If you are not happy with your current lifestyle or situation and wish to do something about it, then it is time to take action.
Maybe you wish to increase your income, eliminate bad habits, or improve a specific part of your life. Maybe you are always busy and wish to have more control over your time. Or you feel as if you are unhealthy, and want to enhance your intake and exercise. Whatever it is, it’s great that as a young teenager or individual, you yearn to get ahead and succeed.
The first step is to actually start.
Taking action is both the hardest and most rewarding step to self-improvement. Now that you have realized that, it’s time to decide what it is that you will actually do.
In this article, we will discuss 7 ways to get ahead in life as a teenager.
Set Goals
Goal-setting is crucial for any vision. How do you hope you reach the end if you have no idea where you are going? Goals give a sense of direction and can guide you to what you wish to accomplish.
Goals are beneficial as they help organize your life and its various pursuits, as well as increase productivity and focus. If you are unsure of what goals you should set, consider the following:
- What am I passionate about?
- What do I already do that I want to improve?
- What are the results that I want to see?
Once you have brainstormed a few ideas you should convert them into SMART goals. I am sure that you have heard of this term. It is a common practice that helps people achieve their goals. SMART is an abbreviation that stands for:
S – Specific: aim to be as specific as possible with your goal.
M – Measurable: make sure your goal can be tracked so that you can see your progress.
A – Attainable: set goals that you can realistically achieve.
R – Relevant: goal should align with your interests and objectives.
T – Time-Bound: assign a target end date for the goal.
SMART goals give clarity that was otherwise nonexistent. Here is an example of a SMART goal:
Specific: I wish to write more blog posts on my website.
Measurable: I will write 1 blog post every 2 days.
Attainable: I will set aside 2 hours every day to writing the blog posts.
Relevant: I want to increase the amount of content on my site and offer more to my readers.
Time-Bound: I hope to write 15 blog posts in a month.
Start a Side Hustle
A traditional job may not be for you, and the pay does not seem enticing, so you wish to start a side hustle. A side hustle is an excellent way for teenagers to utilize their free time to earn some extra money. As a teenager, I was always looking for ways to make extra cash.
Through trial and error, I found what worked for me. In the age we live in today a side hustle has never been easier to start. The benefits of a side hustle extend beyond profit, as it will allow you to learn new skills, gain financial literacy, and let you do something you love!
If you are unsure of what side hustle you want to pursue, then here are a few examples to get your brain moving:
- Lawn-care services
- Reselling
- Start a YouTube channel
- Start a blog
- Selling graphic-design services
- Tutoring
There are many more side hustles out there that are another opportunity waiting. Experiment. Find what works for you and go through with it.
Educate Yourself
Newfound knowledge will spark new interests and open new opportunities within yourself. Unfortunately, high school won’t teach you everything. Therefore, you should educate yourself on your own.
Whether you learn through books, videos, or other people, education is integral to development. You will not only get ahead of your peers but also ahead of your past self.
A few things to learn on your own would be financial literacy, how to cook, and computer skills. Another thing you can do is to learn more about a topic that you are familiar with.
Exercise and Diet
“The greatest wealth is health.” I know you hear this all the time, but exercise and diet are vital to your well-being, especially during your teenage years.
Whether it is going for a walk, going to the gym, or going on a hike, exercise is amazing for your health. Pair this with a hearty diet and you are doing wonders for yourself. Health benefits include:
- Preventing potential diseases
- Promote weight loss, weight-maintaining
- Improved mood
- Improved sleep
- Encourages normal growth
The benefits extend way beyond what is listed here, but you get the idea. Now, I don’t mean to sound like your parents but stay away from harmful practices such as smoking and drinking. This will only set you back even further than where you started. Proper exercise and a healthy diet will make you mentally and physically tough, and will set you up for what is to come.
Get Proper Sleep
Sleep is and always will be praised by many. It is the eighth wonder of the world. Ensure that you are getting quality sleep for a proper amount of time each night. The recommended number of hours of sleep is about 8-9 hours.
Just like exercise and nutrition, quality sleep has endless benefits. These include, but are not limited to:
- Reduced stress
- Improved mood/focus
- Higher cognitive function
- Boost your immune system (get sick less)
- More energy for the day
Eliminate Bad Habits and Start Good Ones
Maybe you are a lazy person who eats junk food too much. Maybe you tend to spend too much money on unnecessary things. Or maybe you don’t get enough sleep (Hey! We just talked about this!). Whatever it is, it’s time to eliminate bad habits that kill your progress and prevent you from becoming a better person.
It’s now time to start good habits that can have a positive impact on your lifestyle. After all, habits shape who we are. They affect almost every aspect of our lives.
What actually is a habit? A habit is a tendency to do something. As we discussed before, this can be either bad or good and can impact your life for the better or for the worse. Starting good habits is harder than it sounds. It is an action that requires discipline.
Despite this, there are practices that you can implement into your everyday life to establish good habits. A few methods to do so are to avoid triggers that cause you to perform bad habits, establish daily routines, and hold yourself accountable.
Learn a New Skill/Find New Hobbies
Passion projects, sports, community service, etc. If you’ve always loved watching basketball, why not try out for the varsity team? If you are passionate about your community, then indulging in community service is a great way to give back (and it looks great on college applications and resumes!). These are examples of hobbies that you could pursue. Having a hobby eradicates boredom, and gives you something to do in your free time.
Similar to hobbies, learning a skill can be extremely beneficial. The benefits are obvious and well-known. You may wish to learn coding, cooking, investing, or something else.
Whatever it is, learning it can be a new experience and in some cases, life-changing. Not only this but you will potentially connect to others who are interested in learning the same skills.
Remember that life isn’t exactly a race and that you should not always be competing with others, but instead with yourself. “Getting ahead” is just another way of saying improvement, or becoming a better version of yourself. With this in mind, you should have an idea of where you want to go from here, and how you will become an improved individual. Implement the ideas presented in this article into your everyday life.
This article is of no use to you unless you actually start. And of course, the best time to start is now.
