Best $20 I Ever Spent
I read a post on Facebook a few months ago about a mom who paid her teenage son to read personal development books and write a report afterward. It stuck with me as an interesting idea!
Carter, my 12-year old, has been wanting to earn a little extra cash, so I offered him $20 to read any book off my bookshelf. Of course, he chose the skinniest one! It was a great little book called The Seven Secrets Of A Stress Free Life by Randal Johnson, who I met a few years ago at an event.
The deal was for Carter to read the book and provide me with his key takeaways – he got to decide what and how he wrote out his thoughts. He likes to read comics and Diary of a Wimpy Kid-style books, so I wasn’t sure if he would be game for the idea but he dove right in and read the book quickly (his only complaint after was there was just one picture in it!).
He left what he wrote out for me one morning, along with a note: “I finished it and hope you like it 😊.”
Inside, Carter had carefully written out his three takeaways from the book and examples of how they applied to him. The last one read: “The final thing I learned was love yourself first, then others, too many people try too hard to get everybody to like them and love them, but they don't love themselves.”
I read it. I loved it. I teared up. I was so proud of him for coming up with that. But more importantly, I thought . . .
WOW. Can you imagine the power of that belief – learning it at 12 years old – and how it could change your life? What if I had understood that about myself when I was a teenager? Imagine if we all believed that ourselves NOW?
What if YOU looked in the mirror every day and loved what you saw? Or, if you don’t love what you see yet, you loved yourself enough to say “Let’s figure out what I need?”
In the book, the author writes about how loving yourself means genuinely enjoying the person that you are. You take care of your needs. You accept yourself, even with the flaws. You embrace kindness, compassion, and empathy towards yourself.
So, are you loving yourself first?
It's not about being selfish, but rather that the more you love yourself, the more love you have to give to others.
Shaping our kids is more than just telling them – we have to show them.
The best part? When I talked to Carter in the morning, he told me that it stuck out to him most because he really likes himself and the book reminded him that it is a good thing.
Best $20 I ever spent.
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Stacey L. Olson is a Certified Positive Psychology Coach and has 15 years of corporate experience. She works with leaders and professionals who want to create more balance, stress less, AND still perform at a high level. Stacey is the founder of the 'The Balanced Leader' coaching program and offers executive and leadership coaching, workshops, and speaking.
