The Secret to Your Grandchild's Success!

Secret to your Grandchild’s Success!

I was a young child of the early 70’s. Reflecting on my own grandparents and the use of technology, the first thought that comes to mind is pop-pop shaking “magic” powder into the fireplace to create colored sparks. Pretty cool.

Back then, connecting with grandparents meant travel. Technology, as we'd define it today, was mostly left to the Jetsons. Sure, we had the old rotary phone and of course, grand-mom sent birthday cards in the mail, but most of my grand memories first involved hopping in the station wagon and hitting the road.

Fortunately for my brother, sister, and I, the destination was a quick 20-minute drive away. For mom, I’m sure it felt like hours. Are we there yet? We have great childhood memories jumping in grandmom’s pool or into piles of leaves in the backyard. Pop-pop would laugh while squirting us with the hose, as we hid behind the bushes. Those images, captured silently with my dad’s 8mm film camera, are a family treasure today.

Teenagers, and then on into College and first jobs, my generation has grown up during the entrance of computers, cellphones, and the early internet…all results of the unique innovativeness of the boomer generation.

At first, each technology was clunky, slow, and perplexing. Awkward to say the least. The first applications were billed as world-changing,…but each left you wondering…is this really so valuable?

Well, that’s all quickly changed and in radical fashion. Early improvements in production methods, technical advances, and format for these new innovations lead to a stock-market surge that culminated in the 2000 bubble-boom stock market crash.

Still, during those booming 90’s, these technologies were far from optimized. And, I surmise, we’re only now entering the stage where the true value and enormous potential of today’s new technologies will be uncorked.

After all, broadband is only now reaching 50% of U.S. households.

Remember dialup? Perfect example of the first technological wave of the 1990’s. You don’t have dialup, do you? If so, you must read on…we’ll be inviting you to step into our time machine!

Despite the initial hype of the internet (no more brick & mortar stores!) in the dial-up era, it was a curiosity to the mainstream public, at best. Painfully SLOW, the internet was a toy that a few early adopters enjoyed.

Today, broadband is changing the game. More and more households are tapping into the internet for information. Just a year ago, I’d say newspapers would last through my lifetime. Now I’m not so sure. The internet delivers news faster, with a more engaging, interactive format. It’s quicker to digest, and the real deathblow to newspapers….it’s FREE!

To the new generation of grandkids, the level of on-demand information has become, well…normal. “What’s a record?” from my son, may soon be replaced with “What’s a newspaper?”, from my future grandson. My kids have trouble understanding the concept of scheduled TV…as most programs we pre-record on the DVR, and watch them instantaneously.

Social connectivity has shifted to an ever-expanding stage. No longer are your grandchild’s friends determined by the neighbors, but have grown to include schoolmates, friends from sports clubs, church groups, etc. The Little League team in my childhood was the same neighborhood “gang”. Now, children’s sports teams are forming from multiple States! While many bemoan the loss of localized community connections…this is a trend that will undoubtedly continue.

On the career scene, the days of “company loyalty” and pensions have already largely phased out in the first wave if the connectivity revolution. In the second stage as today’s children grow up, working for any one company more than a few years will become the great exception.

A scary thought to older folks, however, the potential gain for the kids and society overall is tremendous! The individual talents of every professional are becoming marketable on the global stage.

The flipside is that the world for today’s kids is growing exponentially more competitive.

It really bothers me to hear American parents whine about the stronger competitiveness in the U.S. for kids today. At a child’s birthday I attended not long ago, a couple parents were admonishing the host parents for including tug-of-war in the party games. Why? Because one team had to lose…unbelievable! What a naïve and cruel way to cripple a childs’ chance for success.

In reality, we need to encourage more competitiveness in our youth. Keep it good-spirited and an inclusive opportunity for all. Absolutely! But VALUE competition. And REWARD winning.

Why?

Reams of MBA and engineering students and upstart companies in India are actively working to feed this connectivity transition. Tax preparations, engineering work, and other types of “white-collar” jobs are already shifting there. The internet allows transition of information in the blink of an eye…at the click of a SEND MAIL button.

Today’s kids need to be encouraged to learn connectivity and keep up with technical evolutions. For grandparents, all this radical change might be intimidating, or even perceived as a loss of the good-old days…however, you must change your mind for your grandchild’s success!

To survive in future years, your grandkids will need every advantage they can develop, since the working pool of talent is no longer the neighborhood gang. Hungry, brilliant, and talented workers in India and China are ready to compete and entering the game right now. Later, more competition will come from South America, the Middle East, and even Africa.

Your grandchildren must PLAY now to SURVIVE later.

Whatchu talking bout Willis? Play? Sounds strange, right?

You see, Facebook, iPods, emails, internet, Playstation, Wii, and other “technology fads” are not exactly the wasteful pursuits of a lost youth.

Lessons are being learned. Strategy. Connectivity. Relationship-building. Personal brand-building. Computer-skills. Tactical thinking. All sorts of seemingly mindless endeavors are helping to develop critical survival skills the kids will need later on.

As a grandparent, how can you step up and help?

1) Open your mind to new ideas.
2) Get in the game.
3) Invest & encourage.

If you’re reading this via dial-up…put down those colored fireplace sparkles, and promise you will switch to broadband this very week!

The U.S. is ranked #15 in broadband access among leading Nations of the world. Fifteenth place?! I don’t believe you even get a ribbon for that. We owe our grandchildren better. Do your part to switch today. I promise worlds of new value will open up to you. The meager cost difference will soon seem like foolish savings.

And to keep your creative juices flowing, here are some other great ideas to get your technology adoption plan charging forward:

Network with others to help your learning curve. You’ve found SelfGrowth.com, where you’ll find loads of information and new ideas to enter the game.

Experiment with the new trends. Overcome your fears or resistance that these are only for the youth. If your first impressions of YouTube, or FaceBook are “I just don’t get it”…stick with it. You soon will. As you explore, you are learning.

Become photo savvy. Most of us have a digital camera. But many have not become familiar with the very cool ways to create unique works of art or share your projects. Share your photos in your own online media center, or even build a family website.

Get iPod hip. Find out what the iPod is all about. It’s not just a fancy new Walkman. My wife and I are still rookie iPod users, but have already moved on from music to audiobooks, podcasts, movies, and more. I learned a great trick for long business travel…photos of our kids go for the ride. Want to show someone your grandkids? Whip out your iPod!

Feed your inner Gamer. My generation grew up with the Atari system. The “joystick” controller consisted of one button and one stick. Today’s gaming systems are so much more advanced, and the graphics, shockingly realistic. And the real cutting-edge element? Connectivity strikes again. You don’t just play the computer or your friend on the couch next to you. You play against someone across the Country, or in Japan, Germany, or Timbuktu. Want to connect with your grandkids? Learn how to join the gaming connectivity party and soon you’ll be teaming up in all sorts of virtual adventures with your grandchildren.

Invest in your grandchild’s technological edge. Help them keep up with the new technologies as they break. Their parents might not have the funds or the time to stay current themselves. But, as a tech-savvy grandparent, you could encourage the grandchildren to keep pace with their peers and learn along the way.

Make a plan. By strategically thinking where technology will lead your grandkids, and taking action to keep them current…you will contribute greatly to their competitive edge in the future global economy.

Create Your Legacy...the secret to your grandchild's success may be YOU!

God Bless,
Rob Haywoodnhttp://www.lovemygrandchild.com