Picture for a moment a little wildebeest in Africa. Do you know how much time it has after birth to learn how to run with the pack so it’s not eaten by the lions? A few minutes! As soon as the little wildebeest is born, it tries to stand up. When it falls down, its mother nudges it and gets it to stand back up. Then it falls back down.
Finally, on little shaky legs, it tries to nurse. The mother pushes it away. She moves so it can’t nurse. Why? She’s sending a message: you can’t nurse now, you’ve got to develop some strength, or the lions will get you. You’ve got to get these legs strong. We don’t have much time.
How long does this process take for a human baby? As a parent of grown children, I (Jim Rohn) am still not sure! It’s unbelievable the amount of time it takes for personal development, for spiritual development, for physical development. But there’s something else that takes time, and that’s your mental development: feeding the mind. Some people read so infrequently that they’ve got rickets of the mind. They couldn’t give you a good, strong argument as to their own personal beliefs.
Here’s one of the challenges we have to face as parents: getting our kids ready to debate today’s major life issues. They’ve got to develop their own well-informed opinions. You can help them do just that, but only if you first commit to doing it yourself.
And here’s the next challenge. You’ve got to be able to defend your opinions. If you can’t defend your virtues and if you can’t defend your values, you’ll fall prey to philosophies that are not in your best interest.
We’ve got to help our kids. They need to be well-informed about the major life issues: the political issues, the social issues, the religious issues, the spiritual issues, and the economic issues.
You’ve got to get yourself and your kids ready for the great challenge of today: to develop your philosophy and defend your virtues and your values.
* Source: Leading an Inspired Life by Jim Rohn