Being a Teen Self-Starter

How to Change Perceptions and Develop Focus in the Teenage Years

Jan 7, 2009

Becoming a self-starter is a challenge, but by changing self -perceptions as a teen, the individual can enhance focus, discipline and thereby achieve his goals.

North American society can often seem to be set up for the passive consumer. The majority of individuals in Canada do not struggle with basic needs for food, shelter or clothing. In many young people, a sense of lassitude, detachment from the essentials, complacency and malaise results.

The educational system can also breed passivity. Teachers are hired to lecture to bored and uninvolved students who aren't allowed to fail a grade, even if they have less than passing marks. Attitudes worsen in this kind of climate and adolescents can turn to drugs, sex or other extreme activities to make life exciting, rebel or create a kind of meaning for themselves.

To have a worthwhile existence, teenagers should learn at an early age how to be self-starters. Instead of waiting for the adult in their lives to tell them what to do, or choosing not to do anything at all, adolescents benefit immensely from altering self-perceptions, honing focus and discipline and thereby shaping a sense of ambition for their lives.

Change Self-Perceptions

Everyone grows up with a particular sense of himself. Sometimes this perception is a negative or limiting one. To be a self-starter, the adolescent must have confidence. Coupled with this is the notion that the adolescent's character is malleable and can change through experience. Nando Pelusi, a psychiatrist, comments that other people's narrow perceptions of one can rigidify the ability to "move forward."

The teenager must realize that he or she is in control of his or her own character development and thus, destiny. Being shy or awkward at a certain stage does not have to cripple one's actions for life. People can grow and change. They can decide to shed certain characteristics that are not helpful and select others that are. This is not an easy process, but it is possible over time.

Hone Focus and Discipline

Often people think that creating focus and discipline in their lives, particularly during the turbulent time of adolescence, is dull or stifling. In fact, just as the form of a poem can enable freedom of content, a structure and a routine can assist the teenager to expand and grow within constraints.

Striving for focus and discipline also entails the taking of risks. Teenagers must value their goals and ambitions, respecting their path sufficiently to impose guidelines on themselves that lead to success.

Wake up at the same time everyday. Plan the day so that includes small steps towards defined aims. Don't forget to include time for exercise and relaxation. Caring for the body enables one to better achieve goals.

When teens becomes a self-starters, they can look around them and see what needs to be accomplished without being told. They will not fear a little discomfort and struggle in their quest for a more satisfying existence. They will seek out sources to educate and train themselves. By defining a "compelling vision" of their lives, as the author of The Comfort Trap urges, they will be in command of their own ambitions and futures.

The copyright of the article Being a Teen Self-Starter in Youth Development is owned by Catherine Owen. Permission to republish Being a Teen Self-Starter in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.