Authoring your Life
Being the Author of Your Life – Child to Young Adult
It’s the journey from the dependency of childhood to the independence of young adulthood. And it is a long journey that plays out differently for everyone.
- It’s about influence, not control
- It’s about responsibility and choices
- It’s about taking charge vs. letting life happen to you
- Others will have scripts for you, but your script is most important
More than anything, the process of becoming the author of your life is what separates a teenager from a child.
Guidelines
Everyone will be the author in their own way, but there are a few common guidelines.
- Face the challenges and tests directly and work at them – don’t just let them happen.
- Remember it’s a journey and it happens over a 10-12 year period. It’s not a race.
- Remember that sometimes you will feel pretty powerful and successful and sometimes you will feel anxious, frustrated, or depressed.
- Take care of yourself physically on the journey – eating and sleeping well, managing risky behavior, exercise, etc. – it matters
AND
- Don’t do this alone. Talk with peers and adults about the experience.
One of the things my parents taught me, and I’ll always be grateful for the gift, is to not ever let anybody else define me.
Wilma Mankiller, former Chief of the Cherokee
Nation
It’s about Being Tested to Grow and Mature
Naturally Tested as a Teenager
We grow by encountering the challenges of life and being tested. The challenges and tests will come and they are a natural and necessary part of the journey.
- Taking on the three core challenges I face as a teenager – Identity, Relationships & Competencies
- Dealing with experiences that will test me on 5 levels – physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual levels
- Having to let go of the ways of childhood, discover and master the ways of young adulthood – and deal with a bunch of years of being in-between (“inbetweenity”)
How we respond is the key.