As a girl in my teens, I had tons of
information and I was very curious about life and how to be a teenager. I
sought advice from older people around me and also read books I could lay my
hands on.
Some of my questions were answered
intelligently and they acted as compass that navigated my teenage years with
ease. Others were left to be understood as I aged. I have learned with
experience, how to be a teenager and I’d love to share them with you in ten
bullet points.
YOU HAVE ALL THE TIME: As a teenager,
I noticed that apart from attending classes and running errands for my mom, I had
all the time to myself. I was lucky to have loved books at an early age so I
immersed myself in them. I’d advice you do the same as a teenager. Make books
your friend, and savor every moment you have with your family because with
time, you will not always have your loved ones with you at the same place all
the time.
LEARN TO BE ASSERTIVE: This is what I
was privileged to learn from my strong mom at an early age. As a girl, it was
very easy to say “no” to unpleasant requests without giving explanation for my
decision. It came off to my friends as being arrogant but in Nigeria where I
was raised, being assertive as a girl was a life saver.
CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS WISELY: This is a
very important advice every teenager should learn and incorporate in their dealings
with others. Do you think I learned that early enough? Well, I missed it! I had
a fair share of making frenemies and the consequences that came with it. I’d
advice you to be intentional about who you call your friends. Friends have a
great impact on our attitude. If you don’t like your friend’s attitude to life
and others, then quit the relationship because we become who we constantly surround
ourselves with.
IT IS OKAY NOT TO BE IN A GROUP: I
know we are all humans and want to be loved, appreciated and be in company but
it is still okay not to be in a group especially if being in that setting causes
more harm than good to you. Sometimes, not being in a group may be to your
advantage. Unnecessary drama, fighting and gossiping can be avoided.
LOVE YOURSELF: This is very important
because no one can love you more than you do to yourself, with the exception of
God and some sweet parents. Take care of your physical, emotional, intellectual,
and spiritual health.
NO ONE HAS IT ALL: Have you ever
looked at someone with so much admiration and think he or she has it all? I have
been there! With maturity and time that has sweetly flown by and rubbed on me
wisdom, I’ve realized that we are all flawed and that nobody’s life is perfect.
We’ve just learned to embrace our uniqueness, beauty and learned to unlearn bad
attitudes, incorporate virtues in our lives and looked onto life with optimism.
YOU WILL OUTGROW THE SHY STAGE OF
LIFE: I know it’s hilarious but if I can overcome the stage when I was very self-conscious,
shy and embarrassed at every little perceived or real flaw of mine, then there’s
good news for everyone. How did I do it? Well, I just learned to focus on my
strengths, loved myself enough not to be too hard on me and avoided gossiping
and people that only see the negatives and can’t wait to tell me how badly I
performed even if I had a stellar performance in the eyes of others.
HAVE
BOUNDARIES AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE: This is an essential tool every teenager needs
to survive the countless requests and situations that would push them to their
limits. As a girl in Nigeria, I learned to say “no” and shout it at the top of
my voice to those uncles who tried to show romantic interests in me behind my
mom’s back. Having boundaries also helped me act like a teenager and aligned my
focus in the right direction.
With
hindsight now, I’d advice my teenage self to focus on loving myself, having a
good identity, showing integrity in all I do, building good habits that will
act as foundations for me and most importantly, loving God deeply, closely and
passionately and asking for his strength and guidance daily.
DO YOU GET MORE ADVICE
FOR TEENAGERS? I’VE MADE A VIDEO FOR YOU. CLICK HERE TO WATCH IT👇👇👇
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