- Life isn't fair. Get used to it.
- The world doesn't care about your self-esteem. The world expects you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.
- You won't earn $40,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be vice-president with a car phone until you earn it.
- If you think your teacher's tough, just wait until you get a boss!
- Flipping burgers isn't beneath you. Your grandparents had a different word for burger-flipping: they called it "opportunity."
- If you screw up, it's not your parent's fault, so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.
- Your parents weren't always as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning your room, and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. So before you save the rain forest from the evils of your parent's generation, try de-lousing the closet in your own bedroom.
- Some schools have abolished failing grades, and will give you as many times as you want to get the right answers. Your school may have done away with the idea of winners and losers. Life doesn't work that way.
- Life isn't divided into semesters. You don't get summers off. Very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself . . . do that on your own time.
- Television isn't real life. In real life, people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
- Be nice to nerds . . . chances are you'll end up working for one.
THE TASKS OF ADOLESCENCE
The following summarizes an extensive literature on the tasks adolescents face when growing up.. Many of these tasks will take a lifetime to accomplish—if ever. Adults tend to forget these enormous challenges that face the average adolescent. They should recognize that kids and adults are just at different points on the yellow brick road.
To reach:
- Physical maturity;
- Intellectual maturity;
- Social maturity.
To achieve:
- Independence from family of origin;
- Economic independence through acquiring education and skills.
To establish:
- Sexual identity;
- Intimate relationships;
- A set of values—and the self-discipline to stick to them.
SIX CRITICAL LIFE MESSAGES
- I believe in you
- I trust you
- I am listening
- I care about you
- You are very important to me
- I know you can handle this
THE TOP 10
WAYS TO BUILD SELF-ESTEEM
- Treat others the way you would like to be treated
- Be proud that you are unique
- Develop your own special style
- Believe in yourself
- Be responsible
- Think positively
- Don't be discouraged by mistakes
- Take pride in what you do well
- Don't listen to negative-thinking people
- Do the best you can at whatever you do
WAYS TO GET ALONG WITH OTHERS
- Smile a lot
- Be friendly
- Lend a helping hand
- Tell the truth
- Don’t gossip
- Keep your word
- Be a good listener
- Learn how to compromise
- Respect others
- Realize that all people are created equal
