Whatever," we are giving them power over our emotions and reactions.
Later this week, we will be conducting assemblies for elementary, middle and high school students at a very progressive school in the Charlotte area. Our message to students is this: you have the opportunity to be the most powerful person in the world. When you give in to peer pressure, you are giving strangers power over your decisions. When you look to a girlfriend or boyfriend to make you happy, you are placing your fragile emotions in their hands. When you miss an opportunity to be kind to a student who is different or alone because you fear what your friends will say, you have now become a puppet. But when you control your own emotions, when you calm your own fears and anxiety so that no one can move you, then you have become the most powerful person in the world.
As parents, when we conform our family's life to what the Jones' are doing, we have given power over our family's life to society. It's time to take back control.
Let's discuss the election. We believe in being actively involved in the political process. My teenage son volunteered this past weekend, knocking on doors and helping educate neighbors about his preferred candidate. But here is some perspective for you.
When we say, "If my candidate does not win, the next four years are going to be awful," we are giving power to a politician. We are giving power over our emotions to an event outside of our control. By the end of the day, half of the country is going to be ecstatic and half will be depressed. I refuse to give power over my emotions and future to any candidate.
In fact, I urge you to make this bold declaration today: During the next four years, no matter who is President, we will grow closer as a family; we will cultivate and use our gifts and passions to help others; we will forgive and show compassion to everyone we meet; we will give more money to charity and those less fortunate than us; we will help impact more people's lives; we will empower our children to be understand themselves and be responsible for their actions; we will grow personally to be more wise, mature and calm.
No candidate, no policies, no outward circumstances can change that declaration unless we allow it. I hope that you will use this moment, this historic election day, as a defining moment to give your children and students the greatest gift you can ever give them: modeling for them an adult who is in control of their own emotions, who demonstrates calm and power over their attitudes no matter the circumstances. It is the greatest challenge you will face, but the one with the greatest reward.
Kirk Martin
Director of Education
www.CelebrateCalm.com
No comments:
Post a Comment