As parents, we need to help children build toward future success by developing persistence. Persistence is what drives actions such as finishing a task, pushing through frustration, putting in time and effort, or finding creative approaches to a challenging problem. The ability to keep trying early in life is linked to all sorts of favorable outcomes years later.
There are three main strategies for encouraging persistence in your child.
The first is modeling what persistence looks like. Good modeling is more effective when planned and carried out with a specific goal (such as developing honesty, or, yes, persistence) in mind. Parents who noticeably struggle with something that are slightly difficult at home, but continue to pursue the activity anyway, and repeat that pattern over time, may naturally foster persistence in a child. It helps more if they sometimes comment: “Hmm, that did not work. Let me try another way.”
When you see your child doing this themselves and devoting special effort to a task, praise them right then and there. Praise even the smallest signs of effort. Quickly, clearly doing this will increase the child’s effort, which can, in turn, extend to other activities and situations they encounter in the future. In general, if you spot the child trying hard or harder than she usually does and working through tasks, praise them for what they are doing.
And if you do not see this happening, and your child is not doing something a bit difficult, you do not need to wait. You can provide opportunities for persistence. That is, try to combine modeling and praise: Do anything that involves some time and effort together. Then, set small and eventually larger goals. Depending on how it is going, have the child do more and more of the task while you keep him or her company. However, your chosen activity should be fun or, at least, a time free of reprimands or harsh corrections.
Some people are more naturally persistent than others. Repeated practice can teach children that the process is important—sometimes just as important as the goal.
2 . The mind is a wonderful thing. It's also excuse-making machine that frequently tries to convince us not to take action we know are good for us. If we hadn't learned about these excuses, or how to overcome them, we would never have succeeded in making these positive changes.
So why does the mind mess with us and make unreasonable excuses? Because the mind wants comfort, that's the reason. It's afraid of discomfort, pressure and change. The mind is absorbed in its comfort zone, and anytime we try to stretch that zone too far, for too long, the mind tries desperately to get back to “ground zero” at any cost. These damaging excuses, such as “I can't do it”, “It is too hard for me”, “It's too late now” and so on, are no strangers to our minds.
It seems too difficult at first, so you think you can't stick to the positive change you're making. This excuse can be countered (对抗)by looking at the fact that other people were no more capable than you thought you were. For example, my 60-year-old next-door neighbor finished running a marathon, so I told myself, “If she can do it, so can I!” Truth be told, the only person who tells you “I can't” is yourself. If you hear those words echoing in the back of your mind, tune them out.
I've witnessed people reinventing themselves at all ages 48-year-olds starting families, 57-year-olds graduating from college for the first time, 71-year-olds starting successful businesses, and so forth.
Another common excuse is that “I've already failed too much.” If you break down, it's fine, because you are only human. Just don't stay down; take a rest, and then pick yourself up so you can go to where you'd rather be. As Winston Churchill said, “Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It is courage to continue that counts.”
Some people feel like quitting when they have almost reached their goal, while others attain goals through their efforts until the last second. So make some necessary adjustments to get rid of the bad habit of making excuses. Keep going! No excuses! Think, work, and climb, that's how you'll move your life forward.
1. What is the author's purpose in writing this passage?| A．To tell readers how to make a change. |
| B．To help readers develop a new view of life. |
| C．To encourage readers to leave their comfortable zone. |
| D．To tell readers to stop making excuses and keep fighting. |
| A．completing a marathon was not too difficult |
| B．people often neglect their abilities |
| C．looking down upon the others is wrong |
| D．people shouldn't let negative thoughts step in their way |
| A．It tends to seek comforts rather than suffering. |
| B．It needs rest and relaxation. |
| C．It is preparing for the difficult times. |
| D．It is the way it tries to find a solution. |
| A．The lowest spot. | B．The safest place | C．The original place | D．The proper position |
