Q&A for How to Have a Successful Teenage Life

Join a community of people who are just as passionate about their faith as you are! Share your story (that is, how you came to witness Christ) with others and listen to their stories intently. Discuss the gospel with them to deepen your relationship and increase your understanding of Christ. Seek out a mentor from your church or faith-based community center to help guide you and your relationship to Christ. You can even act as a mentor for young children in your faith-based community.

Unfortunately, parents don't understand sometimes (especially if something about your beliefs, style of dress, gender, or sexuality doesn't align with their beliefs and/or ideas). If you're a teen, the good part is that you'll likely be moving out of your house soon anyway—then, you can live your life the way you want. You can try to have an open conversation with them about why their ideas are close-minded (and even hurtful, if that's the case). Be calm, informative, and open in case they have any questions. It might also help to have a friend or family member (one who understands) around to mediate the conversation if things get heated. If being yourself or even bringing up certain topics in your household will lead to a dangerous situation (or if it's led to a dangerous situation in the past), talk to a school counselor or trusted adult about what to do. If you're part of a community center and have supportive people there, go to them for advice or ask them for help if you need it.

School is a great place to make friends as a teen. Approach someone at lunch, between classes, after school, or at school events. Use something you have in common as an opener. For instance, you might say "Hey, I saw that Rolling Stones sticker on your notebook—I'm huge fan too. What's your favorite album?" You can also start up conversation by giving them a compliment. For example, "Your presentation on Kurt Vonnegut today was so funny! 'Bluebeard' is one of my all-time favorites!" Once you're talking, deepen your connection by asking them questions about themselves and sharing a little about you as well. You could ask about their favorite movies, sports, and music. If your both enjoying each other's company, ask if they'd like to sit with you at lunch or meet up to hang out after school. Once you break the ice, the friendship will happen naturally over time. If you're shy or nervous about approaching people, practice doing it in your head a few times. Envision yourself being confident and polite. You can do it! You can also meet people outside of school like at community centers, sporting events, parks, stores, and shopping malls.

Some people just have more practice with coming up with clever things to say! Maybe they watch movies and read books featuring characters who say clever things. If you want to be more clever, you'll need to learn how to think fast. Developing confidence and a sense of humor will help, as well. If you know you want to say something clever, really listen to the person who is speaking and be present in the moment. Learn some fun, random facts that could apply to a wide range of topics. Being familiar with linguistic tricks like puns and funny witticisms will also give you some material to work with when you want to say something clever. It'll take some time and practice, but you can be just as clever as anybody else!

Believe in yourself by focusing on your positive qualities and surrounding yourself with other people who believe in you. Take pride in who you are. If you want to believe in something spiritual or faith-related, expose yourself to as much information about the belief system as you can and think about how much you appreciate and agree with it. If you run up against doubt, try to understand why and look for more evidence that might help you reframe it or move past it.

Having a boyfriend and "dealing with" a boyfriend are two different things. If you have a boyfriend and want to keep him, treat him with kindness and express your affection towards him. Do fun things together and make an effort to show him how much you care. For instance, get him tickets to see his favorite band play or write him a sweet note telling him how cute he is. If you feel like you're "dealing" with a boyfriend who isn't reciprocating your kindness, respect, or admiration, it's worth having an open conversation about it. Calmly tell him what is bothering you about his actions or words and express your needs in a kind, straightforward manner. For instance, you could say, "I felt really sad that you didn't come to my basketball game. I really need you there to support me and it makes me happy seeing you cheer me on." If he's a good boyfriend who cares about you, he'll be understanding. Just keep in mind that relationships are a 2-way street. If you've done something wrong, you need to be open and honest with yourself and your boyfriend.

While it can vary depending on what's important to you, there are a few things every teenager can do in order to be successful. Even though it may not be exciting, doing well in school is a simple and effective away to ensure success. No matter how boring it is now, education will help you be a productive member in society. Strive for excellence in school; try your best, listen to the teachers, do your homework, study, and get good grades. Doing so will help you get into a better college/university, which will enable you to get a great job in the future. While you're studying and learning in school, it's also a good idea to start thinking about careers you would like to be in that suit your interests and strengths. It's also important that you try your best to avoid making bad decisions. Avoid the peer pressure and ditch the cigarettes, alcohol, and drugs. Abide the law and avoid ending up in the back of a police car. If you're being pressured into anything, walk away.

Being a teenager can be tough! With all kinds of new changes happening all of the time and not having the full freedom to do what you want, it can feel like you won't make it out alive. But there are some things you can do to help improve yourself and work towards a better life as an adult. For starters, surround yourself with good friends. Friends are there to support you and lift your spirits. Be with people who make you happy, and ditch the ones who don't. Create a group of supportive, loving friends that can help you succeed in life and live your dreams. Find a few really good friends that will stick with you once you leave high school. You could also try to get more active. Join a sports team or focus on your own fitness by going on runs or lifting weights. Studies show that people who get active in their teenage years will be more active when they're adults, so start getting active now!

Try doing things that you enjoy and will help set up a better future for yourself. Try adopting a hobby such as reading, writing, sewing, singing, dancing, playing a sport, making pottery, etc. It will pass the time and help you develop your personality. Experiment and discover new things. Who knows, you might be surprised to find that you really like them. Studies show that people who volunteer are less likely to develop depression and other emotional issues than people who don't. Find volunteer opportunities that interest you, for example, if you love animals, volunteer at an animal shelter. If you like helping people, volunteer at a soup kitchen. If you love helping the environment, plant trees or pick up litter. When you help others, it will make you feel better about yourself. You're making a big difference in the world, and to top it all off, having lots of volunteer hours will look good on your resume.

"Normal" is so subjective, that there's no point on focusing on it. Instead focus on whether it is beneficial, which in most cases it is. It means that you get to make a meaningful difference in the world, whether it is campaigning for something on a school level, or on a societal level. Not only that, it can build your confidence, help make new friends, pick up new skills, learn new things and make it easier to stand up for yourself and others in the future, so it is definitely worth it. There are a lot of causes, some on a larger scale than others, so there will probably be at least one you are intending in.