Diary Of A Naija Teen: Simple Tips To Living Your Best Life To The Fullest

Many people say – and I also believe that – being a teenager is very difficult but I mostly prefer to say being human is difficult. As you grow, many people – parents, families, friends, neighbours, society – expect you to be perfect in many different things and in the process of striving for perfection, it is easier for teens to lose themselves and end up being frustrated.
While striving for total perfection is a good way to push yourself to become the best teen and eventually the best adult you can be, it is necessary to note that in the end, total perfection is impossible. What really matters is trying to be better and having the confidence to live life sweetly. There is so much frustration in the air for teenagers and it may be hard living the best of your lives so I made a research on how we can do it better. I came across a few things that I absolutely agree with and I know will be of benefit to you.
1. Do Not Compare Yourself With Others: this is one of the many things that brings teenagers frustration – thinking the other girl has all the best things of life and you don’t, the boy next door is more handsome than you are, everyone loves the other group of girls and they hate you, the other boys have talents and are special than your are, and the many likes of comparisons. Know this and know peace; there will always be teenagers better than you are and others worse than you are. Many others are even into illegal things that do not befit a noble teenager and comparing your noble self to them is wasteful! Simply focus on your own growth to be better in the things you are and you have.
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In as much as healthy comparisons may want to push you to be better, many times, they just frustrate you. I had this feeling during the lockdown when I was having an audition and it led to tears. Eventually, I didn’t get to the next stage and I didn’t die – I just wasted my tears and got hurt for NOTHING! That’s just the way it is – a sheer waste of time, emotions and thoughts. Not comparing yourself saves you unnecessary heartache and emos, and you eventually live your best!
2. Be Grateful For Everything You Have: this is in some ways related to my stance on comparison. The things you have and you think are not good enough for you, many other teens wish to have half of them. Those you do not have and really wish to have, many have but are just wasting them or not seeing their importance. As severe as you the things happening to you may be, there are worse scenarios. This is not to say whatever you are going through doesn’t hurt or to invalidate your feeling – NEVER – I’m only saying just give thanks for where you are. Nothing is permanent, every phase will pass. Being grateful will just lessen your worries and help you live freely.
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3. Surround Yourself With The Right People: in your teen age, peers, teachers and outsiders usually have more space and chances with you than parents or families would. Many times you feel safe talking to them than your family. But ensure you are surrounded by the right people with the right values, right knowledge, right energy and right vibes. Life is too short, one cannot live in isolation and there is enough frustration in the air, life is too short than vibing with people that will distort your dreams and values rather than help you grow or cheer you up as the case may be. There is bliss in having the right people around you, some soul-lifting and satisfying bliss.
4. Stop Looking For Excuses: I used to unintentionally do this until I got to think about it. For everything I didn’t do right, I was always preparing a justification to defend rather than own up and move on. Stop making excuses up for the assignment you should have done while rather watching movies, or the things you forgot to do. It only makes you a perpetual excuse-giver and before you know it, you have a tag already, a distorted identity and may eventually lose your integrity.
5. Don’t Worry Too Much About the Future:  Daniel Vu, a writer on Quora spoke about this and I’ll quote him. “Whether it’s on Quora or when I’m volunteering with my Church group on the weekends, I see and hear too many kids worrying about the B they got on that AP History test, horrible reviews on their mock college applications, or that no college would want to accept them despite having everything in terms of the college criteria. I would say stop worrying too much about those things in the long term. Focusing too much on the long term in those issues such as school grades and college future has many forgetting to live in the present moment. They forget how to enjoy themselves, actually learn a subject or two, or even actually mature. To those that worry too much about the future, live in the present moment. Savior every day that you are living, enjoy the opportunities that present itself whether it’s to travel or to simply have fun. Don’t ever forget the moments to live life to the fullest, instead of always dying for something”!!!!
5. Explore/Travel: Try out new things, go to new places, try new recipes of food, take on adventures, read wide, meet people, mingle, join developmental clubs and groups, volunteer for community services or helping people, do fun things, go out with friends – swimming, beaching, parties – YES!!!!, excursions and more, they all make your life sweet and full of life, rather than sulking on peer pressure, bad energy and all. The best lessons you can learn are not in the classroom, but seeing many of these things.
7. Have some regular me time: take time out to ‘talk to yourself’, evaluate yourself, reminisce the memorable times or rest 0- just a time for yourself, by yourself and to yourself. I so love locking myself in my room in as much as there’s power supply – just to be there doing nothing stressful or maybe just laying on the bed. In as much as you are busy all through the days of the week, create a me-time and expend it in a lovely manner that when you think back, you always want to go back to your special time.
8. Do things that make you happy, invest in your talents and skills: ABSOLUTELY! Things that give you energy and happiness, do them! You have skills, work on them! You have talents, improve on them!
9. Treat Failure As A Blessing: Daniel Vu also wrote, “Far too many times, I see kids who have their emotions in a frenzy when they fail at school. I too know that feeling of failure when self esteem is at an ultimate low. Too many times in life I’ve experienced this, whether it was experiencing a breakup, failing at an affiliate marketing business, not watching out for my Marines, or not being accepted into a job I yearned to do. But if I did not experience those failures, I would not have grown in maturity, learned what did not work for me, and create a blueprint that will lead to success. Treat failure as a blessing in disguise. Who knows where it will lead you in life.”
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10. On this 10th point, I’ll like to put Daniel Vu’s words to teens… “If I was only told this as a 15 year old high school sophomore, my life would have changed dramatically at an earlier age. But here’s some wisdom I have learned over the years that I wish to pass to a teenager. I wish to the teenagers reading this to live life to the fullest and don’t hold back. Don’t live with any regrets in having an awesome time before adulthood. It’s not a call to live the reckless YOLO life, but to live out a life full of actual adventure that lives in moments and not materialistic things.”.
Overall, there is no ‘right’ way to live a perfect life, so dear teens, don’t try and imitate anyone else. Instead, follow your own passions, dreams and desires in alignment with your faith in and the will of God. enjoy and live your best life!!!
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Photos Credit: Getty