Together with Tatjana Kiel, Wladimir Klitschko has written an inspiring children's story about willpower, courage and dreams. How much Vladimir is in little Wil and why giving up is not an option - not even in war - both tell ntv.de.
Wladimir Klitschko, sports scientist, longest reigning world heavyweight boxing champion and biggest supporter of his brother Vitali Klitschko in Ukraine's fight against Russia, is not only fast with his fists, but also with his head. Klitschko is a master of the methodical development of willpower - he now wants to make his methods accessible to the generations that shape the future of tomorrow. "Children have this wonderful thirst for knowledge and we should give them things from an early age that will help them to become strong, courageous personalities," says Klitschko as part of his book launch. "It was always important to me to pass on my own knowledge. I'm very happy that I've had this opportunity with my method 'FACE the challenge' and as a lecturer. But I've always wanted to teach children the skills they do can decide for themselves who they want to be in the future."
Together with his co-developer and CEO of Klitschko Ventures, Tatjana Kiel, he has written a very personal and at the same time imaginative story - supplemented by colorful illustrations for children aged six and over to read by themselves and aloud. "Only a few of us have the intention of becoming world heavyweight boxing champions," says Tatjana Kiel, "but we can learn from Wladimir Klitschko's successful career. It's about going through life self-determined and courageous. We can teach that to our children , so that they know how to make the right decisions for themselves in a world that is changing so incredibly quickly."
In "Wil, the cloudstorm and the dream of flying" the young protagonist is supported by four animal characters: the eagle stands for concentration/focus, the leopard for agility, the panda for coordination and the honey badger for endurance. The eight-year-old's dream is to fly and see the clouds from above. On the way to his goal, he is also supported by other animal beings and his girlfriend. Each animal inspires him with its individual strength, and his girlfriend stands for the fact that we can achieve more together. Tatjana Kiel: "This book is not about telling the children what to think, but how they can think." And Wladimir Klitschko adds: "It's not about what they should dream of, but how they can turn their dreams into reality."
They both started the children's book before the start of the Russian war of aggression and decided to continue it. The book once again illustrates the attitude and conviction of the successful duo Klitschko/Kiel and shows how important it is today to prepare the next generation for the challenges of tomorrow. And how much Klitschko is there in the main character of the book? Wladimir Klitschko says that even as a boy he was determined and strong-willed, but he didn't know how best to achieve his goals. Today he knows the skills that are needed for this. This is how his method "FACE the Challenge" came about. He always wanted to pass this knowledge on to children in a playful way, "that's why this book contains something of little Vladimir, who really wants to fulfill his dreams, and the big one, who has learned how to reach your goals with willpower," says the younger one the Klitschko brothers about his book.
And of course little Wil is reminiscent of the big Vladimir in appearance and character. Intention? "Even if it's not my own story, Wil follows in my footsteps. He learns which steps will help him or not, just like I've learned along the way. That's why Wil resembles me a bit on purpose," says Wladimir Klitschko.
About his co-author he says: "Tatjana and I are a well-rehearsed team. The FACE method is based on my personal experiences, we extracted the four core skills from it together. It's the same with the book. My knowledge is in it, but Tatjana is in charge when it comes to making knowledge tangible and implementing my mission."
Wladimir Klitschko says of the current situation: "Life cannot be stopped. We live today and this life today also means that we fight for our future and that of our children. We started this book when this senseless and brutal war was still going on was unimaginable. Now it's a reality. The children are confronted with a new life, a flight into the unknown, the absence of fathers and mothers and traumatic experiences. It has encouraged us even more to show children ways to be strong, with that bravely face their future."
