Sharmen Lane, motivational speaker and coach teaches kids not to emulate some celebrities behavior. School age kids can be confused when celebrities like Charlie Sheen and Lindsay Lohan repeatedly end up in the media for bad behavior. Celebrities getting attention for illegal acts, drug use, and arrests sends the message to kids that these behaviors are acceptable. At every stage of growth and development children need to be reminded that choices have consequences. Lane teaches kids of all ages how to meet goals, and the detriments of poor choices.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 13, 2011

Sharmen Lane, motivational speaker and author of Giving You The Wow and The How warns college student audiences about emulating celebrity behavior.

“For instance, Lindsay Lohan, recently out of rehab, and now under investigation for theft may, at some point, begin to understand that poor choices can have dire consequences, but being treated like celebrity royalty does not help our kids to make good and safe choices,” explains Lane, who teaches accountability in her motivational seminars.

“As long as celebrities are treated differently than others, it is common for these select few to have a sense of entitlement, which is how Tiger Woods, upon reflection, described his justification for living a double life—cheating on his wife,” Lane adds. “It is our responsibility to stop enabling celebrity behavior by reinforcing it with attention. It confuses kids when celebrities get away with behavior the rest of society is punished for.”

Historically many celebrities, professional athletes, and leaders have held themselves to a lower moral standard than is expected from the average citizen. “We have a responsibility to our culture, our children, and celebrity figures to make everyone consistently accountable, regardless of their social, prestige, or financial status,” explains Lane, a life coach.

Studies have shown that reinforcing positive behavior is a more powerful teaching tool than punishing poor behavior (http://allpsych.com/psychology101/reinforcement.html and http://www.nationalyouth.com/behaviormodification.html). “However, we must stop confusing our kids by adulating, following and spotlighting morally wrong and/or illegal behavior by celebrity figures,” Lane adds.

Lane recently spoke to college students at Northeastern University teaching the principles and connections between choices and consequences. “The students responded favorably and thanked me for helping them learn how to make better choices in their future,” relays Lane, who is an advocate for schools incorporating programs for kids in all age groups to teach the benefits of positive behavior and the consequences of choosing poor actions—in part as an antidote to extensive media coverage of decadent celebrity conduct.

“If Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, or any other celebrity who acts out is consistently rewarded for their poor behavior with the attention they crave, we are doing them, and our impressionable children a moral injustice,” Lane warns.

Sharmen Lane is available for speaking on motivation, goals, choices and consequences to all age groups. Lane is most passionate about teaching high school to college- aged groups.

Sharmen Lane, author of Giving you The Wow and The How, is a motivational speaker, life coach, and a radio show host.

Shar has been interviewed on Lifetime TV, NPR, New York Daily News, BusinessWeek, and many others. She has written articles for National Magazines and has spoken for several large companies, corporations, high schools, colleges, charities and non-profit organizations throughout the world.

As a motivational speaker, Sharmen Lane has trained, managed, and coached thousands of individuals on what it takes to get what they want. For information visit http://www.sharspeaks.com

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This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of accelerated online degree .

You don’t realize how difficult it is to beat an addiction unless you’ve actually been in the situation yourself – you know you have to quit because you are slowly destroying yourself, but you’re unable to do so because of forces beyond your control that tug and claw at you until you give in. And you end up feeling guilty and hating yourself because you think you are not strong enough. Getting rid of an addiction is a significant achievement because it proves that you can accomplish the greatest victory there is – that over yourself. You know you have battled your personal demons and vanquished them all with your courage and determination. It’s not an easy task, but if you put your mind to it, here’s how you can get rid of an addiction:

· Desire to quit: To beat an addiction, you must want to get rid of it. You must hate the habit more than you enjoy the pleasure it gives you. Only then is it possible to get rid of it for good. Some people give up addictions because they are forced to by friends and family members or because of their circumstances. But in such cases, you’ll find that they often suffer a relapse and are soon back to their destructive habit. So to quit an addiction, you must first want to do so.

· Remove yourself from temptation: Some people find that the best way to quit is cold turkey – get rid of the habit suddenly and immediately. It’s like pulling a Band-Aid from your skin – it hurts initially, but the pain subsides over time. Others find that they do better when they withdraw slowly and steadily. It’s up to you to decide which method stands a better chance of success and implement it accordingly, but for either to succeed, you must remove yourself from temptation – if you’re addicted to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs, ensure that you don’t keep the stuff stocked at home; if you’re addicted to the Internet or to a relationship, sever connections that tend to tie you down.

· Think of the consequences and the rewards: Any addiction has adverse consequences, so if you’re tempted to go back, think of all that you stand to lose if you give in. Simultaneously, focus on all the rewards that are in the offing if you quit successfully and use the thought of these to spur you on to success.

· Seek help from loved ones: When you’re battling the demons of addiction, your efforts are aided with support and help from loved ones, so tell your friends and family of your endeavor and ask them to do all they can to help you out. If you’re tempted to give in to your desires, they may be able to talk you out of it or distract you until the urge disappears.

· Give in under controlled circumstances: Some people find that allowing themselves a little guilty pleasure once in a while under controlled circumstances prevents them from giving in to their cravings and going on binges. This is an option that must be exercised with extreme caution however, because it has the potential to become the first step to a relapse.

Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com .

by Success Expert Sharmen Lane

Every choice we make has a consequence. Some will be good, some bad and other indifferent. Sometimes your choices will all be awful, but you still have a choice.  Not making a choice is making a choice. C. Wright Mills said, "Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them — and then, the opportunity to choose.  Wayne Dyer says, "Be miserable. Or motivate yourself.  Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice." 

 

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