As a parent, you want nothing more than for your children to be successful. So, ever since your children were born, you’ve been working hard to give them the best life possible. You’ve sacrificed your time, money, and energy to make sure they have what they need. But, then you watch as one of your kids comes home with an amazing report card, and you’re not surprised. You know they’ve been putting in the hard work overtime in order to achieve success. But, what about your other child who may not seem to be so naturally gifted at sticking with things?
So, what’s missing?
According to researcher and author Angela Duckworth, grit is the ability to keep working toward a goal even when it’s hard. To Duckworth, grit is more important than IQ or talent in predicting your child’s success. It’s similar to perseverance and it requires a growth mindset— two similar character traits that mean you are willing to keep working to get better at something, or to achieve a goal, even though challenges get in your way.
So how can you help your kids develop this important characteristic? The first step towards having more grit is setting a long-term goal about something you care deeply for and are willing to work commit to completing This can be done with the Life Skill Academy’s Goals Method®. Our system has been tried and tested over thirty years helping children like yours become successful at being the best at what they do.
We start teaching kids how they can set long term goals, 
then break them down into short term goals, then even smaller into action steps that will help them move forward daily towards achieving their dreams. All of our students commit to the long-term goal in our system is to become a Black Belt.
So, what does Black Belt actually mean? Black Belt has a few meanings, with the most fundamental one being: To Be Our Own Body Guard! How? Your child will develop the skills required for:
• Self Defense against harm from outside world opponents (AKA Bullies & Bad Guys!)
• Self Defense against illness due to poor eating habits!
• Self Defense against illness by staying fit!
• Self Defense against allowing negativity into your life!
• Self Defense against Quit Culture! By developing the Grit to Never Quit!
Most people have a couple things in common:
1. We all tend to procrastinate a bit, and…
2. We all respond to positive reinforcement.
This is why our Life Skill 8 Week Cycle works so well! This two month time frame creates an urgency to work harder and achieve goals we set, such as learning our self defense techniques to earn our next colored belt, on our journey towards Black Belt.
Lastly, we have the daily and weekly action steps. This is where our Stripe System comes in we have two basic stripes for kids: Black and Blue. Your child will earn their Blue Stripes in-class by:
1. Always Doing Their Best
2. Always Getting Better
3. Always Having a “Yes I Can” Attitude!
AND… Your child will can also earn their Blue Stripes at-home by:
Completing a Blue Stripe Challenge, such as a household chore (Parents LOVE this one!!!), practicing your martial arts, or trying new healthy foods!
Then, we have the Black stripes which symbolize your child’s steps towards their next colored belt. Black stripe tests are held in class every other week during each cycle, and once your child have 3 black stripes they’re ready to earn their next belt. To help keep students on track, Life Skill Coaches say:
“Each class is one step closer to your next stripe…
Each stripe is one step closer to your next colored belt, and…
Each colored belt is one step closer to your goal of Black Belt!
AND… A Black Belt Is A White Belt That Never Quit”!
We know how difficult it can be when a child is struggling in school. Learning the skills needed to develop Grit is a process and it’s not always easy. If you feel like your child needs help, we can come alongside them to ensure they have all of the tools for success!
Do you need help from a coach for your child to learn Grit?
Our team is dedicated to helping kids to learn the valuable habits needed to develop
The Grit To Never Quit!
