Equipped for Success “Proactive Prepping” Makes All the Difference
The following is a guest post by Kristi K. Hoffman. Her bio follows.
Equipping our girls for success in the world and in their lives is critical. It’s preventive. It’s proactive, and it’s empowering.
In an age where cyber meanness can turn deadly, mean tweets are pervasive, and drug usage is on the rise, “proactive prepping” may be a solution to combating the ramifications of life’s negative scenarios. In other words, the earlier in life we can prepare ourselves and our girls for what lies ahead, the better outcomes we all may have.
Total Package Global research indicates that building confidence skills at an early age can circumvent the perils associated with succumbing to peer pressure, drug and alcohol use, bullying and cyber bullying. Teaching a positive leadership-oriented skill set can effectively set girls on a positive course for life.
The Critics Then
Picture yourself as a pre-teen. Did you receive negative messaging? You are ugly. Your glasses look stupid. Your teeth are crooked. You’ve got “zits.” Your hair is ugly. You walk funny. Or you talk funny. If these comments were incessant, not only were they deeply hurtful then, but they may have stuck around in your psyche. From time to time, those unpleasant comments from your youth may still ring out in your head.
What about this scenario: You are 13. Your mom takes a picture of you that you’d have rather burned than have anyone see — your acne was raging, you hadn’t washed your hair in a couple of days, you weren’t feeling well — but she snapped it anyway. She sent the photo out to be developed and now there’s a hard copy photo of you looking your worst. Fortunately for you in that case, the internet didn’t exist so Mom couldn’t post it on Facebook for all of her “friends” to assess your latest look. In that scenario, you had the ability to take that hard copy photo and tear it up — oh, and throw away the negative while you were at it so it could never be reproduced or seen again.
And The Critics Now
Now, fast forward to today’s world. Some random girl at school catches you on that 13-year-old’s day when your acne was raging. This cyber mean girl now blasts it all over the internet for hundreds, even thousands, to judge. And you feel embarrassed, humiliated, awful. Suicidal thoughts run through your mind.
Growing up in today’s world isn’t like it used to be. The bullying is on a global arena. The gossip is magnified and the meanness can prove fatal. Studies show that repeated negative comments have long-lasting permanent implications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that the suicide rate for children ages 10 to 14 had caught up to their death rate for traffic accidents. Amongst other things, the study cites the pervasiveness of social networking and widespread shame as culprits. Social media provides validation, but also can provide a frontier for exacerbating weaknesses, weaknesses that are so relevant in the eyes of a pre-teen and teenager. This, according to a November 2016 article published in the New York Times, highlights insecurities girls already wrestle with at that age.
And we all know that pre-teen and teen girls have a love-hate relationship with social media and selfies. So, let’s make it our pact to proactively prep ourselves and the young girls and women in our worlds — to help ourselves be better humans and to mentor and guide those younger than we are to feel confident in the future footsteps they take. Let’s equip ourselves and others by:
– Stopping negative self talk.
– Implementing a bully action plan when needed.
– Using our voices to stand up and lead assertively and courageously.
– Building others up (not envy, gossip, and tear down) in junior high, high school, college, and the work force.
– Letting go of negative noise in our worlds, whether it’s those saying or posting negative things about physicality, as in our pre-teen and teen years, or those participating in unfounded criticism and gossip as adults.
Lasting Damage – – Or Lasting Confidence
Low self-esteem and worth can all last a lifetime. But so can positivity. The better we can equip our girls for life’s scenarios, the better outcomes they can have. After all, success is by our own definitions so proactively prepping each girl gives her the tool set she needs to grow, thrive, and be successful.
About Kristi K. Hoffman
Kristi K. Hoffman, M.S., is the published author of Total Package Girl, a best-selling girl empowerment book for girls ages 11 – 17. She has researched teen issues and mentored girls for more than 20 years as a volunteer for Girl Scouts of America. As CEO and Founder of Total Package Global, a leading professional and personal development corporation, Kristi develops success tools for pre-teen and teenaged girls and boys, young professionals, as well as seasoned executives to assist them in reaching their life and business goals.
In Total Package Girl, Hoffman integrates quizzes, hashtags, inspiring quotes and social media strategies that teach girls ages 11 – 17 to build key skills for life using five secret weapons developed by the author, including ‘Be Your Own Detective,’ ‘Surround Yourself with Tru Blues,’ and ‘Aim for Awesome.’
“The is a guide to help girls love themselves; be positive, steer clear of negative influences, feel powerful and life a fit, healthy and fun life,” Hoffman said. “It helps girls b build confidence, knowledge and trust in themselves, develop strong communication skills, and create a master plan for living their dreams.”
“Total Package Girl: Discover the Ultimate You for Life” by Kristi K. Hoffman is available on amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
Image credits.
