At Achieve, we help our students discover and understand a range of habits and Lifeskills, and then to benefit from them by learning to apply them in their lives.  These skills can be categorized into two main types, Fundamental and Supplemental.

 
Fundamental Lifeskills are the core values in life which shape our character, and upon which all else is built.  These include respect, ethics, morals, attitude, self-confidence.
 
Supplemental Lifeskills are those that we use in our every day lives, which in essence can be derived from having an understanding of the fundamental skills.  For example, one can learn what negotiation is, however one can never hope to achieve successful negotiation until they can be confident to make decisions, use ethical judgment and respect the other person (so they don’t lose in the negotiation).  Other examples of Supplemental Lifeskills include effective communication, goal setting, dealing with people, planning and prioritizing, overcoming procrastination, coping with stress, overcoming setbacks, coping with peer group pressure, choosing to say no to drugs, alcohol and other substance abuse …and many others.
 
Unfortunately, most people don’t start to formally learn Lifeskills until they have left school and are well into their work years.  The current increasing popularity of “life-coaching”, the plethora of exponents, seminars and books on “how to become successful” or “how to improve your life”, bears testimony to the number of people who are in their mature years and need to attain skills to cope with life.  In traveling through life, a number of them unsuccessfully, they find they lack crucial Lifeskills such as negotiation, goal setting, overcoming procrastination, overcoming setbacks, communication skills, matters relating to self confidence, and so on.

In today’s dynamic and demanding world, those who are taught Lifeskills from an early age will be far better equipped to cope with the challenges and stresses of life.  It may well make the difference between a successful and happy life, or one that is less than what we really want it to be.

THE TALE OF THE TWO APPLE SEEDS

Everything that Achieve Lifeskills is and stands for can be reflected in the philosophy of the following paradigm:

But both seeds came from the same apple you might say.  Yes, but the difference is in the environment and upbringing.

Just like the seeds, children who are brought up in a loving and caring environment that fosters learning and respect, will grow into a rewarding and fulfilling life … one in which they bear the fruit of their uniqueness and make a contribution to their community and to society at large.  Children who are deprived of a loving and caring environment and who lack self-respect and are not exposed to the importance of learning may end up in a less than fruitful situation in their lives.

Achievement, without contribution, is insignificant.

We at Achieve Lifeskills believe in giving a child important Lifeskills that they can use and hone as they grow up to become worthy and respected individuals, achieving their potential in anything they choose to do.  We want them to prepare themselves for life whilst they are in the preparatory years … we don’t want them preparing themselves for life when they are middle aged.

We want children to learn from the mistakes of this generation, in the hope that this learning will provide perpetual benefits for future generations.  Mankind must be able to do better than where we find ourselves today.

Let’s reconsider another issue in the story of the two seeds.  After ten years of growth in the poor environment, it would take a lot of effort to try and transplant the weak tree to a more favourable situation, but even then it will never grow to be as strong and fruitful as the tree brought up in the good environment.  And so it is with people, if a person has had many years of bad habits as a result of a poor environment, it takes a lot of effort to make things better, and even then we cannot expect a full recovery.  It is far better to have young people in an environment so that things are right from the beginning, so that it doesn’t need to be “fixed” later, if it can be fixed at all.

“ The end, depends upon the beginning.”

If you want the best for yourself, or for your children, make the positive decision to invest in a successful future.  Enrollment with Achieve Lifeskills & Character Education will empower young people to be more resilient and better equipped to cope with life’s challenges, and to develop into worthwhile adult people, making a contribution to their community and living their lives on purpose.