by Jen Forristal | Mar 2, 2018 | Kindness
It’s March!! Spring is around the corner so this month, let’s have some fun and spread a little sunshine!! At the Umbrella Project we believe that every day can be a random acts of kindness day. Kindness is one of the easier skills to understand and make a part of our daily lives. Even a genuine smile counts!
How does kindness help us?
Doing good is not only beneficial for the person on the receiving end and those who witness the kind action, but also for the givers of kindness. When we are kind and intentionally perform acts of kindness, we get a boost in our own wellbeing and happiness. It feels good to help others and it helps us focus on the positive things in our lives. It’s win-win!
This month, we are going to add some complexity to kindness for our children. We will help to increase their care for others, but also help them recognize the benefits they get from being kind and then actively looking for chances to use this skill more often.
by Jen Forristal | Feb 27, 2018 | Purpose
The umbrella skills help us get through life’s rainy days and frame the opportunities which come our way. Over the course of February, we have worked together to identify how to build your child’s sense of purpose.
Answer these three quick questions for yourself and then repeat the exercise for your child. Total up the score to take a snapshot of where your child’s sense of purpose is right now.
- My life has meaning. Score: 0, 1, 2, 3
- I believe I can have a positive impact. Score: 0, 1, 2, 3
- Life to me seems exciting. Score: 0, 1, 2, 3
Scoring system:
0 – Very seldom or not true of me
1 – Seldom true of me
2 – Often true of me
3 – Almost always true of me
Results:
0-3 Your sense of purpose has started to develop. Actively look for ways to practice this important skill. Here are two places to get started: Help your child identify strengths to build purpose, Purpose is an action word.
4-6 Keep working at it. Your sense of purpose is growing. Here are a few places to gather more information about building a sense of purpose: This is how difficulty can help guide us to our purpose, Ask your child ‘why’ to build purpose.
7-9 Your sense of purpose is well developed. Keep it up!
by Jen Forristal | Feb 23, 2018 | Purpose
It is often the most difficult moments of our lives that guide us to our purpose.
I had the pleasure of getting together with Mike Coots on a recent trip to Hawaii. Mike was bitten by a shark while surfing many years ago and has since dedicated much of his life to the protection of sharks as well as to helping others with prostheses challenge their limits.
Watching Mike’s story is a great way for you kids to understand how these difficult parts of life can actually be the best things that happened to us. Watch his story here.
Thanks Mike for showing us what this important skill looks like in action! You can learn more about Mike at mikecoots.com.
by Jen Forristal | Feb 19, 2018 | Purpose
Research shows that children rarely find their sense of purpose in things they were told to do by their parents. Instead, purposeful kids attribute their sense of meaning to the menu of options they were exposed to throughout their childhood and their ability to choose from themselves.
Download a copy of the infographic, above, by clicking here. You can also follow along on our Facebook page for video tips to help you get onboard with your child’s interest!
by Jen Forristal | Feb 17, 2018 | Purpose
Helping your child ‘action’ purpose will go much further than just helping them to say the words!
Learn more in today’s purpose building video tip with Dr. Jen below or on our Facebook page.
