A man I know was given six months to live, yet his outlook on life was inspiring. I asked how he could stay so positive knowing he only had a short time to live. He shared these thoughts with me.
“Each day when I wake up I receive twenty-four gold coins, one for each hour of the day. I have to spend some of those coins for eating, sleeping, time with my family, and taking care of the day’s responsibilities. I choose to spend some of my daily hours (coins) having fun and helping others. At the end of each day there are usually a couple of special gold coins left over. I spend these with particular care. “
What an invaluable life lesson for us and our children. We live in a hectic, “there is never enough time to get everything done” world. Our future success, and that of our children, will be determined by how wisely we invest our daily gold coins.
Suggestions for implementation:
Some ideas for spending your special gold coins include:
• Helping someone without being asked
• Starting a new book or project that you have “been meaning to get to”
• Spending an extra thirty minutes a day on homework
Questions for discussion:
1. How did you spend your gold coins yesterday? Today?
2. Discuss with your family how you might spend your coins more wisely.
Quote for discussion:
“The time is always right to do what is right”
Martin Luther King
Please visit www.TeachingMoments.com for more life skills
ideas to help children succeed.
Author's Bio
John Bishop is the Executive Director of Accent On Success® a nonprofit organization dedicated to giving parents and teachers the tools they need to help children succeed in school and in life. He is the author of the Goal Setting for Students® book which has recently won three national parenting book awards. http://www.TeachingMoments.com
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