I sprinkled over 200 quotes throughout my book, The Peacemaker Parent, because I love the way a great quote can add humor or insight at just the right time. Here’s one taken from Chapter 6, “Setting up the Peacemaker Program.”
“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony;
In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
– Albert Einstein
It’s time for action in Chapter 6 as we implement The Morning Peacemaker Method. Albert Einstein’s three rules describe the mistake-making process that demonstrates humanity and resiliency.
Your Human is Showing
One of the best ways to influence and attract others is to let your humanness show. It’s sharing more than just the mistakes you’ve made; you’ll also share your discoveries.
While your kids probably won’t learn from your mistakes—sad but true—they will learn how to respond to mistake making. If you forgot your lunch or overslept, say so! Allow the children watching you to see what it looks like to be a responsible adult who’s goofed! Narrate the whole thing from beginning to end; from naming the mistake, feeling the uncomfortable natural consequence, and the brainstorming that creates a better plan going forward. You’re demonstrating the mistake-making process, AKA, resiliency.
It isn’t the mistakes you make; it’s the way you handle the mistakes that communicates who you are as a person.
Larger Than Life
Being a person of influence is a big job and you may think you’ll need to be bigger than you are to do it well. In reality, it’s quite the opposite. The only way you can influence anyone is to connect with them―and the most basic way to connect is through your shared humanity. Start by being honest. If you’re bad at something, say so. Trying to spin it so that you sound “less bad” is lying.
Free at Last
It’s quite freeing simply to allow others to see you as you are. All the energy poured into creating that perfect façade is now available for you to use elsewhere. You’ll find pleasure in life again instead of worrying about cracks in the façade. You’ll be able to laugh at yourself and at life in general. I don’t know who said this but it’s a great line:
“Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.”
Demonstrate with honesty what it’s like to be a confident and responsible human and watch how this influences children to discover their humanity and resiliency through your example.
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