Welcome to Self-Awareness

Teenage years – an exciting phase for Teenagers and Parents. Teenagers are getting to know themselves and their parents are no longer getting to know them. Most times, this paradox makes it challenging for both parties.

Dr. Mick Ukleja, a leadership and management consultant, listed some emotional intelligence skill sets that must be learned during the self-awareness stage.Adapted to relate to teenagers, these skill sets are self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal relationship, decision-making and stress management.

Dear teenagers, it is time to be self-aware, so you can evolve from this life stage with the right results. It starts with self-perception (knowing your strengths & weaknesses), self-expression (communicate clearly so people get what you are saying), interpersonal relationship (get along very well with family and friends), decision-making (make good choices and quickly too) and stress management (let pressure bring out the best in you). Parents should be patient with their teenagers to support them to build these life skills.

Commit to Purpose

As you come to self-awareness, be patient with yourself and answer this question “What is my assignment on earth?” There are tons of resources on this, find them and dig deep so you can find your purpose. Living a deliberate life should start in your teenage years. Living a life of purpose is not just for adults, it starts in your teenage years.

Bill Gates (Microsoft) started coding at age 13; Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) at age 11; Elon Musk (SpaceX, Tesla) at age 12; Jeff Bezos (Amazon) started at Grade 4 with the school computer; David the Shepherd Boy killed a lion at a young age, which began his career in leadership, borne out of a heart of service. Find your purpose early and commit to it. Let your education and schooling be in line with your purpose.

Get the Best of Friendship

You are more socially aware and want to have friends. Ensure you get into friendships where you can give your best and get the best. It must be a friendship that values you and adds value to you. Authentic friendship is not about the number of likes or dislikes on social media. Take charge of your heart and don’t allow depression because someone unfriended you or did not like your posts on social media.

See you in the Future

The future is now. We are in the information era and you can learn what any adult knows and even more. You don’t have to wait anymore to get into the future. But you must honour your parents and adults around to learn what they know which you will not find on the internet. Discover your strengths and weaknesses, stay true to your purpose, be deliberate about your friends and you are on the path to greatness and making positive impact in society. Remember this, you are not too young to be yourself so find your authentic self and stay true to it. Doing this, you will have the best of times with your parents, friends and society at large.

David Adegboyega

Author & Sound Character Coach

+2348032015433

daveadegboyega@gmail.com