Salty Sam’s Fun Blog for Children
Number 360
The Secrets of Success
Hello Everyone
So hello to you and welcome to this week’s post.
ln fact, welcome to a special Salty Sam four-part series which will be released today and over the next three weeks.
lt is a special series looking at the ways to find success.
And, there will be a lot more posts this year to help children with personal development, becoming better students and nurturing general mental well-being.
lf anyone wants to really learn the points covered in the posts, they should furnish themselves with a notebook and copy out each post starting on a clean page.
Reviewing the notes over and over again will really get them entrenched into your brain. Then they will be all ready and positioned in your brain when you need them for your life!
You will not be an adult legally until you are eighteen years old. You have to learn responsibility for your own actions before that.
A lot of adults find things out and wish they had known them when they were younger so there is no harm in learning these things when you are young!
So welcome to this new year of 2022, l hope it is your best year ever
and so on with the first post…
Here are Salty Sam’s Secrets of Success…
KEY ONE – define your target
What does success mean to you?
ls it money or fame or just getting what you want out of life? What is that exactly?
The first thing you have to do when looking for success, is to decide what it is that you want – otherwise you cannot go after it!
These ambitions may change throughout life. That is fine.
Don’t just say ‘to be happy’ – what does happiness mean for you – be more specific.
KEY TWO – tread your own path
We all need to take stock occasionally and redefine where we are going.
A lot of people make New Year’s resolution but don’t keep to them.
lt may be because they do not have strong enough resolve, or it might be because the promises they make to themselves just drift out of their head and they can’t even remember what they were, let alone keep to them.
lf you are determined to keep on track, there are things you can do to help yourself.
lf this is you, read on.
lf somebody asked you if you liked school, what would you say?
Be honest now!
You might say something like, ‘Well l go to school because it is important for me to have a good education, but actually l find it a bit boring.’
This is probably because a person of authority, like your parents or teacher told you that school is important and you believed them, and of course they are right.
But really you might get a bit fed up with it sometimes – especially when you have lots of tests and exams to worry about.
lf this is you, read on.
The end of your pathway through school may seem very long way in front of you, but if you could see what was at the end of it, you would see much more point in putting in an effort now.
The way you can see what is at the end of it is to decide yourself what you want it to be. How do you want to use your education?
KEY THREE – create the vision
One of the things that people who have plans for the future do is to create a vision board.
Have you ever heard of them?
A lot of people use a cork board to pin pictures up of the things they want to achieve. You don’t have to use a board like this. You could just stick pictures on a big piece of card, if you wanted to.
You can cut pictures out of magazines and leaflets or print them off the lnternet.
Humans are very visual. We think in pictures. We understand pictures very easily.
You can put slogans and words on your board as well if you like.
KEY FOUR – keep the vision before your eyes
You need to keep your goals before your eyes to make them seem more real and believable and possible – and then you can have more faith in yourself that you can achieve them.
lf you can create your own dreams, you have created your own motivation to push you forward with enthusiasm.
You will see the point of studying hard at school in order to achieve your dreams.
The future you envisage for yourself is what we call ‘the big picture’.
The vision board is a way to keep your visions of the future before your eyes.
lf you keep the vision before your eyes, it always keeps you on track when things get difficult – and everyone hits potholes on their road to success – it is just the natural way of things. lt doesn’t just happen to you.
lf you can’t pin your vision board on your wall, then make it on a light piece of card and prop it up on a shelf or on the top of a cupboard.
Don’t bury it away.
KEY FlVE – create a plan of campaign
Then you will need to make a plan to give you a path to follow so that you can achieve your dreams.
You need to get organized!
You may find it will be a good idea to get a notebook.
You can write down what you intend to do.
KEY SlX – keep on the right path
Looking at your notebook frequently will keep you on track. Or create a chart that you can put up next to your vision board.
KEY SEVEN – make ‘to do’ lists
Successful people often make ‘to do’ lists.
These lists keep you organised.
You will need to write down all the things you have to do.
Then you number the things in the order that you need to do them – with the most important and urgent things at the top.
This is called ‘prioritising’. A priority is the most important thing that has to be done first.
KEY ElGHT – be true to yourself
lf somebody tells you that you cannot achieve your dreams, then just don’t listen to them – avoid the dream killers!!!
Ambition is not a bad thing. The more you are and the more you have, the more you can give to the world.
And different people have different kind of talents that they can contribute – we all have our own strengths and weaknesses.
lt is good to play to your strengths and fulfill your potential. lt shows gratitude for the talents you have been given.
KEY NlNE – strengthen your weaknesses
And talking about weaknesses – if there is something you want to do but can’t because your lack of knowledge is holding you back – chances are that it is something you can learn, if you are willing to try.
Being unable to do just one thing might be the ‘weak link in the chain’ that stops you from doing what you want to do.
KEY TEN – play to your strengths
You may have to wait until you are grown up to achieve a lot of your dreams, but getting a direction for your life, picking up good habits, caring about your health, having self-discipline, saving money and being serious about learning well at school are definitely things you can start in childhood.
Some of the best sportspeople in the world started practising their sport when they were only children.
Sometimes parents or teachers tell you that you can’t do something because the ideas are too big and outlandish. This might be because they don’t want to see you hurt and disappointed because the path you will have to take to get to where you want to be will be tough and full of knocks.
lt always upsets parents to see their children being knocked down either by circumstances or other people’s criticism.
KEY ELEVEN – if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again
But if you want to be successful in life you have to risk being knocked down.
lt hurts.
Then you get up again and try again and again and again and again.
KEY TWELVE – find your own genius
When you are a child, you have to do what your parents tell you to.
But as you make your own way in the world, there will be times when somebody will tell you that what you want to have, be or do is impossible.
Sometimes you only have to ask another person and you get a different answer!
This is a very important lesson to learn in life. 
Your parents might think that because there has never been an astronaut or famous musician in the family before, there will never be one in the future.
This is not necessarily true – and you may have to take jobs that you don’t really want on your way to where you want to be. But you don’t have to stay in them forever.
You have to keep your dreams alive and be true to yourself. You have to find your own genius inside of you.
lt is a changing world – there are more opportunities out there than ever before.
KEY THlRTEEN – make your way up the ladder
You need to put your heart into whatever you are doing, and do it well, in order to be ready to get up to the next level in life.
You will be ready to climb up to the next rung of the ladder of success.
The best way to get to the next level is to be good where you are and then keep moving forwards. lf you feel that you can’t move forwards because other people or circumstances are stopping you, you can always learn more and prepare yourself more during the time you are waiting for things to change. Grow into your ambitions.
Teachers will tell you that passing exams is important. Although this is true, it is not the whole picture. A lot of people think that when they leave university they are at the top of the ladder and that the world will beat a path to their door because they have achieved a lot in education.
The truth is that they are now at the bottom of a new ladder; the ladder of work.
And they will have to start climbing that one now.
When you become an adult, you have to go out into the world and make your own way and find your own opportunities, they will very rarely come to you.
KEY FOURTEEN – take responsibility for yourself
A really important thing to learn about being successful is to take responsibility for yourself.
Don’t moan and groan, or blame other people for your failures, or complain and complain and complain.
You might say that, as a child, you cannot be responsible for earning money or cooking the dinner or deciding where you live.
This may be true.
But you can take responsibility for your behaviour, looking after your things, concentrating on your lessons at school and revising for tests.
A lot of people who are unhappy, are just not realizing how much they are not taking responsibility for their own lives.
They are waiting for something or someone external to them to do it for them, and it just doesn’t happen – if anybody comes along to sort out your life for you, they might just be doing it for their benefit, not yours!
KEY FlFTEEN – be solution-orientated
lf you have a problem with anything at all – you have to learn to become a good problem-solver.
The special word for this is being ‘solution-orientated’. Solution is another word for answer.
You don’t have to just think in a positive way – you actually think about how to move forward in a practical way.
The first thing you should do when you have a problem is to take a deep breath and don’t panic. lf you panic you can’t think clearly and that is not helpful.
lf you need to think about finding an answer to a problem, there are a number of ways you can do this.
Firstly, you can sit quietly for a long time and mull things over in your head. Give yourself time to assess the situation properly.
lf this does not work and you get ‘analysis paralysis’ – that means you think so much your brain seems to get all knotted up, you can just sleep on it – relax and let your brain sort it out when you are asleep.
You may wake up knowing what your answer is.
Relaxing helps sometimes when thinking too much doesn’t.
Going for a walk can help. Moving your body can sometimes help your brain work better. That might seem strange, but it is true. Just try it when you are walking to school to test it out.
And if none of this works, you can write your problem down.
You can type it out if that is better for you.
Get the problem out of your head and onto paper. Then start brain storming solutions – write then down. This exercise will work better than you can imagine.
KEY SlXTEEN – look for the present in the wrapping paper
And remember that sometimes a bad turn in life, or a mistake you have made, will actually offer a new opportunity.
Look for the good in a situation, the lesson to be learned and the new growth in a previously undiscovered direction.
KEY SEVENTEEN – fuel your ambitions
Fear of failure is worse than failure. The fear stops you from moving forward.
You can move through failure and then beyond it – older and wiser.
KEY ElGHTEEN – never give up on yourself
And lastly, remember that you are only ever defeated, if you accept defeat.
lf you like my blog, please support it by telling all your friends and followers about it.
Thank you!
And see you again next Fun Friday!
Love and kisses
Salty Sam
www.christina-sinclair.com
Bill and Bob’s Joke of the Week
Bill: Bob, why are you talking to yourself?
Bob: Because l need some expert advice!
Salty Sam © Christina Sinclair 2015
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material from this blog without express and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited.
Links may be used to www.christina-sinclair.com
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THE SALTY SAM NEWS DESK
This week, Mr. Crackenthorpe gave his Beaver Scouts a project to do.
He explained that scientists believe that if you can force yourself to do something for 21 days, your brain will be trained to do it automatically and you will have a new habit.
This doesn’t mean to say you don’t still have to put in an effort to do these new things – but your new behaviour will have become a familiar way of behaving.
The habit will seem easier to do at the end of the three weeks than at the beginning.
In this way, you can pick up new, good habits and change bad, old ones into new, good ones.
Sometimes, when you want to achieve a goal, you have to take lots of different steps to achieve it – like building a wildlife haven in your garden for example.
Sometimes, when you want to achieve a goal, you have to do the same thing over and over again – like exercising every day to lose weight.
Sometimes, what you have to do will seem very difficult, and breaking the whole daunting task down into tiny steps will help. You only need to concentrate on one step at a time and put everything else out of your mind for the time being.
It really helps when you want to do something every day, to make a chart to remind you of what you have planned to do.
This chart will have lots of boxes on it.
Down the left side you can write a list of all the things you want to do, and along the top you can write dates.
Then you will tick a box every time you have completed a task, and it will give you a huge sense of achievement to see your progress written down and properly charted in this way.
You don’t have to have boxes for every day. They can be for every week instead.
If you want to do something like improve your football skills or lose weight, you can make your boxes big enough to write in. So you would write what particular skill you improved in or what weight you reached.
You can draw your chart on a piece of coloured paper and decorate it with pictures.
You should put it in plain sight so that it is always reminding you of your current project.
Mr. Crakenthorpe said that he was going to give the boys all lists that he had printed out for them and their parents should tick the boxes before they brought the sheets back to each weekly meeting for the next month.
There were forty-nine boxes altogether for each week and they should all have a tick or cross in them with a parent’s signature at the end of each row – which would be at the end of each week.
There were four weeks listed.
Then the boys may want to write out a list for themselves for the following month to become more self-sufficient in goal-setting.
The list read as follows:-
Week One
- Make bed
- Tidy room
- Do homework
- Help with one household chore
- Feed pet or garden birds
- Eat a piece of fruit
- Learn a new word
Lots of good, little choices made every day, add up to creating a life that is going in the right direction, he told the boys.
The boys thought that it seemed like quite a big challenge – but they were up for it!
A lot of people think that when you set goals, it is much more important to focus on the systems you set up to achieve them rather than the goals themselves.
This is especially important if you want to achieve something that is going to take a long time to achieve – like losing weight.
It can be very disheartening otherwise.
It is better to focus on eating healthily – which of course could be ongoing for the rest of your life, than worry about having lost only one pound in a week when you know you have many pounds to lose.
Have you lost many pounds in a week? – no! 🙁
Have you been successful in eating healthily? – yes! 🙂
Another thing that might help with goal-setting is to work using a calendar rather than to do lists.
It can better help with time management and also a feeling of satisfaction.
You can only do so much in a day, and that is the same for everybody.
To do lists can seemingly stretch on forever and that can sometimes feel very daunting.
Finishing your tasks for the day can feel very satisfying.
If you use a calendar or bullet journal to plan your life, it is less likely that you will forget to do things; forgetting to do things can create problems and stress.
Put spaces into your schedule so that if things take longer to do than you think they will, you have allocated yourself time to catch up.
Schedule in down time/rest/play time – this is very important for your health and well-being!
You work better when you have had a rest.
Bullet journals are really fun to keep because you have so much opportunity to use different coloured pens, fun doodles, geometric shapes, meaningful symbols, clip-bookmarks and so on…
Some people keep an achievements journal, where they write down everything that they have done as a step towards achieving their goals.
But when you turn the pages over, the list of achievements are lost from view.
Writing them on a large chart or calendar instead will more easily show you how your achievements are adding up day by day.
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Quick Quiz
Do you know what these idioms mean?
- A golden girl
- Reaching for the stars
- A shooting star
- Riding high
- lt’s got legs
- With a bullet
- The fruits of their labours
- A road paved with gold
lt’s the Weekend!
HOW TO MAKE A FAMlLY OF BOARD GAME COUNTERS
When you play board games, do you always use the same colour counter?
These counters are really cute characters to use.
If you have a large family to make counters for, you can make a purple and pink one too.
You could also have a black one and orange one and a brown one.
If you still need more colours you can make them in light green and dark green and light blue and dark blue and so on…
BODY AND HEAD (KNIT ONE)
Using 4mm knitting needles and coloured dk yarn cast on 15 stitches
Purl 1 row
Purl 1 row
Slip 1 (knit1, purl 1) repeat the last 2 stitches to the end of the row
Repeat the last row 7 times (8 rows of moss stitch)
Change to white dk yarn
Knit 6 rows of stocking stitch
Don’t cast off
Embroider a face onto the front of the head using black and red yarn
TIP
If you are a beginner you can make the body part in 8 rows of garter stitch instead
BASE (KNIT ONE)
Using 4mm knitting needles and coloured dk yarn cast on 15 stitches
Cast off
TO MAKE UP
- Sew up the back seam of the body and head right sides together using over-sew stitching
- Turn the body and head the right way out
- Pull the top of the head shut then stuff the head and body
- Sew a strand of white yarn into the back of the neck and wrap it around the neck a couple of times, pull tight and secure the yarn into the centre back of the neck
- Sew the base into a solid disc and insert into the bottom of the counter – put a circle of card in as well if you like to make the base more stable
- Sew into place
Please note that the material on this blog is for personal use and for use in classrooms only.
It is a copyright infringement and, therefore, illegal under international law to sell items made with these patterns.
Use of the toys and projects is at your own risk.
©Christina Sinclair Designs 2015
Quick Quiz Answers
- A golden girl – a female well-thought of
- Reaching for the stars – having big ambitions
- A shooting star – a person having rapidly-rising levels of success
- Riding high – a person at a high level of attainment
- lt’s got legs – it is a project with the potential to become successful
- With a bullet – tipped to be successful
- The fruits of their labours – getting rewards for working hard
- A road paved with gold – going in the right direction to find success/getting rewards along the way
