Stop teaching kids how the world was broken—start teaching them how to use what God gave them so they don’t break themselves. How about teaching them to use their anatomy to manifest the best life possible instead of spending an inordinate amount of time educating them about the past? 

Worrying is the same thing as praying for what you don’t want. When you feel worried, fearful, angry, irritated—or all of the above—for an extended period of time, those emotions compound. What you carry, you strengthen. This is what kids need to learn as early as possible. Instead, we’re taught way too early on how to destroy ourselves using what God intended for us to use to heal. The nervous system is innately designed to heal, but humanity uses it to create sickness by staying in fight-or-flight mode. 

Don’t make kids fearful of pursuing their dreams. Make them aware of the cost of living in low emotional states for too long. Those patterns don’t just affect the mind—they affect the body.

Right now, youth is wasted on the young. So many people spend their time being miserable during the very years when their physical health is at its peak. That misery doesn’t just disappear—it shows up later. Chronic emotional stress has been shown to increase inflammation, weaken the immune system, and contribute to long-term disease. 

Within the past 24 hours, I’ve learned about two people who have cancer. Hearing that absolutely infuriates me. Our bodies are designed to heal. So why are so many people getting sick? I’m convinced it’s because people spend their lives doing things they don’t want to do. They live in cycles of worry, pressure, and dissatisfaction. Most people can’t forgive because they were never taught how. Most people can’t access happiness because they've never been shown what it actually looks like in practice.

And that’s the problem—we are never taught how. I sure as hell wasn’t. 

If I had control of the K–12 education system, the following content would be part of the mandatory curriculum (in addition to math, science, reading, and health):

Kindergarten
Kids learn daily affirmations and simple conscious creation techniques. These practices become part of their daily routine. Time is set aside for daydreaming. 

First Grade
Children learn to read using self-empowerment books written specifically for them.

Second Grade
Meditation is introduced in multiple forms to support different learning styles. Students meditate twice daily. Breathwork is taught, and children learn how to use their breath to regulate their emotions and mental state.

(Even simple breathing techniques have been shown to reduce stress and improve focus in children.)

Third Grade
Kids learn that their emotional states have real physiological effects. They are taught how chronic worry and fear impact the body and overall well-being.

(Research consistently shows that prolonged stress increases inflammation and disrupts immune function.)

Fourth Grade
Conscious creation is formally introduced. Basic brain science is taught so students understand how thoughts and habits shape neural pathways and behavior.

(Neuroplasticity shows the brain can be rewired through repetition and awareness.)

Fifth and Sixth Grade
Students begin integrating everything they’ve learned.

This replaces the traditional history curriculum as it is currently taught. Memorizing past trauma without context for empowerment does little to help a child navigate their own life. What can a middle schooler realistically do about the Vietnam War? More importantly, what are they being taught about themselves?

Instead, middle school education would focus on:

• Conscious creation and manifestation 
• Nervous system regulation 
• Reducing inflammation through lifestyle awareness 
• Emotional resilience 
• Energy awareness 
• EFT tapping, breathwork, and meditation 
• Communication skills 
• Practicing gratitude in real, tangible ways 

By high school, students would already have a foundation most adults never receive.

Ninth–Twelfth Grades
Students deepen and apply these practices in real life.

Each day begins and ends with meditation. Sound healing is available, and students learn to use tools such as sound bowls, handpans, gongs, and tuning forks to regulate their state of mind.

Instead of focusing on memorization or outdated practices, students develop high-level emotional intelligence.

They learn:

• Empathy 
• Gratitude as a daily practice 
• The impact of language and thought patterns 
• How to consciously become who they want to be 

(Higher emotional intelligence is strongly linked to better mental health, stronger relationships, and improved life outcomes.)

To graduate, students complete a field study. For example, they spend a year documenting their judgments. Every time they judge someone, they write about it and then challenge their perspective. If they feel jealousy, they are taught to interpret it differently—not as something negative, but as a signal. Jealousy often points to something they desire but don’t believe they can have.

Instead of criticizing, they learn to:

• Study what they admire 
• Act with kindness toward that person 
• Practice empathy 
• Reflect on how their perception evolves 

(Reflective practices like journaling and perspective-taking have been shown to improve self-awareness and reduce reactive behavior in adolescents.)

Teaching emotional intelligence would change the world. I am more certain of that than almost anything I’ve ever said. This is something we actually have control over. Emotional intelligence can be learned. It can be strengthened. IQ is relatively fixed—but self-awareness, emotional regulation, and empathy are skills. Learning how to use what God gave you is the key to a lifetime of health and happiness. When a person can regulate their emotions, they are less likely to live in chronic stress, and chronic stress is one of the most well-documented contributors to illness in the body.

Kids are not taught this. Most adults don’t know it either. But if they did—if this became foundational—everything would change. I truly believe chronic disease rates would drop significantly. Because we wouldn’t just be teaching kids how to survive the world. We would be teaching them how to live in it. 

I wrote this without much thought or agenda. If it changes one person’s mind, my knee-jerk reaction to learning two more people I know have cancer was worth it.