In his book, See You at the Top, motivational writer Zig Ziglar told a story about a student who had a life-changing high school experience. Earlier in his life he had been led to believe that he had very little going for him. Evidently, he did not achieve particularly well in any area. As a result, he had low expectations for himself and was simply drifting through high school on his way to a dead end life. One day he and his classmates took an intelligence test. The results of the test indicated he had a very high I.Q. This revelation changed everything. From that time on, he began doing his best in school and achieved very high grades. Later he became an inventor. His inventions made him a multimillionaire.

Ziglar maintains that his success could be attributed to his change in self-perception. Once he began to believe in himself, great accomplishments followed.

I think there is a universal truth in this true story. People will not use their abilities if they do not believe they are capable of success. This fact is shown over and over again in the sports world. Teams that lack confidence never become champions. Champions are born from confidence and the belief that they can perform at high levels.

Neuroscience supports this belief also. Brain researchers tell us that we utilize a very small percentage of our brains’ potential. It is likely that most us could accomplish much more if we stretched ourselves and really understood our own potential. Many times the limitations we experience are self-imposed.

This fact is also important for parents and educators to remember. If we want children to utilize their talents fully and experience success in their endeavors, we must help them gain self-confidence. This is done by expressing our belief in their ability to succeed. It is also done by encouraging them to stretch themselves and set high goals. Finally we help young people gain self-confidence by accentuating their successes and acknowledging their strong efforts and even their little improvements.

A famous research study was conducted in the 1960s. Students were placed in several different classrooms at random. The teachers of some classrooms were told their students were all high ability. Teachers in the rest of the classrooms were told they were assigned low intelligence students. At the end of the year, the classrooms of those teachers who believed their students were gifted achieved far higher than the other classrooms. This was true even though the classrooms were very close in ability.

This study supports what Ziglar maintains: Young people tend to perform to the level of expectation others have of them. These expectations have a way of becoming the expectation they have of themselves.

One of the main goals of adults who work with children should be to help them discover their talents, learn to trust in their abilities, and strive to utilize their gifts to their maximum. Like the example in the book above, many young people will accomplish great things only when they realize the talents and potential that each of them has. Believing in oneself is the first and most important step toward future success.

For more information, contact the Webmaster.