Tough Challenges
Along with the three core challenges on your 10-year teen heroic journey to becoming a young adult there are some specific challenges that can be particularly tough.
They “Pile on” – But it’s How We Grow
These particular challenges get added to the normal core challenges of developing your identity as a young adult; developing new relationships with peers, parents and romantic partners; and building a range of competencies required for success as an independent young adult. These challenges throw us outside of our comfort zones, but that’s where we develop – at any age.
As with any of the challenges you face on your journey, these particular challenges will help you develop your courage, your ability to persevere and your resilience. You may be tested physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially and maybe even spiritually. And you will develop wisdom and skills that help with the challenges of identity, relationships, and young adult competencies.
It is in being tested by some of these particularly tough challenges that you will develop some of your most important strengths – strengths that don’t just appear, but are developed when you are really tested. That’s the way it works for everyone, whether we like it or not.
“Being the Author”
The heart of the teenage heroic journey is becoming the author of your life – the journey from dependent child to independent young adult. That means becoming the author even when you are victimized or knocked down. When you are depressed; or being bullied and feeling alone; or if you are dealing with feeling suicidal, it can seem impossible to be the author. But that is the critical challenge and it is possible to do it. Not easy, but possible.
“Heroes Never Go Alone”
One of the keys to life – not just being a teenager – is to get help when you need it. It’s not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of intelligence and a sign that you are ready to manage the resources you need to be successful in facing whatever challenges you are facing. The heroes in the myths and movies all had multiple people that helped them on their journeys.
No matter how strong or capable they were, the heroes would not have been successful on their journeys without others. They might have survived, but they would not have been successful. It’s the same for us at any age. The myths are about us, they are just told in bigger more grand ways.
So, be take on these particularly tough challenges and be the author as much as possible, trust yourself, get the help you need, and focus on developing your courage, perseverance and resilience in the process.
