By Carol C. Wood Founder & CEO Total Learning Concepts, Inc.

In my work with young people in their academics, often I find them lacking confidence, motivation, and hope. They also sometimes have no clear vision as to what their life is to be all about. This is what has propelled me to want to help them!

I believe that at the core of all student success is a young person who feels worthy, accepted, understood, and loved. And, if children do not receive this within their own family, school and/or in the community, they must go somewhere else to find it. That place is within their own selves and what they believe to be true about themselves. If we can help children understand the miracle of their own birth and help foster a positive relationship with their creator, God, then I believe we have helped them establish a foundation for a life of fulfillment and purpose.

I read a children’s book recently written by Charlene Constanzo and want to share its content in this month’s article. Please share this with the children you interact with at home and/or in your community in order to encourage them to appreciate who they are, accept how God created them, and embrace their possible contribution to others and the world.

When born, there are twelve gifts each of us inherited from God as described by Ms. Costanzo. They are strength, beauty, courage, compassion, hope, joy, talent, imagination, reverence, wisdom, love, and faith.

• Strength - To call upon when needed
• Beauty – So your deeds can reflect its depth
• Courage – To follow your own path and speak and act with confidence
• Compassion - To be gentle with and forgive yourself and others when mistakes are made
• Hope – To trust in its goodness during each event and phase of life
• Joy – To keep your heart and mind open and filled with the positive aspects of life
• Talent - To discover your own special abilities and use them to make the world better
• Imagination - To use to nourish your dreams and visions
• Reverence – To appreciate the wonder of who you are and the miracle of creation
• Wisdom – To listen to its soft voice and allow it to guide your way to understanding
• Love – To give away and then experience it growing in your own life
• Faith – So you can believe!

By encouraging children to use these gifts and recognize them in other people, we can instill in them a foundation of positive values and self worth!