Striving Towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

A friend once told me he was terrified about raising his kids in America. “How do I keep them away from drugs, alcohol, all the crazy stuff out there? I’m miserable just thinking about it.”

Here’s the thing—when we parent from fear, our kids feel that fear. When we parent from trust, they feel trust instead.

It all flows from our beliefs. If we believe life is miserable, we attract misery. If we believe it’s beautiful, we attract happiness. It’s the Law of Attraction. We get what we focus on. So focus on good things happening for your kids—that energy matters more than you think.

“But why do kids hate advice?” he asked.

Do they hate advice, or just the way we give it?

There’s a story about a kid who left his mom a note: “You owe me $25—$5 for cleaning, $5 for dishes, $15 for mowing the lawn.”

His mom wrote back: “You owe me nothing. $0 for cooking, $0 for laundry, $0 for doctor visits, $0 for birthday presents. You owe me nothing because I love you.”

The kid was crushed—in the best way.

Kids aren’t against guidance; they just need it delivered with love, not control.

“How do I learn to do that?” he asked.

Think about birds. When a mother bird is pregnant, she instinctively knows how to build a waterproof nest. Love unlocks that wisdom.

Let love guide you, not fear. Love will show you the way.

Then he asked, “What about boredom? My kids have everything and they’re still bored.”

I told him about a kid who complained to his grandma: “No one likes me. Teachers yell at me. Everyone’s better than me. Life is bitter.”

“Want me to bake you a cake?” she asked.

“Yes!”

She handed him flour. “Ew, bitter!” he said.

Then baking powder. “Still bitter!”

Then an egg. “Not tasty!”

She smiled. “Alone, they’re bitter. But together? They make a cake. Life’s the same—mix your experiences with commitment and transformation, add the sweetness of who you are, and make something beautiful. Life is like cooking. You just have to make it.”