In some cultures, children are often told that they can achieve anything if they try hard enough. What are the advantages and disadvantages of giving children this message?

Modern society structures its citizens pre-determined by a path with a set of predesigned milestones; counterintuitively, these steps have become more challenging in a competitive world. To encourage

children

to overcome these obstacles, parents, especially in Asian countries, instil in impressionable minds the belief that nothing is impossible with enough effort.

This

perception is beneficial in terms of motivating;

however

, without careful handling, it poses negative impacts on

children

. On the bright side, it is undeniable that

this

message is a source of motivation. Not only do

children

have to achieve more complex and sophisticated feats - few that can be named are enrolment tests in primary schools or competitions for talented students, but they

also

, at the same time, compete with thousands of others.

This

means

children

have to deal with two sources of pressure at a time and still can fail; a powerful message that empowers their dreams and efforts at the right time will give them the strength to conquer and succeed.

On the contrary

,

this

perception can be harmful when success is obligatory.

This

is especially true in Asian countries promoting a meritocratic society; the ostensibly liberating and beautiful idea is perceived as any lack of success is a sign of laziness and a lack of talents rather than misfortune or accidents.

As a result

,

children

are trapped in their parents' linear and unilateral thinking, forced to study things that are out of their league to achieve prizes that their parents dream of. If a child fails, he will receive contempt

instead

of compassion, be under peer pressure, and, in the worst case, become evidence of damnation. All of these can damage his mentality and ruin his childhood. In conclusion, the idea of a perfect world where efforts are paid off by happiness and success is beautiful, yet the world is not;

hence

, the way

this

belief is executed will affect its positive or negative outcomes.