What’s the best advice you could give to a teenager?
Speaking from experience, this is the advice I would give you..
Parents: Listen to your parents. As clichéd as that sounds, if you’re lucky enough to have parents that have your best interest at heart, listen to them. Our parents only want the best for us. Parents are the only people who have our back 100%. Do you know how protected we are? No matter how much we mess up, they WILL always will there. However, it’s important to remind your parents that you’re an individual who needs to make their own mistakes and have their own experiences without being judged. Remind them that they were teenagers once. They often forget this lol and yes they can be annoying as fuck sometimes too, but unfortunately, there are no rule books to parenting and one day, we will be an “awkward out of the loop” annoying parent who just wants to love and protect our children, so give them a break sometimes. Our parents are growing old, keep them close. Remember some people don’t have parents. Appreciate them and make them proud, it’s vital.
Friends: Be kind to everyone you have an encounter with, no matter how short or long it is. It’s not cool being a douche or a bully, that’s a lonely path, people will eventually leave you and this reputation will stick with you forever. People don’t forget how you make them feel and the world is too small. So be kind to everyone. Hold on tightly to your old friends, even if you end up going to different high schools and colleges and don’t ditch old friends for new friends, learn to balance them both. Personally, I find it strange if someone doesn’t have one long term friend, I think it says a lot about their character. There really isn’t anything better than having good friends and also being a good friend, it honestly makes life worth living. Be the type of friend you would want to have.
School: Hmm, I love school. I made a lot of friends and had an endless amount of fun and achieved great grades. If you don’t fit into a certain criteria, they essentially write you off and this can damage a person’s self-esteem, confidence and can completely shatter their potential. They judge a fish by how it can climb a tree. School rarely teach you how to swim against the waves and start your own businesses or how to be an entrepreneur, they teach you how to mold into society and expect us to make life time decisions at an age where we’re not even responsible. Oh and let’s not forget the lies they brainwash us with in history class. Learning is fun so why does it seem like every child dislikes going to school? The only advice I can give to you about school is to study hard and get good grades, because it is important. But it’s imperative to educate yourself OUTSIDE of school.
Teachers: A good teacher = a gift from god, and that’s probably why they’re so rare. They see your potential and use their influence to help you blossom. They can provide relentless support and they feed your self-esteem and confidence organically. They’re a positive light in your life and know how to balance this with the correct form of discipline to keep you in check. Shout out to Mrs Sandra, she made me feel like I could accomplish anything and that’s what every child/teenager needs, someone outside of their parents, who believes in them.
A bad teacher will haunt you for the rest of your life if you allow them too. I don’t really need to write much about bad teachers. If you happen to have a teacher who dislikes you, don’t pay them too much mind.
Money: Save. Save. Save. Spend 10-25% of everything you earn and save the rest. Poor money management will never help you gain financial freedom and bad habits are picked up from early. Don’t be the person that is always broke and in bad circumstances, that person is annoying and eventually people will get tired of you. It also shows a lack of self-control. Think ahead, control your money, and don’t let your money control you. Understand that money is man-made and the good things in life are ALWAYS FREE. What’s money to a man with bad health and no cure? Don’t let the media and music make you believe that life is materialistic. You will live an empty life trying to impress people who don’t even like you. Dream big and do it for the love, never for money.
Love: You will fall in love and you will have many pointless relationships. You might even get cheated on too. You will learn something from every experience. You will never experience the same love twice. Don’t expect too much from people right now, we’re young lol and commitment isn’t on everyone’s list. Don’t put too much focus onto being in a relationship either, relationships are hard work!. Let life flow. The right person will cross your path.
Sex: You will NEVER forget how you lost your virginity so don’t rush this. WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE MARRIED ONLY! We live in a sexualized society and I know the pressure must be huge. Don’t confuse sex with love and be aware of those who are trying to take advantage of you. If you’ve had sex without consent, speak to someone, do not let ANYONE get away with violating your body.
Peer Pressure: Listen to your intuition/ your heart. If you don’t want to do something DON’T DO IT!!!!. Real friends will laugh it off, but they will never FORCE you into something or make you feel bad for not participating.
Drugs:
WATCH: The House I live in – Documentary about Americans Failed Drug War.
EDUCATE yourself about the real war on drugs. Educate yourself and understand how our society works before you judge people. People turn to hard drugs to escape the realities of life. If you know anyone that has a drug problem, help them.