TEEN Motivation
TEEN Motivation! 4 Simply Tips…
Teen Motivation written by: Youth Motivational Speaker Quentin Whitehead
What does it take to motivate TEENS? I believe I have the answer! Well, at least a few of them. As I travel across the country speaking to countless youth audiences, there is one common denominator that resonates with me. After speaking, teens always rush up and utter “Oh my God you have no idea how much you helped me”; “My self-esteem was so low until I heard you today”; “I really didn’t think that it was possible for me, but now I see that it is”. These statements lead me to believe that the development of S.E.L.F is or should be the cardinal priority to jump start teen motivation. Motivation is something that ignites from the inside, often times dictating the results on the outside. Everything gets started with us! When I empower teens, my formula for attracting success is developing S.E.L.F. It goes a little something like this:
S- Self Esteem! Teens you have got to get pumped up about you! The greater you feel about yourself, the greater your motivation level will be. Now, I understand it’s unrealistic to always feel good and be pumped about yourself, so here are 2 tips to increasing teen self-esteem. 1) Speak positive words to yourself. It’s absolutely vital that the words that come out of your mouth are positive. Your words mean everything! In fact, you create your world with your words. Words are the driving force behind your emotions. My mentor says: “You’re either building your world up or tearing it down based on the words you speak.” What you speak the most of, is what you believe the most of. 2) See it. What you see is what you get! The dividing factor between teens that are driven and teens who are depressed is what they see. Your vision of you makes the difference. If you begin to build how you see yourself, your self-esteem will absolutely sky rocket.
E- Exposure! It’s almost impossible to get motivated about something you have no idea exist. Expose yourself to the possibilities for your life. Go visit that college or university. Go tour that company. Go tour that home. Go sit in and when you get old enough, test drive that car. Go try out for that team. Try playing that instrument. Dream building is so critical! When you are aware of your possibilities, the motivation to craft them into realities intensifies.
L- Look inside! Everything that you will ever need is inside. Often times, teens lack motivation because they don’t believe they have what it takes. However, I am here to tell you that you do! You were born with everything it takes to accomplish what your heart desires. You just have to look inside! Stop searching for answers on the outside and begin to ask the questions on the inside.
F- Focus on them! Get yourself a mentor or coach. See, you become motivated when you are following someone who is motivating. A mentor is someone who can see your blind spots. Someone who can help you grow. Someone who can serve as a model for you to follow. Someone who gets you motivated as a result of their accomplishments and knowledge. My excitement and motivation is always accentuated after an encounter with my mentor. I feel refreshed and pumped because he always stretches me to be more, have more, and accomplish more.
Oblivious these 4 tips are just a fraction of what it takes to motivate teens. However, I do believe it to be a great starting point. When our teens feel great about whom they are, consequently their motivation for life elevates to new heights. Remember external motivation is a result of internal S.E.L.F development.