Spotlight: Peanut Butter Principles

Peanut Butter Principles: 47 Leadership Lessons Every Parent Should Teach Their Kids

By- Eric Franklin

In “Peanut Butter Principles: 47 Leadership Lessons Every Parent Should Teach Their Kids”, entrepreneur, speaker, author, management consultant and parent Eric Franklin has assembled a wealth of wisdom that has stuck with him like peanut butter sticks to the roof of your mouth. One by one, you can serve up spoonfuls of Peanut Butter Principles to the youth in your life and make a profound impact to help them grow into confident, intelligent, and successful adults and leaders who make good choices, build healthy relationships, and cultivate another generation of leaders.

And here is an Excerpt from Peanut Butter Principles: 47 Leadership Lessons Every Parent Should Teach Their Kids

18 |“Never be afraid to take on the tough

jobs.”

Wouldn’t it be great if the easiest solution were always the best one? And pizza was a health food?

Somehow, I think if pizza were good for me, I’d probably stop enjoying it.

As for the easy way out, well, I would feel like I wasn’t getting anywhere if I didn’t need to put forth an effort to achieve my goal.

Given the choice, many kids would take Basket-weaving instead of Algebra, and they’d do just the homework assignment, not the extra credit work or “suggested” reading. This is enough to get by. But “good enough” isn’t great. It’s average. And a “C” grade is average. Are you satisfied with being a “C” student who grows into a “C” adult?

No one wants to do things the hard way, and that’s fine when it works. Overcomplicating a solution is just a waste of time. But I see young people investing more energy into finding shortcuts than tackling challenges. The time they spend whining about a situation could have been used to deal with it. “But that’s soooooo hard!”

Left to their own devices, these children will choose the easy courses, the easy instructor, and the easy way out—every single time. As a result, they don’t learn as much as they could—or should—and these shortcuts prevent them from exploring their true potential. They don’t experience the gratification that comes with mastering a challenge or achieving a goal that seemed unattainable. They just keep living with the bare minimum—average.

A successful person has to move beyond such a complacent attitude. A true leader goes as far as he has to in order to make a difference and achieve something important. He tackles a challenge with vigor and enthusiasm, recognizing that he will gain something from the battle—even if he doesn’t win. He’ll feel good in knowing that he put forth his best effort and will recognize where he can improve—even if he does win. Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything, but the will to win is everything.”

About the Author-

Eric Franklin, Entrepreneur and Author of  Peanut Butter Principles: 47 Leadership Lessons Every Parent  Should Teach Their Kids Eric Franklin had his first taste of leadership during a summer job when at age 16, he was appointed supervisor to over 200 peer employees at his local amusement park. He has been on a mentoring roller coaster ride ever since. Although Eric has held a multitude of distinguished positions over the years and is currently CEO/owner of several successful businesses that operate across the U.S., his core values are as basic to the soul as a peanut butter sandwich is to a hungry appetite.

Eric's formal education has earned him a Bachelor's degree in biology from Hampton University and a Master's in procurement and acquisitions from Webster University. His family and community have been the most influential in imparting upon him the character traits that have enabled him to be so successful.

When Eric isn't busy with writing, business coaching and running several businesses, his ideal scenario for a day would be he, his wife and 3 kids, eating fresh seafood on a tropical island, with of course,the family dog and cat close at hand. An accomplished musician, Eric would end the day by playing a few of his favorite music selections on the piano. Eric also enjoys the simple things in life, like peanut butter.

Eric is a staunch advocate for STEM (Science Technology, Engineering and Math) education and serves on the Southern Maryland Higher Education Council. However, Eric is concerned that with the increased technical proficiency of our students, basic character and life principles are not being taught. He sought to develop resources would be embraced by parents and other mentors and shared with the young people in their lives to ensure a firm foundation for the next generation of great leaders.