Life is meant to focus on one thing. Your energy should not be divided or dispersed into many pursuits. Just as one cannot take two steps simultaneously, one cannot pursue two big goals at once without dividing attention. There is a gap between what one knows when is young, and the understanding gained with age. Some realities cannot be learned in school; only a set of books can provide them, especially when someone discovers their purpose and pursues a specific goal. There are things you can’t learn from school, but only life and understanding can teach you. I wish everyone could understand these things when they are still young. Here are six crucial lessons young people should clearly understand and practice between the ages of 10 and 18 and beyond.
- Self-Awareness: If someone emphasizes the importance of self-awareness early on and the process of deepening it, it can be transformative. Recognizing one’s weaknesses and strengths early allows one to seize opportunities in areas of strength and prepare for and mitigate threats in personal life. During this time many discover their purpose.
- Reset Your Mind: Knowing how to think is a fundamental practice everyone should start at an early age. Individuals are reflections of their thoughts, and their belief systems develop through these thoughts. Moreover, people interpret circumstances and judge others through the lens of their beliefs. Therefore, beliefs play a critical role in shaping destinies. Resetting the mind and adopting an intentional way of thinking is cretical.
- Define Your Beliefs: There are collective beliefs and personal beliefs. Paying attention to what one believes and ensuring that these beliefs are strong, immutable, and true is important. Fake beliefs lead to fake lives, while strong beliefs lead to strong lives and destinies. One cannot go beyond what one believes.
- Faith: Faith is a mysterious concept because it is both spiritual and natural. It is the foundation and the driving power behind every person who enjoys life and finds joy in living and pursuing their goals. Faith makes the weak strong, the impossible possible, and generates optimism, hope, satisfaction, and peace of mind beyond measure.
- Self-Worth: Understanding the importance of self-worth, self-value, and self-compassion is paramount. A lack of these attributes has drained many lives into failure, causing some to shift into a blaming mode and others to become victims of their negative self-talk and self-perception. Similar mindsets inhibit courage and initiatives. Consequently, individuals constantly seek other people’s approval to validate their worth or please others to feel valued and to belong.
- Setting Goals: Life is not meant for doing everything. One should not be told where to focus energy or hard work except in areas of personal passion. Finding your passion should be a priority. Setting goals to achieve what you love is what matters truly. People have different passions because they are wired differently. Therefore, no one should influence another to pursue something that doesn’t align with your passion. Settling for less than one’s passion is settling for failure. Your passion is the source of your purpose, destiny, and success.
- Mind Your Decisions and Choices: Knowing that every choice and decision, whether intentional or not, carries consequences is wise. People of all ages build up or destroy themselves every day because of the choices they make. Every day, a life gets destroyed or fails; whereas, on the same day a life prospers and makes an extra step towards its destiny. It is a matter of becoming intentional about your choices.
Focusing on a single purpose harnesses human energy and potential to its fullest. Dividing attention among multiple goals dilutes efforts and hinders achievement. Understanding and committing to a singular purpose early in life allows for a more directed and fulfilling journey. The lessons of self-awareness, intentional thinking, defined beliefs, faith, self-worth, and goal-setting are strong foundations for personal growth and fulfillment. These principles are timeless and provide valuable guidance for anyone striving to live a focused and meaningful life.
