Advice to young folks

(ha that made me think of that 'young folks' song, remember that?) i was going to make a V-log (how its prounounced) but ever since mike threw all my stuff into the trunk of my car, well, that is where my webcam rests now.

Hello! So, I have a few things I would like to say. Chapter 1: becoming comfortable with who you are. First of all, some advice to those of you who are still in high school. Perhaps you are a sophomore, well, I know this sounds cliche and sounds redundant, but...get good grades! It is not that hard to do! Just pay attention, take notes, and study study study! I know it is hard to do, especially with all sorts of distractions, such as tv, video games, friends, internet, etc. I know right now you probably feel as if you are never going to get out of high school, but that is simply not true. Two years will start going by quicker than you think! Cherish the time you are in school. Strive to make it a good school experience, scholastically and for your own memory files. Make friends so that you will have them later in life. It might feel like making friends can be hard, or you might feel insecure or depressed. This is normal. If you do feel depressed, then just keep reassuring yourself and look to the future. You can become whoever you want to be! You just need the right gameplan! Are your parents supportive of you? Do they push you to do your best? I know all parents want what is best for their kids, but sometimes they do not know how to go about encouraging their kids. Do you feel like you have no one who wants to help you? Then you should help yourself! Do it for YOU!!! Encourage YOURSELF! Look in the mirror and smile at yourself. This should be an exercise. Do it in the morning, and before you go to bed. Begin to become used to yourself, who you are. If you have a webcam, start recording yourself. You can talk about whatever is on your mind. Watch these videos. Become used to YOU! Take note on your appearance, how you speak, how you pronounce and enunciate. You will start becoming more comfortable with yourself. Do not be too picky. Embrace your quirks. Tell yourself, 'this quirk is what makes me, me!' If you can fool yourself with confidence, you can fool others, and after time, this will come naturally. Your confidence will be as breezy as the..uh...breeze. Talk to your parents too. You should feel safe and comfortable enough to talk to your parents with whatever is on your mind, they will be happy to hear this. Yes sometimes people come from tough upbringings. "I can't really talk to my family." Why? Why can't you talk to your family? Is there drugs/alchohol abuse, physical mental abuse? Are your parents divorced, poor, do you have lots of siblings? Try to understand that they are going through problems and be supportive. Remain strong and positive. It is easy to go down a destructive path full of negativity and depression. Talk to someone. You need some sort of 'authority figure' to talk too. Not like a police, but people are willing to listen and understand and help you? Anyways, focus on your school work and productivity. Are you artistic? Realize that art class is not going to be around forever! Take advantage of this. Take alot of art classes. SAVE YOUR WORK! are you athletic? focus on good health and physical fitness. 

Chapter 2: establishing a game plan 

While you are still in high school, you are going to need to come up with a gameplan. Do it now! Why? Ok, for example, Byron absolutely hates school. He doesn't have much friends. He dreads waking up and lugging himself on the bus. He does all he can to just 'blend in' and go un-noticed. Byron is overweight. He used to get bullied in elementary school for being overweight and wearing hand me downs, and for smelling like a basement with dirty clothes. As a sophomore in high school, he still gets picked on. No girls talk to him. He has a few friends, other 'misfits'. He sits in the back of the class and keeps to himself. He can't wait to graduate so he can just be left alone. He has thought about just dropping out of school, many times. "Why bother?" he thinks. WHY BOTHER BYRON? right...why bother?!

fast forward 10 years, (had he dropped out). 25 years old, still living with his mommy, even more overweight. Living in the dark basement, playing HALO or whatever video game he plays. Not working, not even bothering getting a job. Still miserable. 

See? If he just STOPPED FEELING SORRY FOR HIMSELF, HE COULD OF MADE A PACT WITH HIMSELF!

SO THIS IS WHAT YOU MUST DO, NOW IF YOU ARE STILL YOUNG ENOUGH TO DO SO!

Make a pact with yourself. If you hate school, fine, you hate it. But, tell yourself, 'this is only temporary! I will not be here much longer."

Come up with a game plan. Get a job and begin working. You can go to community college or university if you have a scholarship. You are young. What bills do you have had? Bad credit? I doubt that! Once you graduate, maybe you can get involved with the job corps. They will help you until you are 24. You do not necessarily have to go enroll into college right away. Work, stay at home, save your money! Get a notebook and make a timeline for yourself. Be reasonable too. Have fun with your life. Meet new people. Be happy to be alive! Write down certain goals and dreams you have in your notebook. Think of a reasonable job, one you can get work in. Have you ever thought about travel careers? Flight attendant, TSA, (if you dont have a bad work history and are just starting out, these jobs are perfect) you get training and then you will get a good career. Security guards, (they get payed well! sometimes 40.00 an hour! go to school for criminal justice!) another well paying job, dental hygienist. this takes lots of school and study, but if you conditioned yourself to good study habits as discussed in chapter 1, you should do fine! While these may not be your dream jobs, at least you now have a well paying career. You can write down your hobbies and DO THEM IN YOUR FREE TIME! do you want to write stories? THEN DO IT! do you want to take up photography classes? THEN DO IT!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!! if you are well set financially, then you will have a much healthier, positive outlook, rather than a miserable, negative outlook.

Chapter 3: Taking care of yourself.

Listen, just because you are done with high school and you see all your peers going off to college, where they discover the fine art of partying, DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO GO DOWN THAT ROUTE! they have been conditioned by countless movies, reality shows, media etc, GLAMOURIZING this sort of lifestyle. "Oh, lets get drunk and wasted!" "lets do a beer bong! Lets shotgun these beers". You might find yourself with an alchohol problem, and next thing you know, you get a DUI, and a DUI is NOT FUN!!! imagine, over 1000.00 in fines, not to mention losing your license for 6 months or more, and the surcharges up to 5000.00. AND THIS GOES ON YOUR DRIVING RECORD! uh, just try not to get wrapped up in the partying lifestyle, believe me! Alchohol just brings MORE problems than you can ever imagine. Plus you get caught in situations you would never be in if you werent messed up. Something bad might happen to you, you could hook up with someone and end up getting pregnant, not knowing who the dad could be!? (seriously that does happen) People become irresponsible when they drink. Why get wrapped up in problems, just avoid it. It might be hard to avoid drinking especially if you have the alchohlic gene in you. Sometimes you tell yourself you are just going to to have a few beers, but before you know it you can't stop. You end up wasting all your money at the bar and blacking out. What fun is that? Maybe you should get help? Maybe just avoid being around alchohol, even tho it is hard. Just be aware of yourself, if anything. Have someone look out for you. Be around people you trust and who care about your well-being. 

This chapter includes diet and exercise too. Drink water, eat healthy. Once 
Once you start cooking your going to want to keep up the good cycle.

I know this says advice to young folks, but this isnt just for younger folks. It can be for anyone. You see, its never too late to start adopting good habits. Yes, the older you get, the more "stuck in your ways" you become. Start thinking positively. You'll be surprised at the wonders a positive outlook can bring. Learn to insert a clove in the ham. (??) anyways....reflect on life. Take a moment everyday to look at your surroundings. Take note of everything going on. Do not be ego-driven at this moment. Just soak in your environment. LEARN TO LISTEN! sometimes people like to talk but they never LISTEN!!!