Archive for January, 2009

  • Judging others

    Judge slowly.  Think before judging others put yourself in their shoes.Susan

  • Eye Contact

    My fifth grade teacher told me to always look a person in the eye when they speak to you.  I did not realize it then, but what she was teaching me was to take pride in myself and to have self-confidence in everything that I set out to accomplish.  Dr. Shelia G.  advisor from her teacher   

  • Don't Be Grumpy

    The best advice I ever received was from my best friend before he died.  Everything started when I was 10 years old.  It was a very bad morning and I was a grumpy person that day.  I got into a fight, but then my friend just dragged me out and told me not to be mad at anybody -just because you are stressed doesn't mean that you have to take your anger out at everybody. He said, "life is a game, Carnal (Bro)."  ... that afternoon I was just thinking and realized what he told me.  Later that day

  • Help Others

    Judge each day not by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you sow. Robert Lewis Stevenson

  • Don't Hold Grudges

    1.  Be true to yourself at all times-regardless 2.  Set yourself some goals that are realistic and then go get them-don’t readily compromise but equally don’t be so rigid and inflexible so as to alienate all around you 3.  Be who you want to be-not who others think you should be4.  Don't hold grudges- just move on5.  Life is too short- go and live today!!James F.

  • Don't Let Others Squeeze You

    Don't let others around you squeeze you into their mold.   Judy

  • Listen to Your Child

    LISTEN to what the child says, as well as what he/she doesn't say. Dr. Diane

  • Find Your Niche

    Having worked with a variety of teens in a variety of settings my most common advice is find a niche. Teens need an interest that will provide them with a niche to find colleagues, mentors and friends.  It is sad when a junior high student enters school and has no particular interest to help her join a club or group.   So,my advice is find something you enjoy, It is ok to be a jock, a band geek, a chess player, a singer, a techie, or whatever.  What is not ok is

  • Thoughts from an Husband and Wife

    Based on our own life experiences, my husband and I came up with the following advice for our own teenagers:  1.)  Be Nice2.)  Do Your Best At Whatever You Do3.)  Do What You Say You're Going To Do When You Say You're Going To Do It4.) Do What You're Asked To Do When You're Asked To Do It5.) Be HappyStacey F.

  • The Importance of a Person's Character

    When you are about to enter a relationship with someone new--whether a friend, group of new friends or a romantic relationship--try looking at a person's character--their important qualities--such as honesty, generosity, dependability, willingness to help--instead of just their physical attributes or personality quirks.  I never looked at people's character before--when someone was smart and funny I stopped at that and was often let down by smart, funny people who were also back-stabbers and liars!  It took years for me to make that advice an automatic habit, and I now have the most wonderful, loving friends in the world. 

  • Your Best Legacy

    ....always be kind to others and to yourself.   When you look back at your life you want to be proud of the person you have become and the positive influence you have made on people and the environment.  It's the best legacy you can leave. Marissa A. from her

  • Urgent Question

    "Life's most persistent and urgent questions is "What are you doing for others."Martin Luther King, Jr.

  • Our Founding Fathers

    Read the biographies of our founding fathers, including especially Washington, Hamilton, Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin.   Note, however different they may have been, the common features of their teenage years: ambition, discipline, hard work toward goals, and attachment to friends and adults who could help advance them toward their goals. Sandy K.

  • Attitude

    Do everything with an attitude of excellence.  Audra F. from her minister

  • Your Place in the World

    This life is NOT all about you.  Anything you do for someone else, is 100 times better that anything you do for yourself.  Your sense of purpose and your place in this world are developed by the way you treat others. Lynda D. from her father

  • Life's Burdens

    “I know God won’t give me any more than I can handle, I just wish He wouldn’t trust me so much.”Mother Theresa

  • Stepping into the Future

    As time passes you will find yourself stepping into that future and one day amazingly wondering how you did it.Ines A.

  • Get to Work

    Get to work. Only Invest time, energy, and resources in activities that bring you closer to your goals. Everything else should be discarded. Ines A.

  • Dream it

    Dream it. Know exactly what you want in your future and the time frame you want to have that future by. Be specific and clear about it. See yourself there already. Be as vivid as you can possible be about your dream. Describe the goals associated with that future in detail, for when you dream it and believe it, you immediately subconciously as well as conciously start to create that future in your life.  Ines A.

  • Reduce Partying

    In an economy like the current one, my suggestion would be to seek as much education in as many relevant fields that interest you as possible. Especially for the technology focused individuals, it will become increasingly difficult to find jobs in your career path unless you're exceptionally gifted. The likelihood of companies snapping up experienced, out of work people before looking at the "average" graduate for the same job is higher now than ever. Put off that party, that dance, that "hangout" at the beach and learn something

  • Draw a Line

    I suggest they (teens) draw a line down the middle of a blank sheet of paper. On one side list all the things they love to do. On the other side list the things they are really good at doing. Then, look for matches. Somewhat related to this is finding out what makes them "tick". In my experience, most people don’t know what makes them tick. They know what doesn’t, but can’t articulate what does. Don J.

  • Have Your Work Fit Your Life

    As a recent college grad and recovering teenager...the best question is "how do you want work to fit into your life?" ..... Help teens focus on what they enjoy,  how they want their life to look, and that any dream is possible.  Reality doesn't until after college anyway....so encouraging them to follow their dreams is the best advice I've ever recieved.Abra

  • Have a Plan for Improvement

    Always take personality responsibility and have a plan for improvement when things go wrong, nothing is outside of your job description if it needs doing,  make your education the best experience possible even if it means putting it off for a while until you can appreicate it.Tracy

  • Avoid Common Mistakes

    Listen to your parents. They've already been there and done that. Nothing that teenagers go through is really new. They can help you avoid those common mistakes and to turn out better than they did.Krystal

  • Follow Your Gut

    As a mother of a 16 year old girl, I tell her again and again to be herself. Don't let others define you - define yourself and follow your gut. Krintine

  • Take the High Road

    A bit of advice I give everybody, including my kids and young professionals that I've mentored and are just starting out - always take the high road, not the easy road.  In the long-run you will find that that will never let you down - personally or professionally.Kristine

  • Help Another Person

    Always do whatever you can to help another person - if for no other reason, than because he/she may be the one person who can help you some day!Margie

  • Reward Behaviors

    Reward behaviors and not accomplishments. If you reward for good grades and the teen has to make a choice of taking the low road to get a good grade what is more important to the parent?Chris

  • Your Free Time

    How do you like to spend your free time? What's a favorite class in school? These are the beginnings of what you could call planning a career. If you have an interest in something, say math or photography or fixing things even. Learn as much as you can about that and run with it! A career doesn't have to boring, in fact, it can be fun!Pillar A-S.

  • Don't Be Afriad

    Teenagers have a lot of pressure to make the right choices or else. Someone is probably always telling you what to do or not do.  Everyone makes mistakes but if you can learn something from a mistake or something that didn't go well then it's probably okay.  You should always ask yourself when evaluating the proper course of action: "Can I live with consequences or results of this action?" Whether yes or no, you'll have a better idea as to what to do. 

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