17 CHILDHOOD
Children begin by loving their parents.
After a time they judge them.
Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.
Oscar Wilde
“
”
Many people believe that it is impossible to overcome negative
conditioning, but this is simply not true. Many highly successful people
suffered difficulties as children. For instance, a survey in the nineties
discovered that 90% of the chief executives of the UK’s top companies
lost a parent through death or divorce before the age of 16. All claimed
that, instead of destroying them, it strengthened their determination to
succeed.
What happened to you in childhood did not determine your level of
confidence,but your attitude to it.
Think of a childhood incident which you always believed damaged
your self-confidence. How would taking a different attitude help?
113
Write down this sentence:
‘My mother’s opinion of me made me believe that...’
Quickly, without thinking about it too hard, write down the first few
thoughts that come into your head.
114
Write down this sentence:
‘My father’s opinion of me made me believe that...’
Again without thinking about it too hard, quickly write down the first
thoughts that come into your head.
115
